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This may be a long-shot, but is anyone knowledgeable about traditional/classical Chinese music? By that I mean mostly non-modern music that's regarded over there similar to how European classical music is regarded in the west. Western classical music can be easily learned by structuring it into periods(Medieval, Baroque, Romantic, etc...) and then looking at how things changed from period to period. Does any such structure exist for the development of highly-regarded music in China? Who are the important composers? Youtube has a few samples of such music but without structure and context they might as well be beautiful novelty songs.
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Feb 16, 2008 00:27
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Fame Throwa posted:Where should I go next with The Flaming Lips? I got Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots for Xmas and I totally loved both of them. I'd check out Clouds Taste Metallic next. It's a bit more down-to-earth than the two you mentioned but it's a good way to transition to their older albums. quote:Chinese society before substantial Western influence (1800-1900 onward) didn't think of their "composers" the way we venerate Brahms and Beethoven et al. That's what I was afraid of, as I knew the visual arts were much more venerated than music was. Chinese opera always seemed interesting from what I've seen. I'll check it out and maybe a few composers' names would spring up from there.
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Feb 16, 2008 01:14
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Edit: Scratch that, as my efforts are now focused on listening to as much music made by John Zorn as possible. I was previously aware of this artist but never listened to anything more than one or two individual songs. After just having sat through The Gift, currently listening to New Traditions In East Asian Bar Bands, and reading descriptions of this guy's other works I have to say my curiosity has been piqued. He seems analogous to Frank Zappa except more experimental and less raunchy, either way this is some drat interesting music. What is a good way to tackle a discography this large? I've read about Cartoon/S&M and that seems interesting for an orchestral piece, but I'm currently staring at a huge list of albums all of which have radically different music on them and I'm not sure where to begin. I think John Zorn is fairly well-known so hopefully at least a few people can recommend some of the more interesting or (relatively)accessible albums. Jive One fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Apr 13, 2008 |
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Apr 10, 2008 23:47
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I'm wondering how to appreciate popular contemporary country because so far it's not clicking. I've tried a few recommendations from friends such as Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, and a few others but they all seem to only have two types of songs. They either make a serious ballad or they write more upbeat but superficial songs like "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off". The former is fine and all but the direct, matter-of-fact lyrical approach seems so simple as to render it almost boring. The latter category, at least to me, so far sounds like nothing but gimmicks and novelty songs; something teenage girls might sing along to in their car. The actual instrumentation tends to be better but it still sounds subdued. There's a few moments that have caught my attention but the majority of the time it seems the instrumental melodies are leashed-in and they don't seem to go anywhere interesting. I can easily enjoy older country, especially some of the older guys like Hank Jr., Waylon Jennings and Kenny Rogers. With a few exceptions, radio music was always a bit on the safe side but I assumed there would be some standouts I would enjoy in pop-country. Are my initial impressions too narrow and there are artists out there who do more interesting song-writing or is this type of music just not for me? It may just be the case that the music is just too big of a contrast to what I normally listen to(80's and 90's alt/indie rock), and that contrast is diminishing what I'm hearing. I am aware of a sub-genre called alternative country but at this point I'd like to focus on mainstream acts if possible. I know this music is astonishingly popular and while I can usually appreciate most pop music on at least a superficial basis, the popular country I've listened to so far seems uninspired, dispassionate, and much of it borders on being trite.
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Jun 22, 2008 19:40
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Angiepants posted:Gary Allan. I've listened to a few songs and so far it's fantastic stuff. I also listened to some of the deeper-cuts from albums by the artists I was talking about and I've enjoyed those as well. Slowly but surely I'm starting to really dig the music and I'm beginning to notice the same qualities I like so much in blues and gospel. It's also interesting that I share a few of the views sung in some of the topical songs, for example on celebrities, reality tv, etc. It's very cool to see satire and even some anti-consumerism so prevalent and I feel a bit guilty for stereotyping the genre for so long.
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Jun 24, 2008 22:04
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Amphigory posted:Not to start a genre argument, but 'electronica' is just a blanket term for 'electronic music'. There's nothing specific about it whatsoever Speaking of which...are there any resources you might recommend that discuss the differences between various genres of electronic music? Ishkar's site is alright but it doesn't go into detail about the musical characteristics of the various styles.
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Jul 3, 2008 18:57
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sideburns posted:Which album should I start with to get into the Beach Boys? I heard a remix of the song wouldnt it be nice and decided i would probably like some other songs of theirs. Almost everyone is going to say Pet Sounds because it's their best, but I think a band like the Beach Boys is best heard chronologically. Start off with Surfin' USA to get familiar with their earliest work, then get All Summer Long as your 2nd album. To maximize your appreciation of the band you should listen closely, for example listen for the melody on the background vocals on "I Get Around" and notice how great it sounds. After this get Today! and Summer Days, then you're ready for Pet Sounds and most of the albums that came out in the following few years. By the way, there was an album called Smile that was supposed to come out right after Pet Sounds but it was never released until a few years ago. Pick this up as well even though it's more a Brian Wilson solo work than a Beach Boys work. Also look into how the Beach Boys were competing with/inspiring/being inspired by the other major 60s bands like the Beatles and Stones as it's an interesting story.
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Sep 20, 2008 22:30
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Brownie posted:Where should I start with some good old classic Blues? Everything posted above is true, and for some additional resources here's a listening list from a class I took on the history of blues. http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=243468ea276691ddd2db6fb9a8902bda This will help with learning the different styles as well as which artists work within them.
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Dec 7, 2008 00:39
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I'm looking to get into The Fall, but with 27 studio albums I'm not sure on the best place to start. Does their discography break-down into stylistic periods as those by other prolific artists tend to do? Anything I should specifically listen for that might be unique to the band?
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Jan 19, 2009 20:31
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Shatner posted:This has probably been asked, but where do I start with Jazz? I know this is a ridiculously broad question. I need somewhere to start - I've never even dipped my toes in the genre. My interest is to learn jazz guitar. I've read a lot that listening is a big part of learning jazz (almost as much as practicing it), so who do I listen to first? I'd actually start at the beginning of jazz since it's easier to get into if you can hear how the music evolved. Start with New Orleans/dixie/classic jazz like Louis Armstrong's Hot 5 and 7 recordings, Jelly Roll Morton, and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. All of these guys were super melodic and their music will probably be instantly appealing to you. From there move on to swing and listen to Duke Ellington and Count Basie. This era also used melodic improvisation but expanded the amount of instruments and added more diverse instrumental texture. As a slight detour, you should definitely listen to some western swing as well. This is basically swing played with country and bluegrass instruments, but as the Wiki article states it incldues a lot of stylistic diversity. The best western swing acts were Bob Wills and Milton Brown. As an example of western swing, I was listening to Bob Wills just last night and one of his tracks could be described as improvised, high-tempo string and percussion mixed with blues and tex-mex style guitar and with gospel singing so good you might as well be listening to it in a southern Baptist church. Back to jazz proper, from swing move on to bebop and listen to Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Bebop is where jazz became rather complex so expect less catchiness compared to the previous eras. After that there's cool, hard bop, and later modal jazz. Miles Davis(any of his 50's-60's albums really), Stan Getz, Art Blakey, and too many others to list. Free Jazz is next(ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane, et al.), followed by fusion and then all sorts of stylistic splits into combinations with more modern music. Since you want to learn jazz guitar, specifically listen to Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, and maybe even Blind Blake who while not a jazz musician per se, plays some awesome ragtime guitar.
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Feb 20, 2009 21:36
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HAI posted:The dude released, what, four albums? How bloody difficult is it to pick one of them, maybe the one that has some songs you've already heard and liked? Not that I even know what you're on about in the HAY DOOD part, they're all good songs. You're quite the insufferable shithead. These forums would be much better off had you been born on the end of a coat-hanger. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Jun 2, 2009 23:37
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