Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie Whitmarsh
I liked the part that I was writing, but it wasn't working. It certainly isn't a matter of taste - my instructor and I have a lot of different views on music. I have written stuff when I was in 7th grade that was utterly horrible, and in no way good music. Mostly poor ideas as well. I have written stuff in high school that I enjoy quite a bit, but I don't really think it's good music. It's very immature (even though I like it, that doesn't make it good.) I am writing stuff now that I enjoy, but I also think it is good music (or at least quite close.)
How about this: Mahler 3 is good music. A 12 minute piece of one single note played on an oboe non stop with no inflections and a poor tone is not good music. There may be people who walk away from Mahler 3 saying "I didn't like that" but that doesn't negate it as good music. Someone could walk away from the 12 minute oboe piece and say "I liked that" (they'd have to be on something, though,) but that doesn't qualify it as good music.
I think there are criteria, but good music certainly exists. I'm not entirely sure what they all are, but off the top of my head I would say something along the lines of intent, as well as the music working with itself would be included. My problem that I have with what you are saying is that you're saying "There's no such thing as good music. It's foolish to aspire to write good music because it's impossible, so you should just write whatever you want" which, in my opinion, is a fairly reckless way to take your craft. Perhaps I have misunderstood you, at which point it might be a bit more beneficial to me if you better stated your philosophy on music.
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Well, you did misunderstand. My philosophy is more like "Write what you THINK IS GOOD, and write things you LIKE, make you happy, or otherwise just enjoy. Have fun."
But, on your second point with Mahler, well. Says who? You? Mahler's 3rd symphony is pretty terrible in my opinion. To me it's "not good music," no matter what other people think. I don't care for it, and if it were for me it could as well not exist. The oboe piece, well, dunno. It's a hypothesis but I may not like it either, but I also may like it. It's hard to tell stuff like this. But a close example is Berio's Sequenza for Oboe, which I think is AMAZING. I'd say that is a "good piece of music", because I like it.
But that shit is my opinion. According to ME, and my opinion, I consider Mahler's 3rd to be a total unnecessary bore. That's just me. I don't consider my opinion in any way universal nor a standard. It's not anyone else's opinion but mine and mine alone.
You say however, that you can objectively somehow tell what music is "good" from what music is "bad." If you have somehow invented a machine that does this, that'd be cool. Chances are, you haven't, and it's just a flawed view on the nature of art (and taste) as it tends to happen.
But, hey, prove me wrong. If you can come up with what parameters we can ALL agree on that make a piece "good", then let's hear it.
Nevermind my example with the car. We can all agree more or less on what a "good car" is on the basis that it has to at least serve the function a car must serve. In other words, a car without wheels isn't much of a car, so it can't be good at being a "car" (much less a GOOD car) since it fails at the basic criteria for being a car at all (having wheels, being able to transport people around, etc.) But a piece of music?
Then we have to start defining what is music's function, and then what doesn't fit that function isn't music (objectively speaking). Problem is, uh, I'm sure you're aware of the whole centuries of philosopher-nightmare headaches on trying to even get near trying to answer this, yes?
So, come on. It's pretty simple, don't claim objective shit when there ain't any and there won't be any problems. If you do claim objectiveness, let's get some examples going to support your claims.
Though, you do say you aren't sure yourself, so well how about at least giving it a shot? What you said there didn't make a lot of sense so elaborate if you must.