You know...

I've been studying music all my life and I wonder;
 
What does it sound like to those that don't know anything
about it?

I would think it sounds like music. I don't mean that to sound flippant. If I think back to how I listened to music when I was young, and didn't yet play an instrument, or have any recording experience, it was a different way of listening. Songs had more meaning lyrically. I didn't analyze it. It just rocked me/moved me, etc.

Some music still does that, but I remember a time when it happened alot more often.

Randy

Randy my folks had me in private lessons at 6...I really don't remember
music without trying to analyze it. Feel cheated in a weird way.

Speaking out of complete and total ignorance, it seems to me that percepions of music may have changed.  When many of us were growing up, most schools included some basic music education (Intro to Music, Music Appreciation, Stuff Goes Bang, etc.).  As time goes by with schools cutting all of the funding for the arts, it seems that more kids are passing through the school system with no knowledge of the fundamentals of music. 

Obviously, this hypothesis fails to explain all of the kids in the 70's bouncing up to the mic to exclaim, "It's got a good beat!  I can dance to it!  I give it a 10!" (while holding up three fingers)

My idea makes no sense at all now.  (... not that it did earlier, either.)

spacey


I've been studying music all my life and I wonder;
 
What does it sound like to those that don't know anything
about it?

  Mebee we could ask a few rappers?

 True...they might come and see me about it lol.

"Kill the Wabbit!  Kill the Wabbit!"

UbiquitousBubba


Speaking out of complete and total ignorance, it seems to me that percepions of music may have changed.  When many of us were growing up, most schools included some basic music education (Intro to Music, Music Appreciation, Stuff Goes Bang, etc.).  As time goes by with schools cutting all of the funding for the arts, it seems that more kids are passing through the school system with no knowledge of the fundamentals of music. 

Obviously, this hypothesis fails to explain all of the kids in the 70's bouncing up to the mic to exclaim, "It's got a good beat!  I can dance to it!  I give it a 10!" (while holding up three fingers)

My idea makes no sense at all now.  (... not that it did earlier, either.)

Bubba I'd like to think that the public schools teach more than "thought control" in the music class..
but I don't.
 
See this dot, play this and remember to count.
 
I believe that a "mocking" class would be a better method but I know the teachers would probably
be hiding from all because the band didn't do well at the football game.
 
I also believe that many teachers lean on theory to make everything fine...big mistake IMO.
 
I believe the best approach is "Mocking" first and then an understanding of what happened and how
to preserve it ( theory and writing).
Of course these are exactly the reasons I can't listen without "thinking". That is why
progressive musicians such a Pat Matheny mean so much to me...I hear him, the music and most
often have no clue what he is doing. It's the closest I believe that I come to hearing music.
 
 
 
 

Well how many of us old farts didn't learn to play by ear??

I wasn't like we could run down to the store and buy transcriptions or
find them on the net.
I never had a teacher that taught the tunes that I got paid to play.
The difference was some that played by ear could also write it down.

I know people that know little or anything at all about music and
I can't say what they hear.


lunch..I can barely breath more less type..

I seem to be able to switch the analyzing on and off.  Fortunately, this applies to movies as well so I can actually enjoy plots with big, gaping holes in them.  I realize it's just for enjoyment and automatically tend to fill in the gaps.

I can't imagine that I'd have as much music playing in the background as I do if I was analyzing it all the time!

And, yes, all the good movies and cartoons tended to have classical scores to them - I don't even want to think about some of the trash out now.

rsp@odyssey.net

spacey


Randy my folks had me in private lessons at 6...I really don't remember
music without trying to analyze it. Feel cheated in a weird way.

 
 
It's not that weird brother. Here's something I realized recently that's a little strange. If I put 6 cds in my car of music I know, I will find myself analyzing it within a few minutes. Just happens. However, if my wife puts on some music of her choosing in the house, I can sit and listen pleasurably. Even going so far as to ask "who is this?" if I like the song or singers voice. The mix/balance/effects/ects never enters my mind.
 
As far as feeling cheated, I kinda look at it this way. Yes I got deep into music when I was young, and it's changed the way I appreciate music. I can get very critical of others music as well as my own. The trade off is that I've gotten to experience what it's like to write and collaborate on some pretty decent music. I've been lucky to play with some extremely talented musicians both live and in the studio. I've had the joy of performing music in front of some large crowds that were there to hear the band I was in.
 
I wouldn't trade those experiences for the innocence of how I used to listen to music. Not even close.
 
Randy 

I couldn't agree more Randy.
The mix and such come latter for me...I seem to hit the music first. Like I don't really hear lyrics-
I hear the melody line. Once I have a grasp of the melody and changes then I can tune in to the
other areas.
But man you are spot on. The life of being a musician is something I wanted at an early age and
sure I have some regrets because of being ignorant, young and wild but I sure wouldn't trade it off.
 
 

I have sort of learnt not to analyse out loud, Mrs Wookiee gets upset if I sit listening to music, with her, whilst giving a running analysis.  (Just in my head now).

As to what the, shall we say, uneducated ear hears I have know idea.

One of my old room mate was an incredible guitar player. I could listen to him play for hours.  He also used to play some amazing slide guitar songs - something I never really took the time to learn (slide). 

When he was playing regular guitar, I had fun listening but always ended up trying to analyze what he was playing. There was an element of challenge for me as a guitar player. However, the minute he started playing the slide stuff, it was pure fun.  And much more relaxing for me...


I used to have a vast collection of records I could put on and shift into that mode. Whenever i wanted to just relax and listen to music, I'd put one of those on. However, as years went by and I learned more and more, it became harder to shift into that mode. There's always something to analyze - the mix, the performance, the way the song is built...

I still like listening to music just as much, but for different reasons. Admittedly though, I sometimes miss being swept off my feet and just taken along for the journey. It's harder and harder to just let go, as it becomes much more detailed - every little thing is an opportunity to shift back into the analytic mode.

spacey


What does it sound like to those that don't know anything
about it?

 
I would say that to some extent the question is slightly flawed Mike. Every civilisation seems to have invented its own form of music , especially if you include such things as ritualistic chanting and drumming.
 
As to deconstructing mixes, I'm pretty good at switching off and just listening for pleasure. Though it is cool to have learned enough along the way to be able to understand a bit of what's going on if I want to.