The Sick Moon Posted September 6, 2014 Author Share Posted September 6, 2014 I don't have a clue what he's talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreidel Dreidelsohn Posted September 11, 2014 Share Posted September 11, 2014 Is it true Jimi Hendrix couldn't read music or is that just an urban myth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 The trouble with this discuss is it starts from a ropey premise "the best musicians ... can't read music" We'll never agree on who the "best" musicians are. There can't be many who don't love at least some music created by non-music readers. At the same time there will be times when the ability to read music is essential - "Excuse me Dave Brubeck the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra here, our pianist is pissed could you sit in" would probably result in a memorable concert but not one the classical music buffs were expecting. The ability to read music, is probably useful to most musicians, but will it have a greater impact than getting better at their instrument, learning a new one, getting a better live sound, mastering the studio, learning to write better songs? Again it boils down to context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The:Troll Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 You listen to music and read books, you bunch of mongs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted September 12, 2014 Share Posted September 12, 2014 But it's not the consumer who reads music, it's the producer but it is the consumer who reads books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polar Bear Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 I'm a consumer and I read music. (Why does that look like a confession?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Does that deepen your understanding or pleasure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polar Bear Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Yes, it does. I like to sit back, listen to a symphony by Mahler (any one of them), with the full orchestral score in front of me and follow the proceedings. Occasionally, I'll see a passage for, say, the second bassoon, which I didn't hear in a recording or performance. With the score - there it is - clearly audible. It was there all the time, of course. I either missed it or the recording wasn't very clear. Anyway, I like to see how composers such as Mahler constructed their masterpieces, and a score is invaluable in that respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Well I'd need a guide book to Mahler too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polar Bear Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Okay, I'll write one for you. Payment in advance, please ... preferably in a plain brown jiffy bag - no cheques! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Okay, I'll write one for you. Payment in advance, please ... preferably in a plain brown jiffy bag - no cheques!Mahler is technically a Cheque. He was born in a town that is now in the Czech Republic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 If you have to explain it, it doesn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polar Bear Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 "If you have to explain it, it doesn't work" - - Ah, but it does work. Why do you think we have music teachers? Could I have learned to play the piano, without a qualified teacher looking over my shoulder, explaining where I was going wrong and putting me on the right track? No, I couldn't. As far as Mahler (nice pun, Mr.Tatlock) and his ilk are concerned: It sometimes helps one's understanding and appreciation of the music if one understands the man behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 "If you have to explain it, it doesn't work" - I was referring to Albert's joke, not music. As to music, whilst there is a lot to be said for music that has an immediate emotional reaction in the listener, I tend to favour your point of view. In fact one of the best discussions I had on these forums (might have been Manx Net actually) with Phildo, about whether context mattered to music. I argued that you couldn't separate music from it's creator, the circumstances it was created in, the World around it at the time of creation, it's place in musical history, even basic things like is it part of Western musical tradition and what knowledge and experience the listener brings to the party. He argued that each piece is unique and should be listened to with a clear mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polar Bear Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Okay, sorry about the misunderstanding. I'm still trying to get the hang of this forum and I'm not yet sure how to use the 'quote' function properly. Apart from that, I'm half asleep. (My health has deteriorated drastically over the past three years, and that doesn't help either.) I don't think I would go as far as to say that one can't separate the music from its creator. As I see it, a piece of music should be able to stand on its own two feet, without any literary or historical prop. Beethoven's 3rd Symphony (Sinfonia eroica) was influenced by events, and knowledge of its history and source of inspiration adds to our understanding; but it's not absolutely essential to our appreciation. Music for music's sake, and all that jazz. "He argued that each piece is unique and should be listened to with an open mind" -- Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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