RABid Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 What attracts you to your favorite music? A great singer? Personality of the performer? An awesome jam session? Mastery over an instrument? Clever composition either musically or lyrically? Tight grooves? If you look over your top 10 favorite albums and ask yourself "why are you here?" what would the answer be? For me, I love the play between riffs and counter riffs. Related rhythms and melodies, but not duplicates. Careful orchestrating so that even the effects add something to the overall rhythm of a song. So many times I see a YouTube content provider teaching viewers how to build electronic music and warning not to get too complicated or go too far. I'm thinking "That is why you are on YouTube and not in the studio." Pushing too far is how you find the next boundary. Anyway, below are two songs from some of my favorite albums to provide examples of what I like, multiple riffs and counter riffs. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nowarezman Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 A good, 'tho close to impossible question to answer. All I can come up with as a vague overarching criterion is that my favorite music makes my internal world larger, more varied, mysterious, promising, wiser, shot with more profound and wider-ranging feelings. Something sorta like that....tough thing to nail since music is such a broad term - seems crazy to call Mahler's 4th Symphony, a Gamelan Orchestra performance, and "Wine, Wine, Wine, hey buddy pass that bottle to me" all examples of some same sort of thing. nat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill5 Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 5 hours ago, RABid said: What attracts you to your favorite music? A great singer? Personality of the performer? An awesome jam session? Mastery over an instrument? Clever composition either musically or lyrically? Tight grooves? If you look over your top 10 favorite albums and ask yourself "why are you here?" what would the answer be? "Yes," basically. Minus their personality, which means nothing in terms of how good the music is. Jerks have made great music and wonderful people have made garbage. Beyond that, I would paraphrase one of the most paraphrased statements of all time by Louis Armstrong by saying "if you gotta ask......" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 What attracts me to my favorite music? First of all, what is my favorite? Classical? Blues? Jazz? Rock? Etc.? I guess don't have a favorite style. OK, it's not lyrics. That much I know for sure. It's the combination of melody, harmony, interplay, themes and their variations, predictability with unpredictable moments, and a zillion other things. In classical music, I like romantic era, mostly Russian and Eastern European in minor keys. I'm attracted to the blues too. Obviously not complexity because I like Shostakovitch and Muddy Waters. So is it minor thirds? No because there is a lot of happy music that I like as well. I've thought about this a lot, and decided is that it's something subconscious and cannot be put into words that I can understand. Something in my brain says, "Yes, this sounds and feels good to me" and I don't know what that is, but I do know what I like and don't care for. Insights, insights, and a bit of confusion by Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 Weirdness. People who zig where I zag. William Orbit is a superior example. So is Bill Nelson, whose solo works since leaving Be Bop Deluxe years ago have been astounding. Check out "After the Satellite Sings." Mike Oldfield ending "Amarok" with an African choir and the choirs themselves, which freeze me to the spot with their beauty. Those who step OUTSIDE what their damned rhythm boxes do all too easily, which can make you lazy. Steve Howe's rich acoustic guitar piece in the middle of a Yes concert. The Roches singing "Hallelujah" in 3-part harmony. Tom Waits' "Frank's Wild Years." Shirley Walker's amazing opening choir piece for "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm." The weird things I hear in my head while playing Klevgrand's Speldosa ('music box'). Did I mention weirdness? 1 Quote An evangelist came to town who was so good, even Huck Finn was saved until Tuesday. ~ "Tom Sawyer" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 Honesty, passion and surprise. A great melody with perhaps unexpected harmonies. A soloist that isn’t merely weaving together cliches & licks but seems to be searching for something (& maybe sometimes they don’t quite make it!) Examples: Djavan - “Tem boi na linha” Dave Brubeck - “Strange Meadowlark” Rubén Blades & Willie Colón - “Plástico” Billy Joel - “Zanzibar” Stevie Wonder - “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing,” “As” Lenine - “A Gandaia das Ondas/Pedra e areia” 1 Quote My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 It’s difficult given the wide range of music I enjoy. Growing up I loved Rush due to the complexity, thoughtfulness, and overall sound. But then I was into punk rock like Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, etc due to the rawness of it all and probably a sense of rebellion. In the 80’s I liked bands like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode for a combination of production and good song writing. Through the 90’s I liked a conglomeration of my earlier influences in the Pixies, Nine Inch Nails, Chemical Brothers, Garbage. I don’t think they all have a single thing in common. It’s more like each one has enough of one of many criteria - songwriting, musicianship, sound/production, raw energy/message. 1 Quote Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o0Ampy0o Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 Varies so much. Sometimes the reason changes with the moment. Some music consistently effects me the same way. Usually there is some form of stimulation of the senses, imagination, emotions, memories, mood, energy, thought provocation,... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderton Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 I don't want it to sound phoned-in, and I'm not interested solely in virtuosity (although it's welcome when done for musical instead of showoff reasons). As the others have said, it's difficult to pin down specifics. I guess the most important aspect to me is that the artists sound like they're truly involved in what they're doing. As just one example, I've heard some no-name Eastern European orchestras that IMHO ran circles around some of the more famous ones. But it goes beyond just music. I listen to a lot of music because it sounds like the performers are having a really good time, and that's infectious. Quote Craig Anderton Educational site: http://www.craiganderton.org Music: http://www.youtube.com/thecraiganderton Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/craig_anderton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted October 25, 2023 Author Share Posted October 25, 2023 7 hours ago, Anderton said: I guess the most important aspect to me is that the artists sound like they're truly involved in what they're doing. One of the most disappointing performances I ever witnessed was the Los Vegas Orchestra doing a concert of Star Trek music. Uninspired. Phoned in. I lost all respect for the organization, the conductor and the musicians. It was evident that they were doing it as a money grab with no desire to give the audience an enjoyable experience. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 8 hours ago, Anderton said: I listen to a lot of music because it sounds like the performers are having a really good time, and that's infectious. I think it's essential that the performer is having a good time while making music. That's why they call it PLAYing music. Early in my career, a big Miami booking agent told us, “Nobody wants to look at a sober faced musician.” He meant, look like you are having a great time up there, even if your mother just died. Mrs. Notes and I are lucky. Gigging is the most fun we can have with our clothes on. Notes ♫ Quote Bob "Notes" Norton Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Style and Fake disks for Band-in-a-Box The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 On 10/24/2023 at 9:55 AM, RABid said: What attracts you to your favorite music? Ear worms. It's all about hearing a beat, melody, harmony, phrase, lyric, etc., something that makes me smile or nod my head in approval.😎 Quote PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 41 minutes ago, ProfD said: Ear worms. It's all about hearing a beat, melody, harmony, phrase, lyric, etc., something that makes me smile or nod my head in approval.😎 Pretty much this, it could be anything. For me, it could even be stupid like Lime In the Coconut, a one chord masterpiece of absurdity that charted well on the radio way back when. Nillson's ear worm for certain although Everybody's Talking is also great. FWIW, I don't listen to much music lately but in the past I've immersed in classical, jazz, pop, rock, blues and a variety of offshoots/blends/fusions of all of the above. If the ear worm strikes, it is good. Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threadslayer Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 19 hours ago, David Emm said: African choir and the choirs themselves, which freeze me to the spot with their beauty Amen to that. Talk about soul music. Quote Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfergirl Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 My grandfather, surf and blues. Emmylou Harris and Juice Newton, County and county rock. Henry kapono, slack key. My mother, 90s music for her wedding in 2019. The Ronettes, 60s girl groups. Keith Richards, intro to Time Is On My Side. Quote Jennifer S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan May Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 Sometimes, what interests me about music are the dozens of musicians who play on those recordings. Phil Spector had great taste in the many musicians he worked with, I always liked Hal Blaine as a drummer, and I think Leon Russell contributed some great piano and keyboards on many of the classic Phil Spector recordings of the sixties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted October 27, 2023 Author Share Posted October 27, 2023 On 10/25/2023 at 6:18 PM, Ivan May said: Sometimes, what interests me about music are the dozens of musicians who play on those recordings. I'm a fan of Cal Tjader and that era of Latin Jazz. An orchestra size jazz band being that tight.... 1 Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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