Well, technically it was 2012, but still. That was a while ago.
So, I decided to start a series of posts called 'The Study of Myself'. These will include random facts, beliefs, rants, and much more. So, since my life so far is based mostly around music, we'll start the series on that.
Music #1:
Before we begin the probably very long section on music, we should probably define what 'music' is, right? On my first day of school, back in September, I had my first (and last) Music History class. The teacher, in the class, stated that music was originally an art form, but now that people just do it for fun and most of it isn't art anymore. Soo, right, wrong, and wrong.
First question: is music art?
Yes. There is a sort of beauty to all music. If the "artist" doesn't put effort into the song and it still comes out good, then there is still beauty. If there is still beauty to it, then there is still art to it. My belief is as such: say an "artist" puts no effort into the song, and as a result, there is no beauty to it. Only then can the music be not considered an art. HOWEVER, I believe that when all beauty and any resemblance of 'art' has been wiped from the music, it then ceases to be music.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is not limited to "music" (a form of art), and "music that has ceased to be music" (when all art has been eliminated). There is still, sadly, the incredibly common case of bad music (also known as 'bad art').
Second question: what is 'bad music'?
Bad music can be defined in many different ways. However, most of the discerning factors of bad music are all a matter of opinion, and are thus invalid arguments.
One of these factors is repetition. (I mean, really. Who wants to listen to the same exact thing for 5 minutes?) Again, there are people with different opinions that will not agree with this.
Another factor is cheap lyrics (repetitive, corny, lame rhymes, etc.) We all like meaningful lyrics, lyrics that we can relate to. Corny can be good sometimes. Some people like corny love songs, and some people like songs about bugs that will fly down from the sky to give you hugs (which sounds like a terrifying situation, but maybe that's just me).
There are a lot of factors that go into what people consider bad music, and again, most of them are matters of opinion.
Some say "people nowadays just make music for fun". *applauds* Spoken like a true non-musician.
Yes, there are aspects to songwriting that give you a thrill and can be considered 'fun'. However, that's just when you're making the song for the first time. When you're playing your songs, yes. That can be fun. Now try to professionally record. That fun aspect is mostly gone now. There is a lot of hard work that goes into being a musician that makes it in the music industry. I don't think that anybody makes it far into the music business if they have no talent at all. But there's so much more to making your own music than just having fun. Every song I write I hope will one day connect with someone.
I tend to think of my songs as my musical babies. It's a crappy metaphor, I know. However, if you think about it, it makes sense. I write the song, I develop it, and when it's fully done, it goes off into the world and does who knows what? Writing the song is easy. Developing it is hard. And when it's fully written and published, it goes out into the world and can reach more people than you could ever meet in your lifetime. Nobody can fully appreciate song-writers until they've tried writing, recording, and publishing their own song.
So, generally I'm not that great about simply stating my beliefs about things, but this one is pretty high up in my mind when it comes to importance. Some say that music originated with Jubal, a close descendant of Adam in the Garden. Were this true, music would have originated as a pagan art, and was later redeemed by Christians in the early 5000's-4000's BC(E). I, however, believe differently. I believe God spoke the universe into existence. Funny thing, I believe he spoke it into existence in all languages. I also believe music is a language of sorts. Getting down to the point, I believe God sang the universe into existence. That would cancel out any idea that music originated as pagan. Do not all good things begin with God?
Yes. They do.
Well, thanks for tuning in for my first Study of Myself! Hopefully there will be more to come, and soon (though I'm not making any promises.).
Song quote of the post:
"My music is my art, clouded as it is."
-Dash For Existence, "Torrit Smoke"
Scripture verse of the post:
"Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him."
2 Kings 3:15b
