Music Snobs
I'm a part of an email list for individuals that play bass guitar (or upright), predominantly in a church setting. Through the list, I've gained a great deal of valuable knowledge and practical suggestions for how to best work my craft in a manner appropriate to the situation. People like Norm Stockton and Marc Miller have been influential in me developing my skills.
However, it seems like there a lot of people on the list who I would term music snobs. For one reason or another, they seem drawn largely to any of several specific style of music, and look with disdain on those who water it down to appease the pop-hungry public. They say if the musicianship isn't extra good or if the bass player only smacks eighth-notes on the root of the chord, the song probably isn't worth a listen.
Now I can see the interest in pursuing artistic and technical excellence. I should be a lot more conscientious of that, myself. I know my playing horizons would expand considerably if I methodically practiced scales, dexterity, speed, and sight reading. But I'm lazy. Actually this is all irrelevant.
Again, I think that good musicianship should be praised. However, I don't think that songs written or played in a "ordinary" or "poppy" manner should necessarily be avoided. "Oooh, my young apprentice," some might say, "great are the evils of mindless catchy pop and consumable mainstream drivel. They will lead astray from your pursuit of individuality." Poo, I say. I'm not saying most of the music on the Top 40s stations is good music, but seriously, if it's catchy, what's the actual harm in listening to it? Or if a band is a "sell-out" or "rip-off of xxxx band", does the fact that they now write less original songs mean I should not listen to them at all? Sure, I can see how listening only to a narrow band of the musical spectrum would limit my horizons. But if I listen to a wide variety of music, why can't that wide variety also include poppy, cookie-cutter tunes?
On second thought, who am I kidding? I don't need to rationalize the fact that I like to listen to the occasional MxPx or Creed or (gasp!) Ace of Base.
in the player: Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There?, Eoghan Heaslip - Grace In The Wilderness
However, it seems like there a lot of people on the list who I would term music snobs. For one reason or another, they seem drawn largely to any of several specific style of music, and look with disdain on those who water it down to appease the pop-hungry public. They say if the musicianship isn't extra good or if the bass player only smacks eighth-notes on the root of the chord, the song probably isn't worth a listen.
Now I can see the interest in pursuing artistic and technical excellence. I should be a lot more conscientious of that, myself. I know my playing horizons would expand considerably if I methodically practiced scales, dexterity, speed, and sight reading. But I'm lazy. Actually this is all irrelevant.
Again, I think that good musicianship should be praised. However, I don't think that songs written or played in a "ordinary" or "poppy" manner should necessarily be avoided. "Oooh, my young apprentice," some might say, "great are the evils of mindless catchy pop and consumable mainstream drivel. They will lead astray from your pursuit of individuality." Poo, I say. I'm not saying most of the music on the Top 40s stations is good music, but seriously, if it's catchy, what's the actual harm in listening to it? Or if a band is a "sell-out" or "rip-off of xxxx band", does the fact that they now write less original songs mean I should not listen to them at all? Sure, I can see how listening only to a narrow band of the musical spectrum would limit my horizons. But if I listen to a wide variety of music, why can't that wide variety also include poppy, cookie-cutter tunes?
On second thought, who am I kidding? I don't need to rationalize the fact that I like to listen to the occasional MxPx or Creed or (gasp!) Ace of Base.
in the player: Burlap to Cashmere - Anybody Out There?, Eoghan Heaslip - Grace In The Wilderness
jb blessed the web with this post at 5:14 PM
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