Music that is strong on the ears and hard on the brain!
March 27th 2008 04:01
Signature Tune
From the Australian:
Matthew Westwood
LET'S not pretend that new music - that is, music written in recent years, rather than past centuries - is always easy listening.
In some pieces, musical ideas are so distilled and concentrated that they can be strong on the ears and tough on the brain. Or an experimental piece may consist of seemingly random sounds: bleeps and white noise or the innards of a piano being interfered with.
It is precisely because new music is not familiar and comfortable that devotees want to hear it. But it does not have to be alienating or obscure. Put fear aside: it is much better when heard in the concert hall or an edgy industrial space than on CD. The live experience has a way of galvanising one's attention and casting aside prejudices. Well, maybe temporarily.
In some pieces, musical ideas are so distilled and concentrated that they can be strong on the ears and tough on the brain. Or an experimental piece may consist of seemingly random sounds: bleeps and white noise or the innards of a piano being interfered with.
It is precisely because new music is not familiar and comfortable that devotees want to hear it. But it does not have to be alienating or obscure. Put fear aside: it is much better when heard in the concert hall or an edgy industrial space than on CD. The live experience has a way of galvanising one's attention and casting aside prejudices. Well, maybe temporarily.
I think the key word here is 'devotees' it may be OK for the rest of us, but is once more than enough, it would be good to give the brain a good workout but what would it do for the soul.
I do not subscribe to the University view that "any sound is music" some just makes you feel as if you want to scream.
One needs to be brought up in a certain culture to feel any sort of appreciation at all for some 'so called' music but then again there is other music from other cultures which we find harmonious, so how do we know just what it is doing for our brains, we do know that too loud damages our ears, and many pop groups do not have much feel for music at all and so many love them. Does this mean their devotees are musically incompetent, may I suggest to you, it does.
Your comments are invited.
The more critical of 'bad music' the better and the more defensive would seem to verify what I am saying is true, I just know that what many call music makes me shudder. I guess that's one way of getting some aerobic exercise, as one gasps for air.
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At least there used to be tuneful songs around.
Certainly many brains need more than a little tuning.
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