So in my second week of university we've been looking at cities, (you know the history/origins and their emergence etc...) and if there is one thing I have taken out of these past two weeks it's that; cities are in many ways a reflection of their societies values and cultural truths. At least that's how it was in ancient times, and arguably it still is a trait fo many places today. Now before I bore you all talking about Urban history I think it has become more apparent to me that the same 'reflection of truth' is mirrored in the art of creating music.
Now this might seem obvious to a lot of you because of the basic fact that well.. Different cultures have different music and therefore they are reflections of their own different and respective ideals. And the difference is clear, You listen to some traditional Chinese music and some Jamaican and your gonna see a big difference. But the truth I am talking about is kind of hard to define. If we go to modern day western music I am talking of the truth in terms of the song/piece's 'honestness'. I think the 'honestness' (which from here I will call 'truth') of a song greatly affects it's quality. (Excuse my arbitrary use of words here, I havent the best vocabulary). If we take a song by Metallica. Sure it is metal, and yes a lot of people aren't fans of metal music, but in my opinion they are respected (even by non metal fans) because of their song's message/truth. They aren't cheap pop songs just made for the commercial world that are off the radio as soon as they are on it. And again, I think it is this very 'truth' in a song that adds to how good it is. Metal music will a lot of the time will reveal the song writers angry/frustrated side and when it is produced in the form of music you get this distinct 'metal' sound or 'metal' theme. I wouldn't dare say that metal is limited to the emotions of anger and frustration but it is a good general way to look at it I think.
I'm feeling some people might say: 'but can't music just be an end in itself? Does it really have to be a reflection of some truth?'. I think this would more apply to instrumental music, but even instrumental music can portray a particular reality, but then again I am forced to admit it doesn't always, or at least we don't always know what the artist had in mind. And there's the beauty in music. It can conjure any emotion to anyone person. Sometimes the same song will speak to people in different ways, and I think that's just amazing.
A lot of the time I can't really conclude in my blogs, basically because the things I end up talking about can sometimes be a tad circular and a little confusing. But in the end, I more value music that is created with some kind of intent, and even though it is not always obvious what that truth is, it is definitely there somewhere between the notes and the sound. The whole is greater than the some of its parts.
But hey that's just me
What about you guys?
Jesse Liang
http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07
