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furcalchick
Mar 23, 2007, 08:38 PM
for the past few days, i've been asking myself these questions about music and pop culture in general. i'm just posting this as a survey of sorts to get a better idea about music and society intertwine. and btw, i may make some blanket statements here, i know it's not true for all of you, but i'm going on my experiences.

1. i've always wondered why, especially with young adults; why is the preference of musical genres so important and one of the first questions always asked? in a way, it's like we're defined by the music we like.

1a. are music haters usually outcasts in teenage society? is not liking the so called teeny-bopper music also cause people to look at you weird? what's the supposed music of the A+ students?

1b. i noticed that there is less of an emphasis on playing music than just listening to it. why does that exist?

2. do you think that the barrier between musicians and everyone else was a thick one until recently? or in other words, only the rich and famous could be considered true musicians, while the rest of society is considered to be non musicians?

3. i notice that alot of times, if a piece of music doesn't have words in it, it's not considered a song in today's pop culture in alot of ways. i'm not talking about classical music vs. today's music, i'm talking about if you had a song with no words and it's not a song, but put lyrics in it and it's a song. is that true? to what extent and why? if you don't know by now, i prefer lyricless music to ones with lyrics, i feel more into the music without singing or pre-deterimned interpretation of the song.

3a. why aren't the movie scores sold on cd's in contrast to the soundtracks that have a bunch of pop songs on it (i'm talking about big time movies).

4. in mainstream music, alot of it seems to be in a forumla of some type, so the new mainstream music in many cases isn't that new, but just the old thing rehashed in different forms. how much of it is true?

5. most of the family friendly music (music parents would love for their teens), the only messages in it seem to be about romance, and it must be happy music, and not about much else, and only two forms of songs exist here, fast upbeat songs and slow ballads. there isn't much else, so the teens only think of music as love songs, and don't dive into a form of expression. also, many of the singers here seem to stick to nasally vocals as well as excessive dancing and usually don't write their own songs. some of them also seem to be all into the hollywood world, pretty much telling kids that the only way to be an artist (which they aren't i think), is to get into hollywood. how much do you think is true of this statement?

5a. do you think the rise of bubblegum pop and teeny boppers in the late 90's through now is partly because of the decline of music education?

6. is american idol helping to keep the current images of music that were described above?

i'm not bashing music or anything, i'm only trying to get a better perspective at music's impact on society. thank you.



epochblue
Mar 23, 2007, 08:59 PM
1. i've always wondered why, especially with young adults; why is the preference of musical genres so important and one of the first questions always asked? in a way, it's like we're defined by the music we like.

To some degree, what genre of music you like is something that defines you as a person. More than that, however, teenagers (and I'm generalizing here) are a very picky, exclusive bunch, and be very alienating to those who don't agree with them. I don't necessarily think it's "important" the way you describe it, but I think it's a way to, in effect, weed out those people who may not really be the kind of person they're looking to hang out with.

1a. are music haters usually outcasts in teenage society? is not liking the so called teeny-bopper music also cause people to look at you weird? what's the supposed music of the A+ students?

I consider music haters to be outcasts in any society ;) Actually, if you ask me, people who don't like music just haven't found the kind of music that resonates with them personally. And a study came out recently that stated the music of the smarter kids tends to be a kind of heavy metal.

1b. i noticed that there is less of an emphasis on playing music than just listening to it. why does that exist?

I don't necessarily think that exists, but if it does, I would imagine it's because music is seen as an unstable career path. In particular, parents want the best for their kids, and (the potential for) a life of Ramen noodles and sleeping on someone's couch isn't their ideal.

2. do you think that the barrier between musicians and everyone else was a thick one until recently? or in other words, only the rich and famous could be considered true musicians, while the rest of society is considered to be non musicians?

No. If musicians are seen as unapproachable, I would attribute that solely to their celebrity status and not to the fact they're a musician.

3. i notice that alot of times, if a piece of music doesn't have words in it, it's not considered a song in today's pop culture in alot of ways. i'm not talking about classical music vs. today's music, i'm talking about if you had a song with no words and it's not a song, but put lyrics in it and it's a song. is that true? to what extent and why? if you don't know by now, i prefer lyricless music to ones with lyrics, i feel more into the music without singing or pre-deterimned interpretation of the song.

I don't think that's true. In fact, last night I picked up an album by an instrumental band, Explosions in the Sky, and was absolutely floored by their musical abilities. Again, I think this goes back to what people identify with. Some people identify with lyrics, some don't. Music has the same level of "personalness" that lyrics do, IMO.

3a. why aren't the movie scores sold on cd's in contrast to the soundtracks that have a bunch of pop songs on it (i'm talking about big time movies).

They are, you're just not looking in the right places. However, depending on the movie, the overall feel of the movie might be more determined by the music CHOSEN FOR the movie rather than by the music MADE FOR the movie. On top of that, soundtracks will almost always sell better than scores, and let's face it, economics will ultimately win.

4. in mainstream music, alot of it seems to be in a forumla of some type, so the new mainstream music in many cases isn't that new, but just the old thing rehashed in different forms. how much of it is true?

I would say that's very true. I don't listen to the radio and haven't for years. I have found more amazing music in the last 5 years than I care to enumerate here. If you want "good" music, I recommend sticking to smaller labels and lesser-known bands. Those people always have more to say and try harder. Walk some of the threads in this particular forum and you're bound to come across numerous bands you've never heard of -- check 'em out, you just might like them. ;)

5. most of the family friendly music (music parents would love for their teens), the only messages in it seem to be about romance, and it must be happy music, and not about much else, and only two forms of songs exist here, fast upbeat songs and slow ballads. there isn't much else, so the teens only think of music as love songs, and don't dive into a form of expression. also, many of the singers here seem to stick to nasally vocals as well as excessive dancing and usually don't write their own songs. some of them also seem to be all into the hollywood world, pretty much telling kids that the only way to be an artist (which they aren't i think), is to get into hollywood. how much do you think is true of this statement?

Again, please don't look at the Top 40 charts as a blanket statement of the current state of music. The truly good music, and the ones that deal with deeper emotions than "fleeting teenage romance," are out there, but you won't heard them on the radio.

What you hear on the radio is dictated mostly by a guy in a suit somewhere, it's sad but it's true. ClearChannel gets what ClearChannel wants. Stick to lesser known groups if you want music with substance. Of course that's just my opinion.

5a. do you think the rise of bubblegum pop and teeny boppers in the late 90's through now is partly because of the decline of music education?

No. Some of those people, despite my opinions of the music they make, are quite talented. I think the rise of bubble-gum pop can be attributed solely to the fact that it's what's making money. If people stopped buying it, trust me when I tell you that it would go away faster than you can blink.

6. is american idol helping to keep the current images of music that were described above?

Don't get me started on American Idol, and I don't recommend you watch it. Spend your time scouring the internet for good music you can support. There's tons of it out there, but don't expect to see/hear it on the TV/radio.

i'm not bashing music or anything, i'm only trying to get a better perspective at music's impact on society. thank you.

No, I don't think you are, but if you don't mind my asking...how old are you?

furcalchick
Mar 23, 2007, 09:18 PM
i'm 21, but i wasn't exposed to much music until a few years ago. i hated music for a while, mostly because i didn't find any music i liked.

and about american idol, i used to watch, but i don't watch much anymore expect for the first parts. i won't go into it much here, but i think american idol is a joke now. it's the search for the next britney or backstreet boys clone the teeny boppers will follow i think.