Why do people feel the need to write standard music?

[uselessmind]

Why shouldn't they?
Not everyone is a born explorer,some people like to play save.
And what about the lots of people who just follow certain harmonic rules,in a way that is similar isn't it?

And why do people listen to that music? I think its good as it is as long as there are at least some people who do something different.

[declassified]

Can someone explain to me what "standard" music is?
Please give me some artists as examples.

The question may sound stupid, but at the end of the day, I consider nearly everything "standard".
There is a genre that is called "clicks and cuts" by some which claims to be the most f**king unique and revolutionary genre ever. But after a short time, it was all the same: standard.

The more specific and unique a genre is, the faster it becomes "standard" because new people jump on the riding train without introducing something new.

[advaya]

Your argument doesn't hold much merit... It seems like all the cookie-cutter and carbon-copy bands are the ones the record companies sign on first... Remember the boy-band era? How about Jessica Spears and Brittany Simpson and Christina Spears-Simpson-Aguilera? Are you telling me they got signed because they forged new territory????

People don't want 'new'
People want mirrors...

But this whole thread is a little pretentious in the first place... Nothing wrong with formulary songs from time to time... and if you don't want that, hell, just go buy a Ween or a Primus CD!

[proletkult]

ok i'll be more specific - people want to write a good trance or drum n bass song; yet they go straight for the same drum sounds, synths, sequencing techniques and feeling of every other standard trance or drum n bass song

i just feel somewhere along the line people are putting more effort into sounding the same as the others (ie "if this sounds the same as this successful song, i will be just as successful") than writing something worthwhile...

am i wrong?

In the 18th Century a million composers sounded like Mozart and Beethoven. There were fewer sounds to access then and harmony had cast iron rules that was seldom broken. The fact that someone could take the same old material and make something as glorious as the Mozart's C minor mass or Beethoven's 5th is what seperated those geniuses from the rest. A "successful song" will be built from as many influences as an unsuccessful song. I think its not what you know, its the way you put it together that makes it "worthwhile".

[topaz]

at this point I must ask, can I hear some of your original never been done music please

This drives me fuckin insane!!
People putting so much time, energy and money into writing songs that sound like a million other songs?

[advaya]

at this point I must ask, can I hear some of your original never been done music please

This drives me fuckin insane!!
People putting so much time, energy and money into writing songs that sound like a million other songs?

Hah Topaz...

Ya beat me too it!

[M'Snah]

After careful consideration, I must admit that Churchy is at least partly right. Why do we remember Bach, Mozart, Beethoven? Because they did special things. Maybe not special sounds, but special ways of playing with harmonical and melodical development. Beatles, Queen, same thing.

Still I don't think EVERY musician / composer should be ground-breaking. BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughan are worth listening to because they are very very skilled players, not because they created an entirely new type of music.

Re: topaz/advaya: since when is it only right to question things if you already have the answers?

[toine6]

at this point I must ask, can I hear some of your original never been done music please

I don't believe he needs to do that. People try to go to Mars, we've finally taken probes to Mars, but only after numerous failures. It is those that push the boundaries, and invent that stretch the imagination to new places.

Churchy may fail many times, but he also may takes steps in the right direction, and be an inspiration for others, and if the efforts there, and the stars are alighned just right he may just make a break-through.

Truth be known there is probably need for both types of people. Unfortunately, it seems quite unbalanced, and in favor of imitators at the moment.

[CypherOne]

another thought - without rules and formulas, it often isn't music.

[Emerald Tablet]

If no one feels the need to make a certain standard another standard will appear. I have heard hundreds of acts who make experimental. Many of them simply combining patches and making scapes around a same ground tone and calling it ambient. Some people loading a bunch of dissonant notes in a score and calling it new jazz - but hey - its sound - and sound can make someone feel nice. Who are we to judge what people make or like to listen to ? at times i walk behind the fanfare and enjoy the simple old time marches - life cant be classy all the time. at times i even like conceptual hit parade bull - and hey - there is really nothing new under the sun

[topaz]

all very cosmic 'n' all that but we need to hear the goods before commenting on churchys music being

"groundbreaking. original. never. been done before"

[Churchy may fail many times, but he also may takes steps in the right direction, and be an inspiration for others, and if the efforts there, and the stars are alighned just right he may just make a break-through.

[advaya]

After careful consideration, I must admit that Churchy is at least partly right. Why do we remember Bach, Mozart, Beethoven? Because they did special things. Maybe not special sounds, but special ways of playing with harmonical and melodical development. Beatles, Queen, same thing.

Still I don't think EVERY musician / composer should be ground-breaking. BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughan are worth listening to because they are very very skilled players, not because they created an entirely new type of music.

Re: topaz/advaya: since when is it only right to question things if you already have the answers?

People want to get signed; yet it never seems to occur that they need to do something special to get noticed in the first place.

And no matter how many times you tell them this, it never seems to sink in ..

Dunno M'Snah... Sounds like he already has the answers... and feels that we need to hear it... I'm still not convinced that record companies are tripping over themselves to sign artists who forge 'new' territory...

[Tux]

I often visit a forum which is populated by fans of the type of underground dance music that I also produce. Now, there are one or two artist's in the scene who are seen as royalty for many. Everything they produce is hailed a genius (tho my oppinions differ slightly...)

Anyway, there are a bunch of new artists coming through who blatantly imitate the 'big boys', some sound so simillar that its hard to spot the difference. The thing is, these new guy's are being hailed as genius' too cos of their ability emulate the top artist's!

So it would appear that there is a demand for sameness.... Not that I'm endorsing such a thing! There just seem to be a lot of 'sheep' about (both artist and fans...)

[grillo]

Bah, me thinks it's just stupid to try to push the envelope and be fresh just for the sake of, by the way if you look at some bands that are praised as fresh sounding nowadays there's a huge number of retroish acts , like the boy and girl who think they're led zeppelin.

Problem is, it just kills the whole creative vibe to go in some direction only to get signed, you say you gotta be original to get noticed, well go ahead and knock yourself, i sometimes just play at the keyboard and come up with something i like and i'm not even thinking about it or how it sounds.

music is also supposed to be fun

[TristezaOrange]

People usually don't try to make 'standard' music. They usually try to sound like their influences because they adore that music. Sometimes they achieve that, and good for them. Sometimes they do not, and we get something fresh. But without people trying to make standard music in the first place, I think that music would never go forward.

I hope you get my argument.