Re:Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?
by UncleMeat on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @09:17AM
(#24408057)
Complexity in pop music is driven by timbre and instrumentation rather than harmonic or melodic complexity - but timbre and instrumentation are no less valid forms of musical expression and complexity (talk to Ravel or Varese). The desire to judge all music based on the dominant ideas of 16-19th century european classical music seems to exist not to better understand musical expression but instead to let people feel superior to others.
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I don't think exploration of timbre has been novel for just as long. EDM has been around for decades now which is where a lot of that exploration happens, yet count how many Top40 tracks just use the 808 and call it a day. Modern artists and classic artists all explored timbre, and there are modern artists doing just as much with timbre and musicality.
Re:Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?
by JoeAltmaier on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @09:22AM
(#24408087)
Ooorr... because those measures correspond to something in the experience, that humans have been found to value.
This is obviously wrong, because there are entire classical traditions (centuries or millennia long) from outside of Europe that prioritize musical features beyond traditional western harmony. Any claim that harmonic complexity is fundamental to human experience or uniquely valuable among musical expression is ignorance at best.
Re:Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?
by JoeAltmaier on Tuesday September 08, 2020 @11:25AM
(#24409333)
All words in my mouth.