VoodooChild

Sure, and it's the most pretentious label I've ever heard.

That was, uh, interesting. I'm kind of glad the audio quality was so low, I'm not sure I want to hear what they actually intended to sound like. :lol:

oh no, you've defeated my arguments! Except they weren't the arguments I actually made... I don't know, look around a bit and check out the people saying that film music, popular music, and all other kinds of music is not "true art." They even refer to their own stuff as "art music!" How pretentious is that? I don't mind being in the majority... why would I? I am here because I am interested in musical composition (which is what this forum is about- it's not about classical music, and even if it was I would still continue to post because I like classical music as well). It seems like YOU are the one who needs to find another forum where everyone thinks the same, because after all, it's you who is calling someone a troll simply because he doesn't have the same views as you. You actually seem angry that I like popular music. Maybe you should go outside or something.

I literally just posted the first video that came up for the first classical pianist I thought of. You already know that I'm not an expert on classical music. And I don't see how I am coming across as elitist. I didn't say that classical music sucks and that Glenn Gould was a hack... I'm just saying I (and most other people) prefer simple, pure, organic music. A lot of classical music is like that. But most of it's not. And note I said PREFER, not "only listen to." A lot of people here ONLY LISTEN TO classical music, apparently. There's nothing I can do about that... you like what you like I guess, and all I can say is you're missing out on a lot.

I also want to address again the point that classical music is more complex than pop music. Obviously that's true in most cases, although as I've said there is plenty of complex popular music out there. Most of it takes heavy influence from classical music. There are lots of rock musicians out there who love classical music and blend the two genres together and thus get a very complex form of rock music that is very technically demanding to perform. Google Yngwie Malmsteen if you've never heard of him. Most musicians I know HATE Malmsteen. Why? His music is complex for the sake of being complex. A lot of classical music is like that. Don't try to deny it. The people of this thread who prefer classical music are obviously in the vast minority of people in the world. Now, you may say that makes you "true artists" because you compose for yourself only... but we all know that's bullshit. The great popular musicians are no different. They make music because they are compelled to, money and fame are just bonuses. Most people I know believe that music should be something organic that flows out of you and if you think about it at ALL, you've thought too much. That's the reason I would rather listen to this guy play piano: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=BXDI0cEDLrI over this guy: all day every day. That White Stripes song is as simple as it gets. A three chord pop song with a fourth chord thrown in for special occasions. It was probably written in five minutes. And that to me makes it much more "artistic" than most classical pieces. I was under the impression that we were using the definition of "basically anything that's not classical." But my reply had more to do with his definition of the motivations of the musicians rather than the music itself. Obviously to everyone else "pop" music means Katy Perry which is exactly what he described. But here I was under the impression that pop included rock and roll, rock, blues, metal, hip hop and every other genre derived from them.

Well, since you are completely and utterly wrong in your definition of what pop music is, there's really not much more I can say about your post.

Lots of replies in here since I last checked this thread... quite a debate. Obviously I can't reply to everything but I would like to say that my posts about "discovering the glory of rock music" and hitting puberty were meant to be jokes... of course every joke has a hint of truth. And what's wrong with tribal men beating tree stumps?

And only musicians like music now, right? Only chefs like food and only directors like films. Only mechanics like cars. I've never insisted that. In fact, I literally said the exact opposite. Nobody is saying you have to like everything or have the same tastes as us. All we're saying is that there are brilliant musicians who make brilliant music in every genre. That means rap, metal, and everything else you snobs plug your ears at. No genre is inherently bad and you can't just dismiss an ENTIRE GENRE of music that has more music in it than you could possibly listen to in your lifetime.

You literally said that, just in fewer words: Do you have any idea how much music you casually dismissed simply by saying you "hate pop?" Do you have any idea how large the world around you is?

That's because there's much more rock music than classical, simply because of the fact that anyone with a guitar can make rock music. Sure, classical has been around a lot longer, but it's not nearly as simple to create. I wouldn't even call rock "pop" myself. I'd call it folk. It's the folk music of white Western men, and evolved from the folk music of black American men. No scraggy. Most music sucks. Most everything sucks. Maybe YOU don't, but I'm pretty sure HeckelphoneNYC does. Because I can listen to it and enjoy it. It makes my ears feel good. Being familiar with something and being able to play it has absolutely nothing to do with liking it, at all, in any way, ever, period. I can't play 99% of the stuff I listen to, and if the same isn't true for you, you don't listen to enough music. I don't "understand" most of what I listen to in the sense that I haven't analyzed the melodies, harmonies, rhythms, etc. I listen to it and enjoy it. It takes no knowledge to like classical music. All it takes is a record player or a computer or whatever. Sure. I LIKE classical, pop, rock, etc. You seem to "accept [pop] for what it is with apathy," and HeckelphoneNYC dismissed ALL pop entirely. Nobody here has claimed to like all music, as far as I see.

All the time. Seriously. Have you never listened to progressive rock or heavy metal? Go listen to Pink Floyd, Rush and Soundgarden and you will hear all of those things (and by the way, I purposely picked very popular artists there- there are plenty of less popular "pop" artists that have even more complex music than these three). I don't think I used the term "open minded." And yeah, I in general hate jazz. But there's obviously great jazz that I enjoy listening to sometimes. There's something good in every genre.

If you can't find SOMETHING to like in every genre, you aren't looking hard enough. That's all there is to it. For the longest time I hated rap/hip hop. But then I put aside my bias and noticed that Eminem was a loving brilliant artist. I still don't listen to him that often, but there is no denying his talent. However, I wouldn't recommend him to a 12 year old. No one saying you have to like everything, and nobody is saying you have to have the same tastes as us. We're just saying that there is so much music out there and there is so much diversity in "pop" music that dismissing it ALL with the wave of a hand is beyond stupid. How are you defining pop music? There's plenty in rock and metal that is extremely complex. I'm assuming you are including both genres in your "pop" umbrella. One thing I'd like to make note of: "pop" musicians all seem to like classical music. There's no elitism in pop that says you can't listen to classical, or jazz, or anything else (I'm a pop musician, and yet here I am). Most pop musicians draw from all of that. Why then are classical musicians such elitist douchebags?

That's not quite what I said.

You probably haven't even hit puberty yet and your brain is not fully developed, so I guess I can forgive you.

There are plenty of people that like classical, rock and more. There's something good in every genre. Why don't you think for yourself instead of listening to what your dad likes?