Instrumental Music

[Rei]

I was just listening to an old favorite of mine, "Shadow of Doubt (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)" (Composed by 溝口 肇, Mizoguchi Hajime) which consists of a string quartet, played as a canon.

It suddenly occurred to me that it was the organization/structure of the piece (in addition to my enjoyment of strings) that captivated me. (I also recently heard one of my favorite Christmas carols, Dona Nobis Pacem, also sang as a canon) Similarily, when I watch symphonies play, I always pay the most attention to the conductor and what each different movement of his arms change about the music.

What I'm most likely to see in my head when I listen to music is how the musicians play their instruments.

Anyone else notice that they seem to enjoy music for it's technical aspects rather than "it painting a pretty picture in your mind"?

If not, have you found a preference in the style of instrumentals you like?

[BloozeGit]

The music that I listen to generally descends from oral traditions and as such is pretty simple in terms of technicality. That being said, as an instrumentalist I'm often guilty of listening too closely to how the music is being played than what is being said through the music. It's easy to get caught up in it but over time I found that the best way to really benefit as a player is to just close your eyes and listen instead of trying to see how the performer does it.

Technical proficiency isn't always everything though, the one instrumental that left a deep impression on me when I was still in the beginning stages of playing was Apache by the Shadows (different context I know but still...) for the fact that it really painted a picture of an old western like a good book, without having a whole lot of technical wizardry behind it.

So yeah, I vote for pretty picture over "wow how does he do that". There is some music that is really awesome technically but if it doesn't say anything or invoke certain emotions, I don't think I could really listen to it for more than one chorus.

[Rei]

The music that I listen to generally descends from oral traditions and as such is pretty simple in terms of technicality. That being said, as an instrumentalist I'm often guilty of listening too closely to how the music is being played than what is being said through the music. It's easy to get caught up in it but over time I found that the best way to really benefit as a player is to just close your eyes and listen instead of trying to see how the performer does it.

Technical proficiency isn't always everything though, the one instrumental that left a deep impression on me when I was still in the beginning stages of playing was Apache by the Shadows (different context I know but still...) for the fact that it really painted a picture of an old western like a good book, without having a whole lot of technical wizardry behind it.

So yeah, I vote for pretty picture over "wow how does he do that". There is some music that is really awesome technically but if it doesn't say anything or invoke certain emotions, I don't think I could really listen to it for more than one chorus.

I completely agree with closing your eyes and just enjoying it. Telling a story is essentially what the art of music is about. Just that sometimes I can't help but think about the how. I'm not even a musician (I tried, it didn't work out)... but perhaps that is why I'm so intrigued... I don't get it.

I was eating lunch at a place that had open mike jazz every Thursday and I love jazz. I love going to that restaurant (they have open mike all the time)... BUT It was so frustrating how I had to keep steering myself away from paying close attention to the technicalities and hearing the little hard-edges in the performance. It was like "the mental attack of the J"

[Charlie Mc.]

I put alot of time and effort into oral communication. I believe that it is an art and is worthy of study. Perhaps because of this, I find I really prefer the lyrics over the music. I will listen to tunes I am not crazy about to hear good lyrics. For me a well turned phrase is something to be appreciated and to aspire to.

[umop_3pisdn]

The vast majority of the music I listen to is instrumental. If there are vocals, it is more the case of the voice being used as an instrument. Even then, the music I find myself listening to usually has no or little vocalization at all. Most of this is split up between classical, experimental electronic music (I consider the synthesizer/computer to be an instrument), and post-rock or other "neo-classical" musicians such as Dead Can Dance. I find these genres offer me a desired level of musical complexity and structure, as I appreciate music purely for the potentially novel or "avante garde" qualities, as well as complex and engrossing aesthetic experiences.

[rwyatt365]

I'd have to say that 2/3 of my music collection is purely instrumental in nature, mostly because there are very few vocal artists that I care for. As far as whether I listen to music simply for the aural pleasure, or listen to it technically; I'd have to say that I'm guilty of getting caught up in the technical prowess of the artist far too often. Even when I'm trying just the "live in the song", I get distracted by a glitch or missed beat, or some other irregularity. I do this more so with classical music than with contemporary – probably because I expect more precision from the classical artist.

[Rei]

Like rwyatt, there are very few vocal artists I like. Most of them I like are from an older generation =/
I can appreciate different styles of voice, from sweet to seductive to gravelly to harsh... but I am very intolerant of people who sound like they're constipated and straining to pass feces.

Even when I listen to vocals, I tend to tune out and listen to the music of it rather than the lyrics (as lyrics these days are rarely very impressive). I must also note that Chinese lyrics (well the ones from maybe 2 decades ago) are much more artistic than English lyrics. Unfortunately I'm horrible at deciphering Chinese lyrics as they use words and a format that I don't encounter in day-to-day conversation.

It still comes down to my rather ridiculous scrutiny of the technical perfection of music (and everything in general). Music should be more of a "smell the roses" thing... and yet it is a challenge to separate enjoyment from perfection.

[rwyatt365]

I'd just like to add that the vocal artists that I do listen to are almost exclusively female. Since a fair percentage of the contemporary vocal songs are "love songs" I find it especially creepy for a guy to be singing such stuff into my ears. Unless it's rock, or classical I pretty much never listen to males singing.

[Rei]

I'd just like to add that the vocal artists that I do listen to are almost exclusively female. Since a fair percentage of the contemporary vocal songs are "love songs" I find it especially creepy for a guy to be singing such stuff into my ears. Unless it's rock, or classical I pretty much never listen to males singing.

Vocal artists I do listen to are almost exclusively male. Though not so much because of the whole 'love song' thing. I simply think deeper voices sound more... emotional?? for lack of a better word... The only female vocalists I listen to have exceptional voices, or really great songs.

[rocksteady]

I like some vocals, but generally dismiss them as the ramblings of Sensing, feeling types. Rarely do I hear vocals written that I relate to.

[OneBadMother]

Hmm, I like vocals, but some instrumental pieces are quirky enough for me to like. Video game music and Spanish guitar are two good examples. I like the layers in some music.

[danalaina]

Anyone else notice that they seem to enjoy music for it's technical aspects rather than "it painting a pretty picture in your mind"?

yes. i've noticed that i tend to pay attention to virtuosity. the two examples that come to mind immediately are Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Scuttle Buttin'" and Bach's "Toccata and Fugue." the fact that anyone's fingers can move that quickly and with such expression just awes me.

i am a serious fan of music...could talk about it endlessly. but i find myself strangely resistant to the idea of picking it apart. somehow, it loses magic in the process.

[BloozeGit]

Ahhhh good ole' Stevie Ray Vaughn...I got into him when I first started to discover blues and was rather intrigued by all the flash and bang. A good introduction to the deeper, more heavy-going (if less technically brilliant) blues.

[danalaina]

Ahhhh good ole' Stevie Ray Vaughn...I got into him when I first started to discover blues and was rather intrigued by all the flash and bang. A good introduction to the deeper, more heavy-going (if less technically brilliant) blues.

he skated the surface, yeah. i can't really say i've looked for deeper, though...just a tiny bit of Hooker and a little Muddy Waters - still on the commercial end. blues is probably one of the least developed of my musical tastes. i'll get around to it. =)

[BloozeGit]

Hooker and Muddy Waters?

The force runs strong in you...
*cue heavy breathing sounds*

[qwerty]

given I was a violinist when I was younger I do like a melodic tune ;)

With most songs with lyrics I don't attentively pay attention to the lyrics until like the 5th or 6th listening, I mean a voice can make a break a song but if they're singing in another language or nonsense I don't care as long as it fits with the melody. Sadly even rap is all about rhythm for me (I still like it but generally I don't 'get' what it's about).

[Solaris]

I'm a woodwind player. I played clarinet for years, then decided to challenge myself with the oboe -- I was an even better oboe player. I love music, always have. I listen to music for all different reasons, but do find myself drawn to more complex pieces/artists -- Queen, Classical music, and a lot of Techno.

[Obstinate]

Explosions in the Sky=Pure bliss. :thumbsup:

[xhaan]

I can appreciate and understand the technical aspects of music, i do like separation, space, complexity, structure etc. however my appreciation for music embraces this, and surpasses it, to the point which I can appreciate "broken rules" and a lack of structure also, if it is used to an effect.

Check out my myspace profile for some interesting music...
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

(and yeah, it's not instrumental, I know)

[Tsuru]

I was just listening to an old favorite of mine, "Shadow of Doubt (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)" (Composed by 溝口 肇, Mizoguchi Hajime) which consists of a string quartet, played as a canon.

What I'm most likely to see in my head when I listen to music is how the musicians play their instruments.

Anyone else notice that they seem to enjoy music for it's technical aspects rather than "it painting a pretty picture in your mind"?

If not, have you found a preference in the style of instrumentals you like?


Oh wow, another Hajime Mizoguchi (Mizoguchi Hajime?) fan! I love the Escaflowne soundtrack. :D I have the Jin-Roh and Please Save My Earth CDs too but I didn't like them as much. But man, some of those Escaflowne pieces are literally *immaculate*. Brilliant brilliant brilliant. :D

I very much appreciate the technical aspects of instrumental music, maybe even equally with the image it paints (provided the technicalities are contributing to the idea, not just fancy flailings akin to most guitar solos in rock songs). Listening for me is in many ways appreciating the structure and how well it conveys the idea.

If you're big on Hajime Mizoguchi, heres some recommendations. :D

-Xenosaga soundtrack (Yasunori Mitsuda)
-Inuyasha / Record of Lodoss War soundtracks (Kaoru Wada)
-Death Note soundtrack (Kenji Kawai I think?)

There's lots of others too if you don't mind that the music is on SNES instruments. XP

[Maverick]

I like instrumental guitar music by artists such as Al Di Meola, Greg Howe, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc. I highly enjoy the technical side of it. I find that listening to fast and perfectly executed instrumental playing moves me more than anything.

[Rei]

Oh wow, another Hajime Mizoguchi (Mizoguchi Hajime?) fan! I love the Escaflowne soundtrack. :D I have the Jin-Roh and Please Save My Earth CDs too but I didn't like them as much. But man, some of those Escaflowne pieces are literally *immaculate*. Brilliant brilliant brilliant. :D

I very much appreciate the technical aspects of instrumental music, maybe even equally with the image it paints (provided the technicalities are contributing to the idea, not just fancy flailings akin to most guitar solos in rock songs). Listening for me is in many ways appreciating the structure and how well it conveys the idea.

If you're big on Hajime Mizoguchi, heres some recommendations. :D

-Xenosaga soundtrack (Yasunori Mitsuda)
-Inuyasha / Record of Lodoss War soundtracks (Kaoru Wada)
-Death Note soundtrack (Kenji Kawai I think?)

There's lots of others too if you don't mind that the music is on SNES instruments. XP

I like his stuff, though some of it is a little too chaotic for me. I'm a HUGE fan of his wife (Yoko Kanno) though. I've wanted to get the Escaflowne soundtrack since a decade ago... literally, but I haven't been able to find it in store, and I'm iffy about ordering it online. :cry:

I have a weird attraction to patterns in everything, including music. Patterns in the rhythm/notes etc... anything in it with enough of a pattern that I can discern, I'll be completely mesmerized. It just seems to make it structured and 'sound'

I have Inuyasha's orchestral soundtrack, and I think I have a few tracks from the RoLW soundtrack hanging around, and I enjoy listening to them both. I'll check out Xenosaga/DN soundtracks sometime soon.

[Rohsiph]

I'm a woodwind player. I played clarinet for years, then decided to challenge myself with the oboe -- I was an even better oboe player. I love music, always have. I listen to music for all different reasons, but do find myself drawn to more complex pieces/artists -- Queen, Classical music, and a lot of Techno.

Hah, interesting--I played clarinet for a year and a half because my "hands were too small" to start with oboe, and then switched. Played from half way through 4th grade into my first semester of college, but have unfortunately found myself focusing on other things . . . I always mean to try picking it back up & maybe composing a small solo piece (even bought some new reeds about a year ago).

Explosions in the Sky=Pure bliss. :thumbsup:

I've heard Russian Circles are a lot like them . . . my problem is I'll only really listen to maybe half a dozen "new" artists a year, & there always needs to be some kind of personal introduction. That said, maybe you'd like Russian Circles . . . but I don't know. Similarly, maybe I'd like Explosions, based on the murmurings I hear at Russian Circles shows :)

[Tsuru]

I like his stuff, though some of it is a little too chaotic for me. I'm a HUGE fan of his wife (Yoko Kanno) though. I've wanted to get the Escaflowne soundtrack since a decade ago... literally, but I haven't been able to find it in store, and I'm iffy about ordering it online. :cry:



To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

;)

[Rei]

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

;)

"Problem loading page"

Also, I found the song uploaded somewhere online!!! YAY!

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.