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Post by pouletdegrains on Jan 21, 2020 0:05:22 GMT -6
I do not want to derail the thread on the sound of 80s pop songs, so I create a new thread to present this book on this evolution of the sound of pop music. It is "Switched On Pop: How Popular Music Works, and Why it Matters" written by Nate Sloane (from the University of Southern California) and Charlie Harding, the two guys behind the Switched on Pop podcast: www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190056650.001.0001/oso-9780190056650I am not a fan of pop music but I read this entire book with a smile on my face. Basically each chapter concentrates on one song and one technique: Britney Spears, Justin Timberlke, Sia, M.I.A.,... What is great in their approach IMHO is that it works on two levels: 1) explaining basic principles to people having no knowledge about music theory (metric, scale, timbre,...), a great read to encourage someone to go deeper into music and start playing, or at least analysing what they listen to 2) a really in-depth analysis of techniques and their origins for readers with a lot more experience (I have studied music extensively and still discovered a lot from it). In the end this book just encourages me to take a pen and a music sheet and start to write music. In itself it is a great achievement! |
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Post by johneppstein on Jan 21, 2020 23:21:44 GMT -6
Biting tongue....
EDIT: Still biting.
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Post by pouletdegrains on Jan 22, 2020 14:32:03 GMT -6
Biting tongue....
EDIT: Still biting.
John, reading your post made me realise that maybe my message was not clear. The authors are not explaining how to write hits or be successful in the industry or how talented this singer or producer may be. I see it more like a study on these two questions: where does mainstream pop comes from? Where is it headed to? (disclaimer, their answers are not that obvious). The form is naive, yes, but the arguments are not. For full disclosure I came across this book as I am a scholar in sociology and economics (kind of my day job) and I study innovation and creativity. I have no personal interest in mainstream pop, however given the change of paradigm in the music industry (audio streaming platforms, AI, changes in consumption,...) and the state of European indie and experimental scenes (I am not able to witness first hand what is going on in the US), I feel we need to better understand the main driving force of music production. |
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Post by johneppstein on Jan 22, 2020 17:08:50 GMT -6
Biting tongue....
EDIT: Still biting.
John, reading your post made me realise that maybe my message was not clear. The authors are not explaining how to write hits or be successful in the industry or how talented this singer or producer may be. I see it more like a study on these two questions: where does mainstream pop comes from? Where is it headed to? (disclaimer, their answers are not that obvious). The form is naive, yes, but the arguments are not. For full disclosure I came across this book as I am a scholar in sociology and economics (kind of my day job) and I study innovation and creativity. I have no personal interest in mainstream pop, however given the change of paradigm in the music industry (audio streaming platforms, AI, changes in consumption,...) and the state of European indie and experimental scenes (I am not able to witness first hand what is going on in the US), I feel we need to better understand the main driving force of music production. Actually I was biting my tongue because, IMO, the art and craft of songwriting - especially pop songwriting - has deteriorated so badly over the past couple of dacades as to almost not be worth talking about.
If you're interested in a book about how to write great songs - pop and otherwise - I strongly recommend the book "Tunesmith (inside the art of songwriting)" by the great Jimmy Webb.
The so-called "change of paradigm in the music industry" has nothing to do with actual songwriting or anything hyaving to do with musicianship or even audience tastes (because since everything is narrowcast these days audiences are no longer exposed to the breadth of musical styles that used to define Top 40 radio and what made it such a great exposure medium when I was younger) and having everything to do with the cannibalization of music by the tech and advertising industries for reasons having nothing to do with creating art or making music. The fact is that there are very, very few real music people left in positions where they have an influence on what gets played or even signed.
I can, and have, elaborated on this at some length previously so I'm not going to bore everybody with it again unless I feel it's appropriate.
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Post by matt on Jan 23, 2020 10:26:07 GMT -6
On a fundamental level, the question of why humans make music is an interesting one- there's science in there! Is it just a sophisticated form of mating ritual? Or driven by an overwhelming need to be social: "Man, the Social Animal"? Or a manifestation of consciousness itself? Or all the above? Probably.
When I take off my philosopher's hat though, and consider modern, 21st century pop music, I think it comes down to one thing: commerce. Songs are crafted to make money, and it's been that way for a long time. So, the requirement for profit by necessity drives the internal mechanisms of song creation- rhythm, structure, melody, lyrics, technical production, all of it. There may be art in there, but the first question a record label has to ask is: will it sell? It's not a new thing, really. Even prior to electricity, concerts were pay-per-view and music was monetized in the music hall and elsewhere. I bet the first jam sessions that took place in some cave or hut somewhere had someone taking "offerings" at the door.
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Post by jjonyj001 on Sept 8, 2021 5:44:21 GMT -6
Wow! I want to read it!
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Post by sophiass091 on Sept 8, 2021 5:50:39 GMT -6
Damn, I love reading interesting books. I'm interested in music so I like to read all about its creation. I also like to read detective stories and horrors. Now I don't have time to do it! I have a job and I am still studying and it is very difficult to combine. Sometimes I turn to book report writing service to have some rest. It's great to be busy but sometimes you need to take time to relax |
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