[Harp-L] RE: Why Intelligent Music is Dying

[Dan Hazen <bluesmandan76@xxxxxxxxx>]

Doug said, "Technology is becoming a barrier between musicians and the
experience of live music.  That is another topic..."

I think it may actually be THE topic. 100 years ago, if someone wanted to
hear music, they had to listen to the live music that was available to them
in their locale. And if they wanted to hear music every day, then they
either had to play music themselves or make sure someone in their house
played an instrument. So there was always a NEED for live music and
motivation for MANY people to learn music.

Not so much today. With the ubiquity of MP3 players and other such devices,
and the DOMINANCE of recorded music over LIVE music, everyone can choose to
listen to or play just a few select recorded groups they consider best.
There is no need for live music from this technological perspective. No
need for live music means that less people feel the need to learn to play
music.

I think early on, recordings stimulated an increase in music education. But
at some point it reached a critical mass and began to replace live music
rather than stimulate it.

It's simple really. Approach a local restaurant/bar and offer your band's
service to play at a price that is actually reasonable for you to make a
little money. Or they can play an MP3 playlist over the loudspeaker for
nothing. Almost EVERY restaurant you enter has recorded music playing all
the time. A few restaurants will have live music on Friday and Saturday
nights. The pay will generally be minimal. The bands will be fairly small.
Even in the music industry today... not so many real bands... instead the
"live" music is a recorded track with a dancer lip-synching to it. And that
person is called a musician. Ugh.

Live music just isn't as important in our culture today. So... it's pretty
hard to make money with music, and so Dad doesn't encourage the kids to
learn it as much. So... when budgets run tight and cuts need to be made in
an education program, it's music that gets cut. Less enrollment. Poorer
program. Down, down, down it goes. Intelligent music dies.

I think it's also symptomatic of general intelligence declining, too.
Listen to lyrics of the hits today.

Here's the current #1 song in America: Wiz Khalifa, "See You Again". The
music is so simple it could be called retarded. A piano playing single
notes. Then electronic drums with bass. That's it. The lyrics are
thoroughly unimaginative and lacking in all poetry. And this is #1.

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

Damn, who knew?
All the planes we flew
Good things we've been through
That I'll be standing right here talking to you
'Bout another path
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
But something told me that it wouldn't last
Had to switch up
Look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days
Hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)

Uh
How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (I see you again)
We've come a long way (yeah, we came a long way) from where we began (you
know we started)
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again (let me tell you)
When I see you again

(Aah oh, aah oh
Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
{Yeah}

First you both go out your way
And the vibe is feeling strong
And what's small turn to a friendship
A friendship turn to a bond
And that bond will never be broken
And the love will never get lost (and the love will never get lost)
And when brotherhood come first
Then the line will never be crossed
Established it on our own
When that line had to be drawn
And that line is what we reach
So remember me when I'm gone (remember me when I'm gone)

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

So let the light guide your way, yeah
Hold every memory as you go
And every road you take will always lead you home, home

It's been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We've come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

(Aah oh)
{Uh}
(Aah oh)
{Yeah}
(Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
{Ya, ya}
When I see you again
{Uh}
See you again
(Wooooh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
{Yeah, yeah, uha}
When I see you again

Look at the music and the lyrics going back over the top songs of past
years... examine the complexity of the music and the poetry... You should
notice a general and gradual increase in musical complexity and lyrical
depth as you move backward in the timeline.
2010: "Tik Tok" by Kesha
2000: "Breathe" by Faith Hill
1990: "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips
1980: "Call Me" by Blondie
1970: "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" by Simon and Garfunkel
1960: "A Summer Place" by Percy Faith
1950: "Goodnight Irene" by The Weavers and Gordon Jenkins Orchestra
1940: "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Frank Sinatra

The populace is declining in intelligence. So the music is, too.

You can do the same thing looking at top selling books. The spectrum of
mindless amoral sensationalism versus thought-provoking paradigm-shifting,
and introspective moral and intellectual depth...

2010: Mockingjay (action packed dystopian revolution)
2000: Angels and Demons (mystery to make fun of religion)
1990: Jurassic Park (dinosaurs eating people)
1980: The Bourne Identity (spy thriller with complex plot)
1970: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (female coming of age story and
religious inquiry)
1960: To Kill a Mockingbird (moral inquiry regarding racial inequality)
1950: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (complex Christian allegory of
faith)
1940: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (triumph story of impoverished immigrants
overcoming adversity)

Weigh the sum depth of the first four with the sum depth of the last four.
Come on. Really? No contest.

What to do?
The next kid you see with an MP3 player... snatch it out of their hands,
throw it in the road and give the kid a harmonica instead. I think that
will make the world a better place.