In your opinion, what makes good music? There are a number of factors, for example, your emotional response to the beats and rhythms. Do you get a tingling sensation crawl up your spine when you are at your favorite part of a song? We respond to different genres of music and eventually make it an irreplaceable part of our lives. Where would we be without it? How does music affect us as an individual?
I've noticed a decline in good music today. I'm not saying that there isn't good music, but I keep hearing stuff without any meaning to it. I rarely listen to the radio now and I frequently escape to underground music, older-generation music, and music from foreign countries. Sambomaster, Shing02, Nujabes, The Who, Nat King Cole, Earth Wind and Fire, Bill Withers, to name a few, are bands/musicians that mostly speak out to me.
I'm pretty sure many of you can provide good examples and perspectives, this is why I'm speaking out to you right now.Have fun people.
Edit: Don't get too emotional.
Last edited by Azuteor; 03-06-2009 at 09:25 PM.
Good music to me is the rhythm the beat and the actual melody or tune of the song i very rarely listen to the words. There are songs that i do get a tingle to though when i listen to them like amazing grace or classical music by Beethoven or Mozart. I particularly like the Full Metal Alchemist soundtrack i love Japanese music and the music on that cd always calms me down.
I also love listening to native african or asian music it is so soothing.
A mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.
--Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, 2200 B.C.
Crao Porr Cock8, Go and get a Cock8 up ya.
The finer details of a signature:
I have a varied taste, but one thing that I find really important is the composure of a song. I find it boring when a song is the same from start to end with only a change in lyrics. This is why I appreciate bands like The Prodigy and Hot Chip, whose songs progress and evolve. Rhythm and beat are the backbones of songs, so they need have the right kind of pace and time to work off a great bit of music. Melodies need to carry off and work in sync with the rhythm, and to me are best when they are made up of a variety of instruments and/or sounds.
My music collection ranges from the 70s to present, with artists rangind from Depeche Mode to The Sex Pistols, Iced Earth to Stereophonics, Faith No More to Apocalyptica, Jamiroquai to Levellers, Muse to The Cure, Jimi Hendrix to Prodigy, Polysics to Tom Jones. I like different songs for different reasons, although I can't always say why I like a song. Some songs I listen to whatever mood i'm in, others are more specific to a particular time or feeling. I have some ridiculously cheesy music in my collection too (Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy", Bombalurina's "Teeny Weenie Itsy Bitsy Yellow Polka Dot Bikini), that I haven't the foggiest why I like them but its probably their catchiness and ridiculousness, and that I remember them from my childhood (Timmy Mallet was one of my childhood idols).
I'm not sure if I agree or disagree that there is a decline in good music today. I find it hard to put an oppinion on the statement as I am only 19. I believe the majority of music produced in any year I wouldn't choose to listen to, however there are a number of songs which stand out. Some songs are forgotton through time, leaving some of the most memorable standing out.
Last edited by Storm; 03-07-2009 at 03:59 AM.
PSN username: Raikujaku
A meow-ed member of PRK9
Good music to me is when a song/band/artist just clicks with you. Like... I was never one for music until I played Fahrenhiet and first heard Theory of a Deadman. I had a few favourite bands, but I was never really on top with thier news and such, but with Theory I was on the web checking them out and playing thier music all the time.
I not only liked the sound of the songs, but also the lyrics. Some of the songs I got so into, I could sing the song on my first hearing them - guess work mostly, but I've never listened to a band before like that.
I also like a band more if I like the way the band members act. The Theory guys are just so... normal, despite leading rock star lives. Normally, you get these rock stars bragging about how awesome thierlives are, and this and that... and Theory are so down to earth. Modest, I think.
"I used to be active here like you, then I took an arrow in the knee."
>>>------------->
Suddenly... clutter.:
Warning free for over eight years. Feels good.
To me what makes me listen to something over and over is something that simply put sounds epic. To be epic something has to really stand out, something you want to play loud, something that really makes you feel the music and the theme they are trying to promote. This is why I believe Metal is so popular, its amazing how some bands can really capture the true essence of what they are trying to portray in their music. Something that really tells you a story, like if a song is singing about Pirates and actually sounds like something from a Pirate story.
This is not just limited to Metal, it expands throughout all genres. Video Game music is highly under appreciated for something that also does this real well, many here would know a lot of VG pieces really fit with the game as heard in the Final Fantasy series. We all loved those intro pieces that introduced the game and its what we identify them with.
well, classical is pretty calm. It calms me most of the time.
Originality, basically.
For me that is.
Music is just such a common thing these days. Every peasant has a favourite song... It's impossible to come to a definition of "good" music. Most music will always find an audience.
De coloribus et gustibus non disputandum est, children.
P.S. The image of the artist and how well you can identify with him/her/them always plays some role in your perception of the music.
Last edited by RagnaToad; 06-23-2009 at 06:30 PM.
Crao Porr Cock8: Getting it while the getting's good
That's mostly because a lot of the time people sing about things that they have no experience or understanding of, such as young pop singers singing about love, relationships, adult problems and stuff like that, and so there's no real feeling or emotion in the song.Originally Posted by Azuteor
But then again, an extreme example would be someone singing about how terrible their life is and how depressed they are, in the case of emo music... lol
For me, I never keep a song that doesn't speak to me in some way or make me feel something, be it the lyrics of the song or the way it's sung (especially if it's in a language that I don't understand), or just the music itself. I guess that's one of the reasons that I like enka music so much. Despite the fact that I don't really understand much of what's being sung, the way that they sing really gives me a sense of what they're feeling.
Last edited by Lucid; 06-23-2009 at 07:11 PM.
I totally disagree.
Songs are stories. You don't have to be a rapist to write a story about a rapist.
Same with songs.
And there isn't less good music. It's just that all the so-called "mainstream" and "pop" is just popular because it does what has been done a million times before. Awful singalongs or pimp music are always a hit these days.
Like I said, music has become BIG.
There used to be a time when only the music fans listened to music. But now, everyone listens to music.
That creates two categories: music for the masses, and music for the music fans.
(Obviously, those two categories are not strictly separated.)
Crao Porr Cock8: Getting it while the getting's good
I guess you misunderstood what I was saying. I never said all songs are like that, I was mostly talking about younger singers. It's okay if an adult sings certain songs because they are old enough to understand the concept, but it would be a little weird for a young singer to sing about rape unless they've actually experienced it or knew someone who did.
In any case, many singers don't even write their own songs, they sing songs that have been written by other people, so to really be able to get the message across they need to be able to understand what the content is about in order for people to be able to relate to it.
You can't half ass emotions in a song and expect people to understand the feeling or find it believable.
Good question. And a hard question, too.
I think that music is something you can't describe. At the moment, I couldn't describe why I like listening to the song that's just playing in my winamp.
But there are some basics that I like:
Lyrics. The message of a song is most important for me. I like songs that actually want to express something - even if it's "only" an emotion. I also really enjoy songs which tell a story. It needn't be a story which wants to teach you something, but just a nice story. x3" And of course all the emotional stuff like songs for a person.
Instruments. Yep, that's right. Good music is, when the band plays instruments. I don't like the stuff being made with computers. (Somehow I get the feeling I've said that before, but when and where? ?_?") That's somehow... unnatural. (Yeah, I know, amps are very unnatural, but the person playing the guitar/bass is really natural ^^)
Feelings. Mostly when I begin to like songs, I get a special feeling when listening to it. Some make me sad, some make me happy, some fit the situation I'm in perfectly. It depends on my mood.
But I also like some songs that don't have good lyrics and are made with computers... It's hard to say what makes good music .,.
Music needs several things for me to really like it. But, before I start, I'd like to say that for me, it doesn't necessarily need them all.
Lyrics- The lyrics need to either mean something to the artist/band or to yourself. It also could tell a story of some kind. I also love it when an artist/band has lyrics for you to interpret yourself. Tool are especially good at this.
The style of the vocals- I'm not really picky about the vocals, but I really don't like Death Metal, 'Hardcore' or nearly anything with growls of any kind. Exceptions to this rule are Dir En Grey, Cradle Of Filth, Slipknot and Gojira.
Instruments- Personally, as a guitarist, I love songs with really good guitar riffs, solos or just good guitar work in general. I'm not picky about the kind of instruments. I also like synths and other electronics.
I can give anything a chance, but these things define how much I like the song.
Last edited by ZantetsukeN; 07-12-2009 at 03:54 PM.
Not the artists I listen to. O_o
Are you talking about 'pop stars' like Britney?
'cause then you're right, but that's a totally different world from the 'real' music.
What makes good music is a good harmony between the instrumentals and the vocals. Without this harmony music is just a very loud noise and nothing more...
What I think makes a song really great is when you hear a song and you just want to hear it again and again. Either it's the lyrics you find appealing or it's the beat or intrumentation that just gets you feeling like "Wow! This is a great song!", or maybe some sort of emotion the song provides.
Also, I don't know about most people, but I prefer to listen to music that really have no lyrics. I let the sound just wash over my mind and it relaxes me. Oh sure, I do have some songs with lyrics, but mostly I listen to the more instrumental songs. Most of them do come from movie soundtracks and game soundtracks though, but I really don't think it matters as long as you find enjoyment in what you listen to.
I don't listen to the radio anymore, because just like in the OP I really don't think that anything good (or what I would consider good) plays anymore. Maybe it's the stations I listen to, or maybe it's the fact that I think that when I was younger, music was better.
Click at your own risk.:
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks