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What makes good music good?

smelv1n	Date: March 27, 2002 @ 8:53 PM We had a huge discussion in english class today about judging art. What makes good art good, and bad art bad. I'm interested in what are your standards or what criteria you use to judge music. I go for pleasing to my ear, and sometiems take into account the talent/skill required to produce the piece, but not always. I don't care much for lyrics or the message or statement the song makes, sometimes one does, but usually,i end up going for the simple "does it sound good?"
dsch	Date: March 27, 2002 @ 8:59 PM In a more technical sense, though, good music has a concrete structure to the piece, a knowledgable and creative use of harmony. With these standards, Bach is REALLY good music. And I DO like Bach. But I'm sure that many of the people here don't even listen to Bach, and wouldn't consider his stuff good by taste." id="6453">Many people have many different opinions on what's good and what isn't. This distinction of good or not is, for the most part, based on actual sound and what people like. There's no real explanation as to why some people like some music and others like completely different things, but that's just the way personal preference works. The general label of "good" is applied to music when a large group of people like it. In a more technical sense, though, good music has a concrete structure to the piece, a knowledgable and creative use of harmony. With these standards, Bach is REALLY good music. And I DO like Bach. But I'm sure that many of the people here don't even listen to Bach, and wouldn't consider his stuff good by taste.
backmann	Date: March 27, 2002 @ 11:40 PM The complexity of the song and how it is performed.
Cryxan	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 1:53 AM What dsch said. I usually just listen to music that's pleasing to my ear or pleasing to my mood. Some types of music I ONLY listen to when I'm in a certain mood. Sometimes, though, I get interested in a performance because of the lyrics. I got to like Bob Dylan because of his writing, but ended up eventually enjoying his music too. But the bottom line is that if I am to consider music good, something about it has to move me, either emotionally or intellectually.
autarch	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 3:24 AM What a good question. I've never even dared to ask myself this, despite being pretty opinionated when it comes to music. For me It's a little of all that. I like a good, solid performance but it doesn't have to be UNREAL. I like a well made song. Parts that fit together well and yet stand out on their own. I like to think, wow, those patterns really do work well together... I'll never be cool enough to have come up with that. And of course... the best music is music than can make you feel something too. Combine all that and you got me. : )
theguppykillers	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 8:09 AM The song has to catch my ear and put me in another world! headbanging world most of the time and the song has to have a good singer! if the guitars rock and the singer sucks well it dont work!
milladrive	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 9:07 AM Personal taste." id="6497">"What makes good music good?" Personal taste.
Frawgster	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 9:24 AM Personal taste. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Took the words right out of my mouth" id="6500">Subject: Re: What makes good music good? Date: March 28, 2002 @ 7:07 AM "What makes good music good?" Personal taste. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Took the words right out of my mouth
smelv1n	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 1:07 PM Personal taste. NICE ANSWER!" id="6505">What makes good music good?" Personal taste. NICE ANSWER!
morgdobwcpt	Date: March 28, 2002 @ 3:38 PM I second the personal taste answer, although generally speaking, my taste runs to music that stimulates thought in some way.
smelv1n	Date: March 29, 2002 @ 9:48 AM blah, thinking makes my brian hurt i usually HATE rap, moslty because most of it is just really bad rhymes about booty and money on top of a really boring cheesy beat. but i started listening to this song by the herbalizer i think, 8 point something or other, and listened to the lyrics, and i actually liked it, it was, get this, good rap!
Cryxan	Date: March 29, 2002 @ 4:17 PM Yeah, there's SOME good rap out there, but it's extremely difficult to find among the heaps of crappy non-music and cliche lyrics.
dsch	Date: March 30, 2002 @ 12:13 AM I don't think it's lyrics that what make music good. Lyrics aren't music on their own. They're poetry, essentially, which is a different matter entirely. True, some songs are entertaining just because of the words (like Weird Al Yankovic), but in order for me to like a song, it must have some redeeming musical aspect. This is why I can't stand rap. This is also why I tend to only listen to classical.
theguppykillers	Date: March 30, 2002 @ 5:45 PM good music is music that doesnt suck!
smelv1n	Date: March 30, 2002 @ 8:28 PM if you want to find some GOOD rap, go check out ninja tunes, they're probably my favorite label. they've got rap, hiphop, crazy turntablist dj's and more! go kid koala!
substructured	Date: March 30, 2002 @ 8:52 PM good music is music that moves me emotionally... it goes with the current mood i am in... or makes me feel an 'emotion' just by listening to it... and to me....the lyrics should usually be profound, deep, poetic...
morgdobwcpt	Date: March 31, 2002 @ 5:18 PM with regards to rap and hip-hop, there's actually a whole world of excellent stuff there, it jsut tends to buried under the crass/popular shit. Like smelv1n said, Ninja Tune is a leader in good hip-hop, and I'd further recommend Del the Funky Homo Sapien or his various side projects (like Deltron 303 w/ Kid Koala).
smelv1n	Date: March 31, 2002 @ 8:01 PM cool, i'll check those out
mtbatol	Date: March 31, 2002 @ 11:45 PM I second that even though i like some of the popular rappers out there (nas, jay-z, outkast) but overall the bad outweighs the good in the popular pool of hip hop. Talib kweli, mos def, the roots, common, binary star to name a few catches my ear for the original battle rhymes mixed wit smooth grooves, occasional deep thoughts, and basically when i don't wanna hear the stupid "bling bling make hoes lick my wing wang while my gun go bang bang" type of raps that everyone is bitin off of using the same ol type of delivery, etc etc etc" id="6650">"with regards to rap and hip-hop, there's actually a whole world of excellent stuff there, it jsut tends to buried under the crass/popular shit." I second that even though i like some of the popular rappers out there (nas, jay-z, outkast) but overall the bad outweighs the good in the popular pool of hip hop. Talib kweli, mos def, the roots, common, binary star to name a few catches my ear for the original battle rhymes mixed wit smooth grooves, occasional deep thoughts, and basically when i don't wanna hear the stupid "bling bling make hoes lick my wing wang while my gun go bang bang" type of raps that everyone is bitin off of using the same ol type of delivery, etc etc etc
TEENSPIRITKID	Date: April 4, 2002 @ 11:15 AM A solo apeals to people i used to hate solos because i couldnt play them but when i really sat down i was able to rip off metallica solos by ear in my first year it truely amazed me now i can right them all i had to do was relax But a hook is really what drags the main stream in
Cryxan	Date: April 4, 2002 @ 5:46 PM Hiya TeenSpirit, welcome. I think you and Creativetim are going to get along, with this Metallica connection and all
creativetim	Date: April 4, 2002 @ 7:28 PM MWU HA HA HA
creativetim	Date: April 4, 2002 @ 7:33 PM That was an evil laugh. And welcome TSK ( I didn't feel like typing your name out, but I guess I don't mind typing this long sentence enclosed by parenthesis ). That was weird.
johnskelley	Date: April 4, 2002 @ 8:06 PM we need to get h.o.t. & jinuseans on here both korean music
backmann	Date: April 4, 2002 @ 11:05 PM It's like poetry: every text that expresses a feeling is lyric, but not necessarilly nice/ugly/good/bad.
TEENSPIRITKID	Date: April 5, 2002 @ 9:33 AM ok now i got to find out how to work this site" id="6925">yeah i guess we will cryaxan....any way the hook is what i really try to incorporate in my songs if i can witch in most cases i can i will add a solo that follows the vocal line it helps inforce the "hook" the hook is part that stays with you like green days "welcome to paridise" thats the hook ok now i got to find out how to work this site
TEENSPIRITKID	Date: April 6, 2002 @ 6:23 PM ok ive been working on my evil laugh think its good (cough) MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
draugluin	Date: April 6, 2002 @ 11:51 PM no music is bad, music was created for a reason be it expirmentation or something that was inspired by something or someone. All music will appeal to atleast one group of people 1,2, 3, or more. They might think it's great where as some other people might hate it. It just depends.
TEENSPIRITKID	Date: April 7, 2002 @ 11:37 AM Greatly Greatly said
smelv1n	Date: April 7, 2002 @ 2:09 PM what about pop music? does "to make lots and lots of money" count as a reason?" id="7154">no music is bad, music was created for a reason be it expirmentation or something that was inspired by something or someone. All music will appeal to atleast one group of people 1,2, 3, or more. They might think it's great where as some other people might hate it. It just depends." what about pop music? does "to make lots and lots of money" count as a reason?
theguppykillers	Date: April 7, 2002 @ 2:57 PM ok thats so true but then you wreck the thread so it cant be true or the tread will die so you are totaly wrong!
smelv1n	Date: April 7, 2002 @ 8:51 PM yea, you wrong wrong person you! (you were talking to the other guy right?)
cloisaida	Date: April 18, 2002 @ 2:35 PM when it hasa a collective group of sounds from all areas of music where its put 2gether and u can label it any type of music u want and its very accessible to any 1, making many people feel it, like the music from Citizen Cope or JOi
manda321	Date: April 18, 2002 @ 3:57 PM nothing really makes a song good......if ya like it ya just do
wattzz	Date: April 18, 2002 @ 7:42 PM the beat
dasuspectz2002	Date: April 27, 2002 @ 2:15 AM dasuspectz2002.dmusic.com" id="8791">IT DEPENDS ON WHO U ASK BUT RADIO AND T.V. DETERMINDS WHAT MUSIC GET THE BEST RECORD SALES. THE RCORD BUSINES IT NOT ABOUT WHO MAKES THE BEST MUSIC. ITS ABOUT WHO MARKETS THEY MUSIC THE BEST. CHECC OUT "DA SUSPECTZ" AT dasuspectz2002.dmusic.com
FatSamoan	Date: April 27, 2002 @ 3:27 AM I hope this thread keeps going. I have so much I want to say but no time right now. I will visit again soon.
TEENSPIRITKID	Date: April 28, 2002 @ 10:41 AM music is music i guess if there is one person likes it its good (even if its rap)
smelv1n	Date: April 28, 2002 @ 2:01 PM i hope this thread keeps going, i like all the ideas people have been sharing so far
ingenious	Date: April 28, 2002 @ 3:44 PM I think 'personal taste' is a copout answer.. Define taste. What exactly makes your taste yours? I love minor/seventh chord progressions and a bit of electronics mixed in, hence my love and joy for Radiohead. I can totally appreciate classical music, and good electronica (i refuse to call it 'techno') owns me. Other than that, it's hard to say.. I don't think there's any way to define "how to make a song sound good", but there are a few guidelines to start with.
pog	Date: April 28, 2002 @ 7:41 PM And then you hear it 5 years later and in an instant, your taken back to 5 years ago. Those sort of songs are cool. :-)" id="8849">I think music that becomes undoubtably "Timeless" is the most important thing. For example there was a lot of shitty songs around in the 80's, but only a select few get played again and again. These are the ones that have earned a "Good song!" status. And then you hear it 5 years later and in an instant, your taken back to 5 years ago. Those sort of songs are cool.
Cryxan	Date: April 29, 2002 @ 2:46 AM Pog, I don't think that because a song gets played over and over means that it's necessarily a 'good' song. A lot of music gets played a lot by the radio stations owned by big corporations because they are safe--they appeal to a large cross-section of the audience, and therefore people are more likely to sit around and listen to the commercials. Conversely, a lot of great music does not get played at all. But I definitely agree that music that takes you back and brings back memories is good music.
pog	Date: April 29, 2002 @ 4:50 AM For sure, Cryxan. It doesn't need to be played on the commercial radio stations to be good. More often it's the non-commercial ones that I prefer, thus enforcing what Frawgster said. RE: Personal taste.
billhudson	Date: May 7, 2002 @ 9:17 AM that is for sure pog! I think I live under the radio radar. If you listen to a cool station in Lexington,KY. WRVG and what is their moto? FREEE THE MUSIC! Or to put it another way....no format. Thats right folks! And there are many more around. As to what makes a good song... in a nut shell, damn good words and good lines and the music. Is the musician that is singing getting what he or she is saying across to you? If so, its a job well done.
theguppykillers	Date: May 7, 2002 @ 9:24 AM what makes a song good! simple! it has to come from the heart and soul!
billhudson	Date: May 7, 2002 @ 10:58 AM you got it Guppy! T.O.S. Time On Stage, every else is bull, show me what ya got.
backmann	Date: May 7, 2002 @ 11:40 PM It has to express a feeling and identify yourself with it.

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