Too often I will listen to the radio and hear a song that I think just really doesn't deserve to be played on air. Do people really like to listen to this? What is so good about the song? Sure, it has a catchy phrase but the rest of it may as well have been digitally created. I mean, how is the quality of music judged these days? Well if it's on the radio i'm guessing it's just based on some kind of commercial image or sound, but I want to know what separates the good music from the bad. It seems that in all art, the 'masterpieces' are the ones that have stood the test of time. For literature - something like the works of Shakespeare, for philosophy - something like Plato's or Aristotle's writings, and for music we have people like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. I don't think we can doubt the greatness of these works. Musicians all around the world still appreciate and play these pieces by these great musicians. Their legend and influence hasn't died yet and I don't see it dying for sometime. But what about say The Beatles? or Jimi Hendrix? They revolutionised the music and guitar world and their music is also still played today. Now I don't know if they are going to last as long as Bach or Mozart but they certainly have left quite a mark in the world of music. So what makes them so great? Could it just be because they were the first of their kind to produce that kind of music? Does inventing a style of music necessarily make you a first class band or musician? Surely it can't alone. It appears that they more so defined an Era. That their music was a turning point for the music world, that they changed the music paradigm of their time. It might be that their songs are actually respected as a part of history as opposed to just quality of music. (Don't get me wrong, I highly admire the music of both the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix). So it could be that because they have a history attached to their sound that they are regarded as 'greats' or 'legends'. It does seem a little bit unfair however for those who might be just as good but who will never receive the same credit. And maybe it is because they can't. Not that there is an end to music (at least in my opinion) just that they can't break free of the current paradigm of music. If everyone is playing the same (or roughly) thing, then no matter how good you are , you're not going to stand out (of course with a few exceptions). So i often find myself being careful when I'm judging music and comparing it to the 'greats' because they might be just as good however they just lack the... innovation, uniqueness, the ability to change a world's view on music <= (I was struggling to describe that part) Anyway, so I guess it ends up being 'what' the musician/s does (as well as being awesome) as opposed to 'how good they are' that makes them a legend.
Thought I'd post a comment about the music these days on the radio. Now I know that this generalization is just that a generalization but it depends on which radio stations we are talking about. Ok sorry to be pedantic. The real reason I'm comment is that while it is really cool to see someone with really good skills and tone and musicality in music, if I'm only enjoying their abilities but not really enjoying their overall sound then it's just not entertaining to me. So what is the art really supposed to be for? Are musicians just here to be pure to their art, or are they here to share? If they are here to share, then I feel that the music should pour into my ear and give me aural enjoyment. What I enjoy depends on who I am. Some people may just enjoy something fun to dance and sing along to, that is easy. Some really enjoy the technical aspect, how fast they can do arpeggios. I myself went to college for music but even so I don't close myself down to any particular style or whether something is original or similar to a lot of other things. Sometimes avant guarde things may be technically interesting (check out my dance song in 10/8 time) But maybe it is not so fun to listen to more than once. Anyhow in spite of all that, I think that you have a very fabulous tone that you get out of all your guitars. Would it sound as great on a super cheap guitar with sub standard recording equipment? I don't know. Above all I'm entertained. I try to turn off my music majors brain and just listen purely with my ears. My ears definately like it. Speaking of the beatles, sometimes they pushed bouderies and it was entertaining, sometimes it was interesting but not neccessarily my thing. They were entertaining on a lot of their songs but a lot of times yah they didn't play technically that well. It's has been a struggle for me to try and figure out what direection to go in. Be more entertaining first, get better technically first? Try to be so original? So I decided just try and have fun, be creative. Who cares how original it really is? I find trying to be too original sometimes just ends up being contrived. Ok end of long babbling comment. Keep up the great work!
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