Don't Be a Musical Snob
I have a few musical credentials under my belt. I started playing piano when I was three, trumpet when I was ten, started voice lessons at fourteen and ended up with a degree in music education. I know music. I also know a lot of people who know music. And when I say know, I'm not talking about the type who are fanatics, who read Rolling Stone religiously or scour stores for old records. I'm talking about people who know the mechanics of music, the reason why one chord sounds better in a progression than another, people who know harmony and balance and technique and tone. These are people who, really, should see all music as some form of art, as something that has a place in the world, as something that has worth.
Which is why it pains me so much to hear a friend say something snobby about music. "Their chord progressions are too simplistic" is something I hear quite a bit. "Ugh, her music is all hooks, how can you stand it?" is another, or sometimes it may be just that the artist is popular, that they invest a ton in costumes and stage shows and visuals so therefor, the music itself must be lacking, right? Music like that doesn't deserve a second of a musical know-it-all's time and it is dismissed on principle.
I've been kind of fed up with hearing this lately so I just need to vent. First, not only is this type of attitude causing people to miss out on some real gems (and it's completely missing the point, imho), being around this type of person SUCKS. Literally. They suck the fun right out of everything. And it's always a little jarring to hear these comments from friends who are supposed to value music.
Look, I know we all have our preferences. I listen to electronica because I love the layers and the subtle building. I don't listen to country because the twang bothers me and quite often the lyrics make me cry. Those are preferences.
But that doesn't mean I won't try country music if someone I know recommends it. And I hope that if I ever utter the phrase, "Ew, no, I'd never listen to them. They're too ____." I hope someone will slap me across the face. If I hadn't given music outside my comfort zones a chance, I would never have discovered Scissor Sisters, Arcade Fire, or the best band in the world, Sigur Ros.
It's the snobbish attitude, the one that says "I'm not going to listen to something unless it meets my criteria" that really destroys any personal musical growth, and really limits you. Essentially, it can make you really uninteresting. The goal might be to make yourself interesting by only listening to the most profound stuff on earth, but really, it makes you a complete snooze-fest.
I happen to love both Lady GaGa and Britney Spears. No one would ever call their music brilliant or deep or complicated, but if you were looking for that with them you're really barking up the wrong tree anyways. They put on fantastic shows with dancing and lights and theatrics galore. Their music gets everyone moving and makes people smile. But I am asked, all the time, how I can possibly like them knowing all that I do about music.
Easy: It's melodies that are easily singable, music that keeps me energized as I clean my house, it's fun to drive to, and it's music that can lift my mood. And that, my snobby friends, has VALUE. Maybe it's not the kind that will endure forever or change the face of the music industry, but it is just as valuable as any other musical creation if you can find purpose in it. Hell, if the artist him/herself found something in it.
David Foster, who is known for being the victim of many musical snobs himself, gave a speech at Berklee in which he asked the graduates not be be musical snobs. You can find it here: www.berklee.edu/commencement/2002/foster.html Mr. Foster's music has never really been my style, but my parents love it, and even though it's not something I'd chose to listen to by myself, hearing it often around my house (or from Josh Groban) made me recognize the value in it. There IS a place in this world for sugary ballads. At any rate, regardless of who he is, his advice is exactly right.
Don't be a musical snob. All you succeed in doing is making yourself an utter bore and a pain in the ass to discuss music around. And you're going to miss something truly valuable while you are off looking for something worthy of you. It's the forest and the trees, people.
Don't be judgmental just because something's popular. If it's popular, there might be a reason for it. (Harry Potter, anyone?) If it's too simplistic to you, I would urge you to listen to Mozart's symphonies, Schumann's art songs, or some minimalists like Gorecki. Those are simplistic as well, and sometimes simple music can be the most beautiful, the most moving, and the most heart-felt. If you don't think someone's lyrics are deep enough, I simply want to know why you feel the need for constant metaphor. Really. Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and Britney Spears' Everytime are both about heartbreak. Which lyrics are more valid?
Get off your high horses people, and enjoy music for what it is. Who knows? You might enjoy life a little more. And the people around you won't find you so insufferable.