Intellectual Music vs Emotional Music?
I find for all it's myriads of possibilities, music (like most art) tends to fall into 2 camps, the intellectually based, and the emotionally based.
INTELLECTUAL:tends to focus on technique, and be extremely complex, with a lot of consideration given to skill, musical theory, etc. A lot of Technical Death Metal, some Prog, Jazz and the like falls into this,. along with some Classical composers. Neo-Classical also often falls into this. Think of music that is all about blazing speed, difficult transitions and the like. Not surprisingly, this style tends to appeal to math majors, highly organized minds, those of scientific bent, etc.
EMOTIONAL or visceral music tends to be far less "composed", and can be downright simple like Punk, to usually moderately complex, but the goal is to convey a feeling or mood or atmosphere more so than it is to impress with technical proficiency and the like. Think a lot of Pop music, Rock like the Grateful Dead, Punk, some Metal, etc. Improvisational music often falls into this category.
Tends to appeal to free thinkers, artists, poets, and people who are less concerned with the "WHY THINGS ARE" than simply enjoying them.
And yes, at some point, like with every other endeavor, to varying degrees the two will meet in the middle.
MQ: Which appeals MORE to you? What makes it so appealing?
How vehemently do you espouse the "superiority" of the one over the other?
(Obviously this is not a black and white question where one can only like one OR the other, but pretty much everyone DOES fall more toward one side of the divide than the other)
MQ2- What are some of your favorite artists of your preferred style? What draws you to them?
MQ3- Do you enjoy bands from the other extreme too? If so, who?
MQ4- Did I make ANY sense at all?
BQ- But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's?
@KLS81.... actually I was referring to the music alone, as the lyrics can easily go either way, as much of the most complicated Metal music ironically enough is set to some of the most banal and stupid of lyrics. Most Tech Death lyricists won't be winning any prizes for their prose.
Conversely, I feel a lot of Folk and Punk writers are very very talented lyricists.
Depends on the Jazz, the composer and the composition. Some is very free flowing and chaotic, some is very structured, though it is usually more along the lines of hybrids like Fusion, which very seldom are anywhere near as extemporaneous as say, Miles Davis. Didn't think I needed to explain that, hence the term "SOME" placed before the Prog and Jazz.
@GESM.. actually most true"Artists" I know are not deep analyzers, they are not terribly concerned with precision, but with mood. I make some of my living in this field, so I tend to be surrounded by them. The overly "technical" artists tend to be illustrators, or even draftsman, because their addiction to perfection tends to impeded creativity, rather than help it. I am more an illustrator myself. Most of the "deep analysis" of the poets and artists I know, tends more toward Philosophy than Science. And that goes for now, the time spent in Venice Beach and Santa Barbara and my time in the "free thinking" communities in San Fran and Berkley. Contrary to what SOME would have you believe heavy pot and LSD use is not generally conducive to deep linear thinking.
as for structured, ever hear of Return to Forever, Ponty or Mahavishnu Orchestra? They pretty much composed more than free styled.
& Radiohead? I think it definitely falls under the "Pseudo-Intellectual" umbrella, as it is not near as complex, nor deep and meaningful as so many of the fans would have one believe. Thom is no Mozart.
@GESM... actually I was referring to a certain portion of their fanbase.. you know a few of them, used to have nicknames that rhyme with Draperhag Biter and such..... I personally have nothing against the band, even if they do little for me, just certain self appointed representatives of said band. (Happens with a lot of bands, actually)
Actually..I'm just enjoying the ride. =P
I would never say something hurtful about anyone.
@Lemony..this is short. Before Y!A instituted their maximum character policy on Q&As (apparently we are running out of electrons around here!!!) I had much more epic debates. You forget about some of mine during the whole Micheal Vick affair? (You still hated me then, lol!)