Question for the musicians amongst us!

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Geektastic

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#196656 8-Jun-2016 09:58

Jazz.

I like jazz. Relaxing, fun, tuneful,musical - a nice genre.

However...what's with the odd sub-type which sounds either one key off where it should be, or like a load of chimps broke into the music store and randomly started banging and blowing? This confuses me. It is not remotely musical (I cannot imagine how someone could deliberately compose such cacophony) and I really struggle to see the point of it.

Jaxson

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#1567732 8-Jun-2016 10:06

It's not my cup of tea either, for the reasons you've highlighted above.

Rickles

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#1567733 8-Jun-2016 10:07

A few years back I went to a symphony concert where The 1812 was the featured item. Prior to that, there was a clarinet concerto by someone purported to be a 'virtuoso' and composer of 'modern classical' music for this instrument.

Turned out to be about 20 minutes of the most awful, cat screeching, random notes and scales ever perpetrated on ones ears

I guess noise is music to some.

BlueShift

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#1567748 8-Jun-2016 10:33

GiantSeaPanda

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#1567755 8-Jun-2016 10:51

How do you feel about some of the stuff that's partway across (John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch, Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come etc.)?

BurningBeard

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#1567761 8-Jun-2016 10:59

I sometimes enjoy jarring, dissonant and harsh music. I'm a musician, and play several instruments, but I don't mind if something *technically* isn't right; it's about the soundscape that the music creates - and certain soundscapes aren't going to click with every listener.

Obviously it's niche stuff and it's not going to please everybody.

My very metal Doctor Who theme

andrew027

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#1567795 8-Jun-2016 11:24

My father was a professional musician for most of his life and has played in bands supporting some pretty big names (e.g. Tony Bennett) when they visited New Zealand. He was a big jazz fan and I grew up listening to albums by Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Miles Davis... But his taste was very selective. While never being rude or dismissive, there was a lot of stuff he didn't like, usually where the point seemed to be demonstrating the technical virtuosity of the individual musicians rather than creating something cohesive.

I played in a lot of bands in my high school years, and for about a decade afterwards, also with some pretty big names (by New Zealand domestic music standards). I consider my taste to be pretty broad but don't expect anyone to like some of the stuff I like. One of my favourite artists is David Sylvian. His first solo albums contained great songs and a few odd ambient tracks (which I like). He seems to have given up music in the last dozen years or so, however this hasn't stopped him releasing albums. Mostly they contain unexpected keyboard sounds, discordant guitar and scratchy noises. You can't exactly hum along, but if it was played over a PA it would be very effective at driving misbehaving teenagers (and paying customers) out of shopping malls.

The point is: there's no accounting for musical taste. One man's thrash metal noise is another man's melodic symphony orchestra. But as my dad would say: "Anyone can show off, but who wants to listen to it?"

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Geektastic

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#1568365 9-Jun-2016 07:59

Saw Wayne Shorter last night.

Whatever that was about, I am not equipped to understand it.

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#1568431 9-Jun-2016 09:22

Jazz intrigues me. I'd love to learn the notes that make it work. I only am aware of the harmony that doesn't, like you said.

Thus I prefer the more natural chord progressions, but with lots of minor chords mixed in seemingly at random.

eracode

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#1569490 10-Jun-2016 16:01

As a young guy about 45 years ago I used to like jazz - mainly like Modern Jazz Quartet and the 'cool' genre. Then moved away from that and into Blues - then that grew recently to include Western music. Odd thing is, when I was young I used to really dislike what was then called Country & Western.

Currently enjoying the new somewhat fad guy, Chris Stapleton who also works with a bluegrass band, The Steeldrivers. Never thought I'd say that back in the day. Gittin' old.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

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#1569619 10-Jun-2016 17:37

eracode:

As a young guy about 45 years ago I used to like jazz - mainly like Modern Jazz Quartet and the 'cool' genre. Then moved away from that and into Blues - then that grew recently to include Western music. Odd thing is, when I was young I used to really dislike what was then called Country & Western.

Currently enjoying the new somewhat fad guy, Chris Stapleton who also works with a bluegrass band, The Steeldrivers. Never thought I'd say that back in the day. Gittin' old.

I thought you were going to say Taylor Swift