Music

What is it

Music moves from performance to accident and back again.

When you sing, your voice constantly switches from classical to baroque and back again - the image of a note, timbre, trill, huskiness, slide, etc is the classical stamp of a decisive muscular performance, and the inward breaths, notes not quite made, squeaks, huskiness, breaking voice, etc are the baroque retreat of the performance into the sonar physics of the body. This is the voice's musical line.

In the most abstract of music, there is a clear separation between the structural choices made of a piece, and the incidental incorporation of alien sounds, for example John Cage's radio compositions.

I think music is the place where personal choices of any kind become indistinguishable from accident, and merge into a single material - person plus immediate environment - in the same way polar bears come from the north pole, and do not reach their full potential anywhere else. Or a song may be written for a single person, or instrument, to perform.
Voted for by Hamumori.
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music

there is math to this and music that we think enjoyable have whole number ratios. but it is the ultimate form of emotion transfer. all ppl can understand a sad song by the melody or a happy one. it is like a smile. known everywhere.

Voted for by pnktrky.

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PROFANE MUSIC FUELS BREAKDOWN IN MORAL FIBER OF SOCIETY

Music is not a drug that has power over human beings. However, music, which is very much under human control, can help induce different emotions in human beings as desired and it can hold their attention. Thus, it is used for such varied social purposes as ritual, worship, coordination of movement, communication, and entertainment. Cultural values govern human beings and music is under the control of human beings. Thus, music operates within the bounds of human culture. Since profanity is culturally unacceptable, it stands to reason that music, as a mode of communication should be free of it. Music cannot transcend cultural values. Cultural values dictate all communication. Communication outside cultural values is profanity. Culture is for the people. People love the culture. Therefore, music for the people should express cultural values. Any music that has profanity deviates from the norm. It is uncultured and is therefore not for the people. Music should be an agent for strengthening the society’s moral structure. The music that has cultural values is the one that strengthens moral structure. Cultural values are destroyed by anything that deviates from it. Profanity deviates from cultural values. Since profanity is outside cultural values, music that has profanity is an agent of breakdown in moral fiber of society. Therefore, since music is a powerful mode of communication, it actually fuels the breakdown of moral fiber if it has anti moral values like profanity.

Voted for by likewhatitis100.

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TeChNoWC
December 28, 2006
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But what if a particular culture aims for values that are reflected in their music, such as goths? Different cultures promote different values. Thus, using culture as an argument does not allow for the form of absolutes, and subjective opinion (though must be shared within a large group or societal bunch), is allowed to reign as the consensus for right and wrong music. Your argument is wrong. Culture is subjective, not absolute.
likewhatitis100
December 28, 2006
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MUSIC IS SOLITARY, HENCE CANNOT GUIDE CULTURE
Yes, culture is subjective but every culture has profanity. Values outside cultural values constitute profanity. Culture exists before music. Music is a product of culture and therefore it expresses values in the culture. A culture is not developed by music; therefore, culture cannot aim for values reflected in the music. Culture is by consensus and music is not. Music is solitary and therefore cannot guide a culture, which represent collective views. Music is molded along cultural values and not vice versa.
Hamumori
December 28, 2006
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jazzy
profanity is the baroque aspect of music. it's the flight from God and the Decision in music. Jazz could never escape Gospel, and Gospel had to live with Jazz.

any music written for a cultural purpose is already classical. but there are musics which are coextensive with culture, naturally. take maqam or any folk music - these sounds are truly musical. rap and metal are romantic, lonely sounds, they are forever in danger of falling into hell. and classical rock, any praise music, country western, to a certain degree pop as well, are all classical, constantly in fear of being superseded, turned away from.

the beatles, the sex pistols, nirvana, to a certain extent the strokes as well, all arose out of new niches in popular western music. the beatles are a particular example, because the musicality of the period extended into politics as well, and punk, grunge, and scene are all reverberations of that failed revolutionary episode. they are all certainly profane musics, but more importantly the beatles were a profanity that became an adversary. punk was never really a contender, all it could do was destroy itself, like hitler's germany, and the history of popular music was just atavism from there on.

im sure a lot of people were counting on zach dela rocha though lol

i wonder what people's take on anti-corporate music is too.
TeChNoWC
December 29, 2006
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likewhatitis100
so you endorse culture formed music that is largely obscene to your own culture? Just a small note, culture can be formed on the basis of music. The culture itself congregrates around the new artform, in now more prolific societies. Creating a new medium to worship is the start of a movement. The movement does not come before the ideal.
likewhatitis100
December 29, 2006
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"So you endorse culture formed music that is largely obscene to your own culture?"

No, I do not endorse it. My culture dictates all communication, music included. Therefore, any communication outside my cultural values is unacceptable and can constitute obscenity.

"Just a small note, culture can be formed on the basis of music."

Music is more of a solitary view. However, if the majority shares that solitary view, then yes it can be a basis for a culture change. Therefore, the fact is, culture represents collective views. Music is supposed to express cultural views. If the view the music is expressing is not a cultural view, it means it is more of a solitary view. A solitary view cannot be a basis of a culture change or formation, only when it becomes a majority view, will it effect a cultural change.

So, music cannot be a basis for a cultural formation.
TeChNoWC
December 29, 2006
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Yes, music can, and you just admitted it. Culture change is prevalent of new cultural formation. Culture is less shifting rather than renewing, as a shifted culture, compared to its predecessor, is often a new culture. If you wish to mean simple cultural changes such as a little change in trend or something, then maybe your comment is non-contradictory, but otherwise it stands to be. I don't quite understand your argument. Moral or actual? Are we arguing that music 'should not' dictate culture or that is impossible for music to dictate cutlure, whether wrong or right? Are you trying to rationalise an ethical approach to hindering music's effect on culture? If so, where the hell do you find a basis for this, and what is the desired ethical gain?

Communication is defined as two way. In social actuality, you cannot effectively communicate via a medium that is one way. Music is one way. I don't communicate with my music. I percieve it. When I use music as a medium for communication, I try to use it as a medium 'for' communication between me and God.
likewhatitis100
December 30, 2006
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CULTURE IS BASED ON POPULAR VIEWS
“Yes, music can, and you just admitted it. Culture change is prevalent of new cultural formation. Culture is less shifting rather than renewing, as a shifted culture, compared to its predecessor, is often a new culture.”

Culture is the way of life for an entire society. As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, and norms of behavior such as law and morality, and systems of belief. So, the changes in all these that make up a culture cannot be effected by one change. Culture is complex and it is impossible to get a new culture with just one change in one of its components.

“I don't quite understand your argument. Moral or actual? Are we arguing that music 'should not' dictate culture or that is impossible for music to dictate culture, whether wrong or right?”

This is where the argument is:
“Just a small note, culture can be formed on the basis of music. The culture itself congregates around the new art form, in now more prolific societies.”

My argument is that, culture cannot be formed on the basis of music. Because music is more of a solitary view. Furthermore, music is just a means of expressing a view. There are many means of expressing views that includes books, drama, movies etc. Culture is by consensus. Whereas culture represents majority views, music represents solitary view.
A popular view, a view held by majority, is the only one that can effect a change in culture. Therefore, after a view has been expressed by means of music, it needs to be popular in order for it to effect a change in the culture. Clearly, it is not the music but the popular view that will effect a change in culture. Therefore, culture is formed on the basis of popular views.

“Are you trying to rationalise an ethical approach to hindering music's effect on culture? If so, where the hell do you find a basis for this, and what is the desired ethical gain?”

“Communication is defined as two way. In social actuality, you cannot effectively communicate via a medium that is one way.”
“Music is one way. I don't communicate with my music.”
Music is not one way. You will always get a feed back by monitoring the trends of your sales or your shows.
Here is the definition of communication: the exchange of information between people, e.g. by means of speaking, writing, or using a common system of signs or behavior.

Therefore, for music it would be the exchange of information between people, by means of behavior.