"What is this piece called???"

[stevebob]

People often come to the forum to ask this question about something they heard somewhere.  They invariably seem convinced that they've stumbled upon something beautiful, memorable and famous.

And once in a while, it is.

Most of the time, though, it seems like an insipid new-age style improvisation or somebody messing around with some arpeggiated minor-key chord progressions that they imagine sound deep and emotive.

Does anybody else think this is bizarre?  I dunno.  Maybe it's a good thing that some people are so easily pleased?

[pianisten1989]

I also think it's silly. I once were on a lecture about music written after 1900.  The one giving the lecture ended it with saying some things about how Philip Glass was the "new thing".
Then I sat on youtube for a while and listening to him, and every comment was like "Omg, this is soo beautiful!! "... but it really isn't. it's 3 chords just going on and on and on. Iiih!

[ch101]

phillip glass's music is not exactly my favourite but we do have to respect him as a great modern composer do we?
once he wrote this score for a silent film or something about the american landscape. does anyone know what this is film is called?

[richard black]

phillip glass's music is not exactly my favourite but we do have to respect him as a great modern composer do we?
once he wrote this score for a silent film or something about the american landscape. does anyone know what this is film is called?

Koyaanisqatsi.

[bleicher]

I quite agree - I find it very strange when someone posts a piece of music and says 'I love this, could you find some pieces like this for me?' and when I listen it just sounds like someone's GCSE composition.

[djealnla]

I also think it's silly. I once were on a lecture about music written after 1900.  The one giving the lecture ended it with saying some things about how Philip Glass was the "new thing".
Then I sat on youtube for a while and listening to him, and every comment was like "Omg, this is soo beautiful!! "... but it really isn't. it's 3 chords just going on and on and on. Iiih!

You haven't heard anything, really.

What annoys me most of all is when people who listen to Pop music (and I mean the kind of Pop music which consists of three or four chords) listen to some classical music and say, "Classical music is boring, it all sounds the same and it expresses nothing."