i have here some personal thoughts of a fellow forum member here in my country...
I just want to know everyones opinions and views about these...
by Ernest R. Pinoydrums
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Why do we play music? Is it for those who are listening to us or is
it for ourselves? Because if we play for the listeners how could
music be a form of expression? Wouldn't that mean that we are
playing what they want to hear and not what we feel?
How does this affect us as individual musicians? As a band?
Are we there for them (audience) or are they there for us?
That's always an equation that
we move side-to-side on. I think
that when we work, we tend to be
more on one side than the other.
However, when we are alone, foc-
sing on what we choose to devel-
op, we are on the other and when
we get out there, we hope to pre-
sent something in the middle.
[img]cool.gif[/img]
Interesting. I just had this discussion with a friend of mine yesterday. Similar to what Peter said, as a musician, I would think, you'd want to play so as not to alienate your audience on one hand and on the other you don't want to bore them to distraction either.
Ideally, music should be both palatable and interesting to the player and listener.
The act of defining almost anything, is a static act. We attempt to take whatever it is we are to define, stop it in time, examine it, and then write a concise definition or description which effectively transmits the object to others. Easy enough one might think, however, the very nature of "art" is to be impossible to define.
Interesting question from your part. To be an Artist/Musician? To have a vision or talent and too release it in your own creative way I would say. Music is a human experience deliberately communicated in a special way to another human being. Our own work sometimes take a form that we like, but it's not the purpose of art to create pleasant things. Art has to do with inspiration, intention, talent and technical skill.
Some art, such as painting, may be an 'individual achievement', and that could be viewed as arrogant/selfish from sum people's perspective. It's the typical "I don't care if anyone actually buy's my CD's or goes to my concerts, i'm just doing this for MYSELF and that's it, no further questions". That has sum truth to it, especially in my case, from a creative standpoint and also performing. I don't believe i'm a buffon, someone just hired to play for someone ELSE, and be at their *expense* pretty much like a hooker(i'm trying to quote sum references from Mozart but I forget them!).
A Dilbert cartoon once expressed this frustration. In it dogbert interviews a rapper asking him if he writes his music. No, he buys it. If he makes up his dance moves. No, choreographers teach him. If he pioneers the cloths style. No, he uses others styles mixed together. So what does he do, nothing but memorize music and repeat it. So can you really call him an artist?. No. Take britney spears. All she does is smile and look good. That's it.
When a musician creates is because he/she decided to create something specific to serve as a vehicle to express and communicate what he received from the world to other human beings. Intention gives shape to what the artist wants or needs to say.
To conclude with my own rather pompous/elitist definition: I think MUSIC is that distillation of human experience in a form which, when experienced by another person, has the effect of enlarging (for however short a time) that person's spirit and life. [img]smile.gif[/img]
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 05, 2004 08:01 PM: Message edited by: Bozzio ]</font>
Wow, what a thread!
How eloquent (and totally bang-on) Bozzio...
Food for thought indeed... Is music a selfish act?
MP
Nothing profound here [that hasn't already been touched upon], except to say I have come to believe that Andy, Boz [good post btw], & Peter C are ALL correct.
It seems to be 1 or the other, or a bit of both, much [if not all] of the time.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 07, 2004 11:46 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>
Well said, Bozz. [img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img]
Yeah nice post Bozzio. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
Your philosophy on Britney Spears is an interesting one... but tell me... Do you tap your foot when her songs come on?? Can you remember a hook???? Whether or not she writes it is a different story.. Music is Music!!! If you like you like if you dont you dont. If it was so easy then why can she do it and not us? Ultimatly (lip sync or not) it is her and it works!!! I like fusion and all that and totally into great jazz but does it really groove?? not always!!! Cheers for Britney and + she is not too bad looking either!!!
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