Something I'm curious about, that relates to discussions I've been having with a lot of people recently. This idea that you've got to know what you're doing in order to make a good representation of a genre. Lets say you were to make a jazz song... some have the idea that you really need to have been playing jazz for a number of years and be familiar with it in order to nail it.
I'm not sure about that. I think music has rules, and once you know the rules, you can get pretty damn close. Certain schools of jazz use certain types of progressions, chord structures, and playing styles that result in the sound of "jazz" ... but trying to convince people of this, I come up against "well go and do it then"
So what do you think? Can a rocker do jazz without eating, sleeping, and breathing jazz? Vice versa too of course!
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Yes. I think if the knowledge of music in general is great enough then you can apply it to any genre without having to live in that genre.
I have to write a hell of a lot of stuff in other styles to feed the kiddies. Although I find it difficult to produce a singular piece that I wouldn't choose to listen to (I think your heart being in a piece is a big part), plenty of stuff the I have to do does not fall into genres I wouldn't choose to listen to.
A strong theoretical knowledge makes the whole process easier and quicker, but creative ability is still essential.
By a 'friend of a friend tells a friend' type arrangement I fell in to recording, but particularly mixing and producing a lot of artists of the noise and soundscape scene. Similarly my cousin (out of nowhere) became quite big on the underground rap scene and I ended up helping out him and a lot of his contemporaries. Both are far from music that I eat, sleep and breath. A lot of these guys are full of ideas but very limited on classic musical ability. What I have found essential to adapting to other styles that you may have limited knowledge of is not just breaking it down to cold musical technicalities, but to be open-minded enough to ask "What is it that makes this appealing to people?". That's why when people say "I don't like artist x because I am so high brow I can spot all the mistakes.", in my personal opinion they are missing the main core of why people choose to listen to music/art.
It's difficult to say how essential it is but I do find myself spending a few days listening to similar material. Part of this is to see what is going on currently, but I am sure another part is for me to enter the right headspace and start thinking in that style. I have under pressure skipped this step or literally had half an hour on the way to the studio to do it but I probably feel things come easier when I have prepared myself.
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Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
I'm not even necessarily talking about something that is creatively fulfilling or aiming for new territory. I'm talking about being able to hit an archetype of a genre, whether it is jazz, funk, prog, metal, dubstep, whatever.
The assertion I'm running into is that you need to be utterly experienced and somewhat specialized in order to pull it off. I don't buy it.
Oh, you did your support to Mr Seigal this week didn't you? How was that? I would have loved to have gone but the day of my wedding anniversary it was never going to happen. So, happy anniversary to MrsTheWeary and me whilst I'm on the subject!
8-X
Anyhoo, this Discussion got me thinking about Spinal Tap as an ( slightly random) example. I've always felt it was the product of some people (or someone) who really loved and knew Heavy Metal ( the 1970's and early 1980's versions thereof). Without that authenticity the humour in the music wouldn't work. It's not just spoof it is heavy metal with another element added and added succesfully.So you have that mixture of immersion that Drew is discussing plus a fresh element.I guess you need that balance between immersion and the ability to bring a new perspective otherwise you are just rehashing the genre cliches.
In contrast the axisus example of Rush ( or 10CC or lots of people) doing bad reggae - it doesn't bring anything new to reggae because it is horrendously inauthentic. That probably wasn't their intent but it doesn't bring much new to their rock music either because it is just bolted on: they didn't learn anything from it ( as it appears to me).
Having said that I guess there are notable succesfull failures - bands like The Kinks developed their own style as a result of being very, very bad at playing blues.
I'll stop wittering now...
3:-O
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k8qg0q86fjlepbs/DroneyJaath.mp3
I wouldn't know good jazz from bad so yours may very well be genius.
In short, niiice!!