"Non-classical music"

[JK]

I must start by saying that I absolutelt love classical music and couldn't live with out it, I listen to it everyday and practice it for anything up to 7 hours a day. But on top of this I have also developed a liking for rock, heavy metal and prog rock bands. My favourites at the moment include Jimmi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, especially the dark side of the moon. In my opinion this music, despite being different in a very obvious way to classical music, shares certain things with classical music, it seems very personal (not mass-produced like a lot of the modern day pop songs!), the lyrics are like poetry at times and songs are often complex with extended sections. I was just wondering if anyone else liked these kinds of bands and what everone thinks about classical music in relation to more modern music?

[monk]

The bands you name are very good for rock bands, of course.
But if you look for quality, they simply can't compete with good jazz musicians.

Compared with Art Tatum, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Brad Mehldau, Tony Williams, John Coltrane and countless other jazz greats those rock people sound really rough and a bit amateurish.

Listen to some ambitious "prog rock", then listen to Miles Davis with Gil Evans' big band playing "Miles Ahead" or "Porgy And Bess". After that the "prog rock" will sound a bit childish to you.

While compositionally undoubtedly the great classical composers are the best, today the most creative and important musicians are in some kind of "jazz" environment.

Best Wishes,
Monk

[JK]

Yes I think I would actually tend to agree with that. Although I think it is very difficult to compare classical music with rock or jazz as the different genres require very different things to be successful. For example what Pink Floyd did was brilliantly suited to the genre in which they were working, if they had tried to use a more jazz-like style then they would have been writing jazz and not prog rock. Therefore I would say that all music should be judged on its' own level, although classical music is a lot more complex than pink floyd, their music still works because it isn't as complex. Similarly it would be hard to compare classical and romantic styles because one works because of its' restraint and simplicity and the other because of its' complexity and melodramaticism.

Hope this kinda makes sense!!

[Derek]

I really like pink floyd...haven't listened to dark side of the moon in a while! I should get it out soon...

What I think is that the world has more or less moved on from classical music...it is a museum genre anymore.  The only people who compose in it now are either pretentious intellectuals who put forth vomitous masses of dissonance as music, or eccentric amateurs with their own individual concept of beauty (which is typically unblemished by academic pretense). And these latter rarely publish, because the academics "in power" assert arrogantly that music with any "obvious" beauty in it is valueless.

What a sad state of affairs. Anyway...my point is that there is a tremenous amount of modern music, in all genres from rock to jazz...that is absolutely gorgeous.  Keith Jarrett is definitely one of them...Pink Floyd is definitely another!!


I'd like to add that I agree that institutionalization absolutely kills music wherever it arises....modern classical music and insipid pop music come to mind. One is dominated by government grants (not people's musical taste) the other, by what seems to be close to a natural monopoly on what popular music is played for the public.

No matter---we who are lucky enough to learn how to enjoy truly awesome music should be grateful and ignore these unfortunate institutionalisations that have taken hold in the world of music.

actually for all I know even the big record labels and mtv are in bed with the government.  hmm...

[Tash]

i find that i do like rock and jazz music quite a lot- rock seems to be less artificial than other genres like pop, rap, etc. which i can't stand though am learning not to pay it out as much as i used to because it is a form of music (even if it is crappy and to me artificial) and so i must repect that.
but yeah classical is definately the best and when i debate this with other non classical music fans i just think how lucky i am to be able to love and appreciate such incredibly fantastic compositions and think of all the wonders they're missing out on- don't you feel kind of sorry for them?

[goalevan]

Over the years I have been lucky enough to be able to appreciate many many genres of music. Rock, heavy metal, jazz are definitely some of my favorites - and classical of course. Crazy enough I also like techno and electronic music, hip hop/rap, country (only a little bit of it), alternative and pop. Although I think a lot of pop is horrible these days, some of it is still decent. I'm not going to say which genre is the "best" because it is all a matter of personal perception and taste.

My favorite groups of all time - Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead.

[willcowskitz]

I like sixties' pop.  
That's when the masses still had a good taste.  

Some of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin goes if I'm in the right mood.

Electronic music is potent but often misused to produce monotonous crap. I did listen to psychedelic/goa trance but the thing with the flatbeat music is that once you get bored of it, you'll always get bored of it fast again - artists are to blame, they try to imitate each other and use cheap tricks to produce "ambience" in the sound, fill the gaps with noise without any musical meaning just to add to the general distortion. Also, most electronic is bad for ear, the sounds are dissonant with themselves so there are lots of "garbage sounds" with no real purpose besides confusing the listener's ear so that the lack of harmony isn't as detectable. But there exists lot of real classy electronic music not aimed for the drooling masses who want their weekly dose of contentless pop tunes.

[Bob]

(drags up a fresh one year old thread)

[mikeyg]

(drags up a fresh one year old thread)

For what purpose?

[Torp]

Didn't want Lazarus to feel lonely.

[classicarts]

I like to listen to all kinds of music.  Sometimes, I do feel a bit too tiring and boring to just listen to classical.   

[clef]

(drags up a fresh one year old thread)

LOL  don't you think its hilerious how some people actualy find that offensive, anyway I like just about all music also, classical, rock, jazz, some pop...  baroque and the lot...  anyway the only music I don't really like is crazy alternative stuff and rap, though there are some crazy alternitive stuff I like, for instance the dresden dolls can be interesting at times...