tomp wrote:
Pelliott321 wrote:
The he should have written a book
Agreed. But many people do not read books any more. Just look at the rise of rap which is essentially a story with a beat in the background.
But rap is actually a way of expounding poetry, of word play, using rhythm (in both the words and the supporting beat) as the conveying musical element rather than using melody with harmonic support. It may not be to your liking, but I would consider this directly analoguous to recitativ in opera or oratorios. There have been through centuries in music the debate over the importance of the text vs other musical elements (melody, harmony, polyphony, etc.). I have to agree with Grover that you need to understand the music before you can appreciate it. Once you begin to understand what is happening and its meaning, they you have a structure that can make it sound like music rather than just noise. You may not like it, but it makes sense and can then say, hey, I hear what they are doing here. You can also begin to appreciate the good (inventive, complex, unique, meaningful) vs the formulatic "copy cat" pieces in the genre.
I do not listen to "pop" music, but when exposed to it (such as background music outside the home), I always try to figure out what the happening with the music, turn on my analytical brain. It actually helps me deal with music I would rather not listen to otherwise.
David