The Challenge of "Culture" - Page 3

€uroMeinke · 02-03-2006, 05:11 PM

On the music side, I rarely pay attention to lyrics. I can never remember them and it takes a good long time before I can sing along with anything much beyond the chorus. I supose that's why I like foriegn music so much, I never have to be distracted by what they are saying, I just hear the music of their voices. I love some Classical choral pieces for just that point.

Kevy Baby · 02-03-2006, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

On the music side, I rarely pay attention to lyrics. I can never remember them and it takes a good long time before I can sing along with anything much beyond the chorus. I supose that's why I like foriegn music so much, I never have to be distracted by what they are saying, I just hear the music of their voices. I love some Classical choral pieces for just that point.

I'm with you on this. Often times the vocals to me are another instrument - just one part of the sum. A beautiful voice that blends with the instruments around it to me is divine. Even if I know the lyrics to a song by heart, I may still have no idea what it is about.

And I too enjoy foreign music. I have been known to tune into the Spanish language stations if I am burnt out on my usual fare.

There has been more than one occassion where I was DJing a function and someone would bring in a CD for me to play of some foreign sensation that I had no clue about. It always amazed me how much I got into much of what I was given. And conversly, there was a lot of crap that there was no way in heck should have been laid down on a CD!

One other art that I enjoy is fine wordworking. There is a certain cabinet in the Grand Cal lobby that I am just completely enthralled with. To me the composition of the design and the harmonious wood selection blended with the subtle detail makes it a masterpiece in my eyes. I kid you not when I say that it was the first thing I thought about when I first heard about thye recent fire and I made a bee line for it when I first went to the Grand Cal after the fire. I also appreciate the work of artisans such as Sam Maloof.

Prudence · 02-03-2006, 06:03 PM

Hearing lyrics in other languages I don't speak used to bug me - until I started singing in other languages I don't speak. But then that fits in with what I said earlier. I understand how singers work to convey what they're singing regardless of language used, yadda yadda.

Prudence · 02-03-2006, 06:18 PM

Hrmmm...maybe That Guy's onto something. Although for me aural and kinesthetic are often the same thing. (It's the dance background. Eventually you really do "feel" the music.)

mousepod · 02-03-2006, 06:51 PM

Great topic!
My first reaction is that I've spent most of my life trying to learn about different types of art from people who have passion for a specific discipline.
My parents were cool enough to take us to Leonard Bernstein's 'Young Peoples' Concerts' at Lincoln Center - and also buy me Beatles albums at my request when I was 5 years old.
Perhaps it was because I grew up in and around New York City, but the whole "highbrow/lowbrow" thing was never something that was part of my life.
My sisters and I were constantly exposed to different cultures and "culture", so apart from a very brief "punk" anti-social phase, I never rejected anything outright.
I remember reading an article in the New York Times years ago that said most people cite their favorite music as the music they listened to when they were 17 years old. I didn't want that to happen to me, so I have learned to keep an open mind.
I've tried lots of things - some I like, some I don't, but there's no clear and predictable line. I thought I hated country music - until I heard George Jones. I thought I'd try the Grateful Dead... never got it - but at least I tried.
I still have several things on my list to try...

PS - Tokyo Jihen rules!

€uroMeinke · 02-03-2006, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mousepod

PS - Tokyo Jihen rules!

Yeah? So when are they (she) going to play the States?

Not Afraid · 02-03-2006, 06:57 PM

Hibrow. Lowbrow. Erudite. Elitist. Cultured.

Gotta love those pigeonholes.

€uroMeinke · 02-03-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Hibrow. Lowbrow. Erudite. Elitist. Cultured.

Gotta love those pigeonholes.

I prefer swanky myslef

Ghoulish Delight · 02-03-2006, 07:15 PM

I have a view that artist, no matter thier medium, fall vaguely into 3 categories that I'd term "Genre", "Transcending", "Progressive".

"Genre" artists will by and large only be appreciated by fans of that genre. The people for whom, for whatever reason, that particular form of the medium speaks to them. The ones that succeed tend to be technically proficient at producing the art, but have little to do with the world outside their genre.

"Transcending" artist are the ones that show a deeper understanding of their medium, often including elements from outside their genre, such that they often appeal to audiences that aren't typically associated with their genre. These are the, "I don't like country music, but I love so-and-so" type artist. They are (usually) the ones that last beyond their time.

"Progressive" artists are similar to "transcending" in that they have a deeper understanding of their medium, but they go in a different direction. Instead of using that understanding to explore common ground, they explore new ground, often leading to new genres. Often pure genius, but just as often dismissed by most as "weird".

I suppose there's a 4th category....bad. But that's another story.

So, as a general rule, if it's something in a genre that clicks with you, you're likely to enjoy it no matter which of the 3 buckets the artist falls into. Whereas if it's a genre that you're not a fan of, it would take one of the "edge" categories (transcending or progressive) for you to enjoy it.

All generalizations, of course. For example, as an audience I gravitate towards the progressives end of things even in the genres I like. But I'm still more likely to like a genre artist from a genre I naturally enjoy than one from a genre I dislike.

LSPoorEeyorick · 02-03-2006, 09:03 PM

I, too, am slow to pick up lyrics and chiefly focus on the sound of the song. The moments when a new piece of music makes your body ring the way a chair might vibrate when it's on pitch with a tuning fork? Those moments make this life worth living.

But sometimes, the lyrics are the art I'm focused on. If there is poetry to the words, if there is cleverness to the words, they catch me, too. I do love words. An example of this is the work of Stephen Sondheim. If you've ever heard "A Little Priest," or "Finishing the Hat," you can't help but love it. Or in the case of Avenue Q, you'd grasp the tone, but it would be missing something without its very funny and bittersweet words.

Maybe lyrics only matter to me in musical theater. This is one reason why Andrew Lloyd Webber kind of makes me nauseous, since his revolving-door lyricists' lyrics are unimpressive and take a back seat to self-important music. Enter critical nature from stage left, shaking fist.

02-03-2006, 05:11 PM	#1
€uroMeinke L'Hédoniste Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: A.S.C.O.T. Posts: 8,671	On the music side, I rarely pay attention to lyrics. I can never remember them and it takes a good long time before I can sing along with anything much beyond the chorus. I supose that's why I like foriegn music so much, I never have to be distracted by what they are saying, I just hear the music of their voices. I love some Classical choral pieces for just that point. __________________ I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance. Friedrich Nietzsche
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02-03-2006, 06:03 PM	#3
Prudence Beelzeboobs, Esq. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gavel - I haz it Posts: 6,287	Hearing lyrics in other languages I don't speak used to bug me - until I started singing in other languages I don't speak. But then that fits in with what I said earlier. I understand how singers work to convey what they're singing regardless of language used, yadda yadda. __________________ traguna macoities tracorum satis de
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02-03-2006, 06:18 PM	#4
Prudence Beelzeboobs, Esq. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gavel - I haz it Posts: 6,287	Hrmmm...maybe That Guy's onto something. Although for me aural and kinesthetic are often the same thing. (It's the dance background. Eventually you really do "feel" the music.) __________________ traguna macoities tracorum satis de
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02-03-2006, 06:51 PM	#5
mousepod You broke your Ramadar! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,635	Great topic! My first reaction is that I've spent most of my life trying to learn about different types of art from people who have passion for a specific discipline. My parents were cool enough to take us to Leonard Bernstein's 'Young Peoples' Concerts' at Lincoln Center - and also buy me Beatles albums at my request when I was 5 years old. Perhaps it was because I grew up in and around New York City, but the whole "highbrow/lowbrow" thing was never something that was part of my life. My sisters and I were constantly exposed to different cultures and "culture", so apart from a very brief "punk" anti-social phase, I never rejected anything outright. I remember reading an article in the New York Times years ago that said most people cite their favorite music as the music they listened to when they were 17 years old. I didn't want that to happen to me, so I have learned to keep an open mind. I've tried lots of things - some I like, some I don't, but there's no clear and predictable line. I thought I hated country music - until I heard George Jones. I thought I'd try the Grateful Dead... never got it - but at least I tried. I still have several things on my list to try... PS - Tokyo Jihen rules! __________________ "Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, keep it friendly" - Walt Disney
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02-03-2006, 06:57 PM	#7
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	Hibrow. Lowbrow. Erudite. Elitist. Cultured. Gotta love those pigeonholes.
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02-03-2006, 07:15 PM	#9
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	I have a view that artist, no matter thier medium, fall vaguely into 3 categories that I'd term "Genre", "Transcending", "Progressive". "Genre" artists will by and large only be appreciated by fans of that genre. The people for whom, for whatever reason, that particular form of the medium speaks to them. The ones that succeed tend to be technically proficient at producing the art, but have little to do with the world outside their genre. "Transcending" artist are the ones that show a deeper understanding of their medium, often including elements from outside their genre, such that they often appeal to audiences that aren't typically associated with their genre. These are the, "I don't like country music, but I love so-and-so" type artist. They are (usually) the ones that last beyond their time. "Progressive" artists are similar to "transcending" in that they have a deeper understanding of their medium, but they go in a different direction. Instead of using that understanding to explore common ground, they explore new ground, often leading to new genres. Often pure genius, but just as often dismissed by most as "weird". I suppose there's a 4th category....bad. But that's another story. So, as a general rule, if it's something in a genre that clicks with you, you're likely to enjoy it no matter which of the 3 buckets the artist falls into. Whereas if it's a genre that you're not a fan of, it would take one of the "edge" categories (transcending or progressive) for you to enjoy it. All generalizations, of course. For example, as an audience I gravitate towards the progressives end of things even in the genres I like. But I'm still more likely to like a genre artist from a genre I naturally enjoy than one from a genre I dislike. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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02-03-2006, 09:03 PM	#10
LSPoorEeyorick scribblin' Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: in the moment Posts: 3,872	I, too, am slow to pick up lyrics and chiefly focus on the sound of the song. The moments when a new piece of music makes your body ring the way a chair might vibrate when it's on pitch with a tuning fork? Those moments make this life worth living. But sometimes, the lyrics are the art I'm focused on. If there is poetry to the words, if there is cleverness to the words, they catch me, too. I do love words. An example of this is the work of Stephen Sondheim. If you've ever heard "A Little Priest," or "Finishing the Hat," you can't help but love it. Or in the case of Avenue Q, you'd grasp the tone, but it would be missing something without its very funny and bittersweet words. Maybe lyrics only matter to me in musical theater. This is one reason why Andrew Lloyd Webber kind of makes me nauseous, since his revolving-door lyricists' lyrics are unimpressive and take a back seat to self-important music. Enter critical nature from stage left, shaking fist.
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