~Just a subject that has bothered me for some time :\ ~

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I might as well define on what I think all of this stuff is:

"Live" music, I define it as
Well, obviously, live music played by actual instruments. (not "electronically enhanced")"Synth/Electric music", I define it as
Music that is performed/enhanced electronically; for example, sampling.So, if no one has noticed, "live" music is getting less and less popular, and isn't being played much anymore :\ (except during holidays, events, etc..., but note that this is a perspective of someone who lives in the United States. It may not be true in another country ;)).

I could have also called this topic "Classical Music" vs. "Pop Music", but I didn't want to -_- .

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Most classical music (again, in terms of the U.S.) is almost always used in advertisements, and only in small sections. Pop/Electronic music is getting more and more popular, because of the convenience of being able to listen to it on your I-pod :bleh:. In other words, classical music is not really used for performance much anymore, but for MARKETING PURPOSES! :mad: The same thing also happened in the 1960s-1970s; all music was performed electronically, but people got tired of it, and listened to "live" music again, but this time it seems that there's only going to be "pop music" :\ .


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This thread is for discussion about:

Why is classical so unpopular now? (Do not mention "it's too old"; I've heard that SO many times, there has got to be a better reason).

Why do you think pop music is getting so popular? :\

Andre Rieu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Rieu), as some may know, is someone from Austria that is/has trying/tried to bring classical music back on U.S. streets. Bad or Good idea, and why?

In your opinion, is Globalization connected to this?

Any other stuff related to this...

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:P I just thought about this in 10 minutes, so it's not that organized. I AM NOT saying that "Classical" music is all "better than pop music".

I've been actually thinking about (someday) make a more "classical-pop" album to market than many people like, and slowly get into more un-pop orchestra styles--just to weave people in the classical scene.

I hate how people say it makes you fall asleep or it's so boring. All these are sterotypes; when people think of classical music they think of boring, sleepy, anooanecs of people like Bach--which the classical station in my area plays ALL THE FRIGGING TIME. It's so boring, I fall asleep to it.

When/if people market "classical" music, it should be the more complex stuff like Mid/Late Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt and especially the Rachmaninoff concertos for sure. That's the creative stuff in which people look for cool changes and can (somehow) relate it to some more modern stuff.

To me, before I learned how to play piano and actually knew what music was composed of, I thought classical music was boring too. I think that if you only listen to music (like you don't play an instrument, or know how music is made) then you can't really hear a classical piece and appriaciate it.. You wouldn't understand what a masterpiece that piece of music is and so you wouldn't like it as much cuz it didn't really do anything for you. Thats just my two cents. It's becomming unpopular because people dont know how to appriciate it anymore.

^ I agree completely with Asuka. On a side note;

Friend: What is this, Beethoven? (music playing)
Me: No I think it's Bach actually.
Friend: But they're the same, haha.
Me: What?
Friend: You know, it's the same guy, he just had many names.
Me: Again, what?
Friend: You know Mozart is also Amadeus and Wolfgang. Beethoven's name is Bach Beethoven.

Friend: What is this, Beethoven? (music playing)
Me: No I think it's Beethoven actually.
Friend: But they're the same, haha.
Me: What?
Friend: You know, it's the same guy, he just had many names.
Me: Again, what?
Friend: You know Mozart is also Amadeus and Wolfgang. Beethoven's name is Bach Beethoven.

Ahah! I laugh at your friend. Thanks for sharing that by the way. ^.^

Oops made a typo, corrected it now ^^;

Anyway, to the topic: I don't have anything against pre-recorded samples and the way they are used in 'live' music.

Friend: What is this, Beethoven? (music playing)
Me: No I think it's Bach actually.
Friend: But they're the same, haha.
Me: What?
Friend: You know, it's the same guy, he just had many names.
Me: Again, what?
Friend: You know Mozart is also Amadeus and Wolfgang. Beethoven's name is Bach Beethoven.

XD...

I don't have anything against sampling, but it gets annoying if that's all you listen to :\ . I just don't like how people assume that "all classical music is boring".

I believe Rieu is Dutch... ;)

Anyway, there are "classical crossover" artists, notably Bond, an all-girl string quartet, blind tenor Andrea Bocelli and singing group Il Divo. I like how Video Games Live and the Blindfold Pianist are bridging the gap between classical and game music, too.

I'm fine with both live and recorded music, but I believe to be a truly good electronic musician, you have to be able to both play an instrument (or at least have a good ear so you can transcribe other music well) and program your own songs. Joy Electric is a fantastic example of this. On every album since 1996, Ronnie Martin uses one synth to create every single sound: leads, pads, bass, percussion, you name it.

One advantage of any live performance, whether music or drama or poetry, is the symbiotic experience: the performer feeds off the energy of the audience, which warms up to the music, thus energizing the performer, and so on.

Many games have had classical-style music for a long time. The Zelda games are a great example. Some of the Twilight Princess Soundtrack was recored by a live symphony. Kondo does a great job of modeling the classic style of composing so the game's music has a very classical sound.

I think that if you only listen to music (like you don't play an instrument, or know how music is made) then you can't really hear a classical piece and appriaciate it.. You wouldn't understand what a masterpiece that piece of music is and so you wouldn't like it as much cuz it didn't really do anything for you.
^ I completely agree!

I don't have anything against sampling, but it gets annoying if that's all you listen to :\
if the sampling is well done, you don't hear much of a difference to "live" music :think:

if the sampling is well done, you don't hear much of a difference to "live" music :think:

True.

It's not sampling or digital music's fault when it comes to people not appreciating classical music. I mean, sampling are for composers who can't afford to hire an orchestra, including you and me. Furthermore, there are many people performing 'live' everywhere, it's just that they might not advertise themselves that much. I'm like an anti-western popular music person (yes, American pop music sucks the most in my opinion), even though some asian popular music are okay (there are some interesting stuff in C-Pop and some J-pop).

Furthermore, pop music knows how to advertise themselves. I mean, humans like playing follow the leader. Once someone likes something, their friend follows and eventually something unpopular becomes popular, and I think that's the reason why 'pop' music is so popular.

In my opinion, baroque, 20th century and impressionistic music are too underplayed, humans need more Stravinsky, Bach and Debussy.

Honestly? I think its because its not popular. Besides me, I really don't know anybody who listens to classical, and even I only have a few classical songs on my phone. If music companies wanted to bring classical back, they should try to add a bit of modern twist to it by adding drums, electric guitar, and other things of the sort. That, or combine it with the top 2 or 3 music styles.

I think the thing with classical music is that it's too long for most normal people nowadays. The average first movement to a symphony is 12 to 25 minutes long, the entire thing being an hour or two.

If music companies wanted to bring classical back, they should try to add a bit of modern twist to it by adding drums, electric guitar, and other things of the sort. That, or combine it with the top 2 or 3 music styles.

It wouldn't be "classical" music then.


I think the thing with classical music is that it's too long for most normal people nowadays. The average first movement to a symphony is 12 to 25 minutes long, the entire thing being an hour or two.

It's too long, because people's attention spans have shortened DRAMATICALLY; the average first movement for a symphony is from 10-20 minutes and the entire thing would be from 30-45. It's rare to hear symphonies longer than an hour (unless it's a modern symphony, Mahler for example)

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I'm glad this thread got re-awakened, even though it's sort of a dual-discussion with electronic music vs. classical and classical vs. "pop" music. I have a mixed opinion on this, but over a year's time I have come to the conclusion that "Music is music, as long as it's somehow musical." I love Classical, I love Techno, I love Jazz and I love Heavy Metal. I have a fairly wide-range of likeness, and I love my likenesses because I enjoy listening to them, playing them and feeling them--no matter if it's a simple Chopin melody or a sick Guitar riff.. it's music, it's good.

I think I'd better finally put why I put this thread up:

Last year, my (now former) band director once said, "Back in the day, people used to just listen to electronic music, using unnatural instruments (which is what got me to the sampling discussion). It took some time, but many people got used to listening to the instruments, which made bands (like [the school bands]) unpopular; however, after a while, people started getting back to listening to these kinds of instruments, and more people are listening to actual instruments."

It's not exactly word-to-word, but it's as close as I can remember it. >_>

It's too long, because people's attention spans have shortened DRAMATICALLY; the average first movement for a symphony is from 10-20 minutes and the entire thing would be from 30-45. It's rare to hear symphonies longer than an hour (unless it's a modern symphony, Mahler for example)

Sorry, I personally listen to more contemporary and late romantic pieces so my time stats might be a little skewed,

classical is unpopular?? since when?
for all i know its what music students study and what modern composers see as "must-knows"... besides, it's what i've been doing for a whole summer: performing live. live music is just so much more fun to perform and listen to. even if you hate piano recitals, you still gotta love rock band :D