well,i saw last night on vh1 the video for miami sound machine-conga.while most people on this site will argue that the song is pure crap,i agree it does not have the best lyrics in the world,but it does exude a great feeling in me,that to get up and dance or do the conga whatever.it's full of energy.and i thought about what music is all about-isn't it to bring across a message or a feeling?people automatically classify anything as crap if it's emocore or metalcore,and when i crossed into this metal scene from the mainstream rock scene,i had to dismiss(or to classify) as shit a whole lot of songs,even though some are quite uplifting like the one above.so i'm asking: what is music all about,in your opinion?

It's defentetly NOT about being tr00 for me... and the answer to this qestion is different for everybody... for me music is purely about he music... I mean, I don't care about what ppl say about sth, what ppl think about it, how successful it is... I just have to like the music... I usually don't really care about the lyrics... they may be crappy, they may be about partying hard, they may be about killing people, they may be about drinking brood, darkness or little quite dollies... it doesn't matter... if the music is good I will like the song... the music and the felling it gives you... that's it... all the other stuff like how good the lyrics are, if the genre is acceptable and stuff - it doen't really matter... and if it matters, you're a poser... and it's usuallty the true metal guys that are posing the most... the people that listen to the nu stuff are usally more open... and for me personally the trught musically is somewhere in the middle...

Music is about, the way I see it and the way the creator see it.

I see music as a form of entertainment. I can truly enjoy some music, and that music makes me feel a strong emotion, this is really important in SOME genres. In some genres it is not.

For me music can be used to spread a message, but mostly that message is not for me. Either because I don't agree, or I sometimes simply don't care.

I don't care what people like about music, as long as they like it. If you say you like Metalcore, it doesn't matter to me if you know a lot about it, as long as you enjoy it. I can't stand people who pretend to like music they don't like, but on the other hand I don't really care about those too.

For me, in music, seeing things in the right persprective is neccasary. It is nothing more than entertainment, unless an individual lifts it higher. If that made sense.

I think music is a form of communication, expression, and a form of entertainment meant to bring people together who share the same interest in whatever it is they are listning to at something like a concert. It's a very creative form of expression as it can have a different effect on every person that listens to it. That is what music is a great fucking form of art.

when i listen to music, i want to get something from it, like a feeling, as cursed suggests. either a feeling to jump up and dance/headbang, or a feeling of impression, if i hear a cool guitar solo. lyrics are for me very important. i want them to contain a message. it could be a message of love, or hate, or whatever u say, but it must be a message. i write alot of lyrics myself, and in all of my songs i have a message, something deep, something to think about.

common, it's not just entertainment... it's art... it can be purely entertaining, it can be about the message, it can be extremmly moving, it can be about any feeling or taught... it can be whatever you make of it... in two words: pure art...

Still, the idea that you have to know stuff about something that is connected to or being art for me is plain buls**t... all you need to know is to like it in some way or another... that's all...

A lot of people are really embarrased to admit they like certain types of music when they're hanging out with their friends and won't try and listen to their secret love of certain types of music when they're around these people...metalheads thrash around and headbang and shit and don't dance right?...well, if a song just really makes you wanna get up and dance then I say do it because it makes you feel good...there are metalheads that just need to take a metal break and listen to light and fluffy stuff just to brighten up their mood for a bit and just feel happy and not so weighted down by the density of metal...

Aesthetically pleasing, so it pleases certain tastes.
Appreciation, so talents needs to be recognized.
Feeling=aggression, sadness, happiness, etc. so now it depends on the mood.

For me, there are a number of things to be considered. Music, in the begining, was a form of entertainment, and has over the many years taken on thousands of tasks and perpouses. When you get down to the very bottom of the Barrel, music is about what you, personally, as an individual, enjoy. If you find solice in a song that makes no sense to others, that's ok, we all have different tastes. Music doesn't have to be complex, it can be very simple to please our ears, but complex aspects of it can too be very enjoyable. Music is, however, a powerful tool. It can be used to Motivate people all over the world, it isn't Biased, it belongs to everyone, so if a song can reach everyone, it can impact the entire planet by making people feel like they need to make a difference. Look at the Vietnam war, if it wasn't for a lot of musical protest, we may still be over there. Music is also an art, it is a way of self expression, if there is some anxiety or emotion, perhaps an inspiration that needs to be released, then it may be expressed through music in the very same way those feelings can be portrayed through a painting or a book. Music is more than just one thing with one meaning, it envolops all aspects of our reality, so in the end, the individual is all that counts.

i totally agree that it is all about feeling... because think why we like music.... what does it do to you ... if you think from an outside perspective, music is a bunch of un-natural noises.... so why do we like it... what about our mind makes us feel this way about music.... its all about feeling.... and everyone has different domanant feelings... its all about the person... thats why i hate it when people dont respect other musicians just because they play a certain genre ... music is music... just because you dont like it doesnt mean other people dont... it doesnt mean it isnt music... you dont hafto like it, just dont ridicule people for listening to a certain genre... music is music.... sorry .... im just rambling ... *teehee*

I think that music is made to make us feel somehow we want to feel. For example if i'm very sad i put on some doom metal or sad rock ballad and while listening to it i start to feel better.
And as Endoftherainbow said it's also a form of communication. Imagine that two persons see each other somewhere. Usually they would go further and maybe they even wouldn't notice the other one. But imagine that they both wear Iron Maiden shirts. Maybe they stop, start talking about Iron Maiden, then about something else and finally they go away as friends. It's a very trivial example but i see it that way.

I m done watching, I ve seen the colours of this world. Through music. Correction, through Metal.

I ve heard a lot of stuff in my XX years, I ll never be done listening.

Nowadays you can download tons of discs for day, and let me tell you...as a way to see things in life...A Man is not represented by the things he has, but by the things he feels.

And that's what this music can give you, a various range of extreme emotions, and that's also the reason I ll forever be devoted to it.

Music is not just about one thing for me. Since Im always listening to music, its about pretty much an outlet for my mood, when Im angry or just generally grumpy I like black metal, if Im in a light happy mood I like classic rock & folk rock etc. Or even to change my mood at times. I dont know how to describe exactly what its about for me but I just gave it my best shot.

I guess there's two ways music is, the first would be what music is for the person that writes/composes it, and the second would be what it is for the person that listens to it.

In the first case, I'd guess it would be one of the many ways of personal expression, whether if it is just by music (take instrumental music), if it is by adding lyrics refering to whatever subject they'd like to 'talk about', or both of them. (this last in a perfect combination IMO is what would make a perfect song, any genre whatsoever).

Then, in terms of the listener, (and I now talk in my case), it's all about what the music makes you feel. I've always said it and I say it again, you don't listen to music, you feel the music. That's what it is about, beyond whatever genre you like and prefer, it about how you feel when you listen to it, it's about how the music plays with your mind and your heart (sounds cheesy but it's true), and what it does for you in a general way.

That's a simplified view of how I see music, and what I think it is about.

Music is art, it's something that both entertains you but also it helps the artists to express themselves.

Music is all about letting out what is deep within...it's very personal like many have said...that's why music is so controversial...music should not be focused around image or be bound by certain constrictions...a lot of metal heads constrict music within walls and don't see beyond them...as long as what you're doing musically is alright with you then if shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks...

Written by Guest on 24.04.2007 at 19:48

you dont have to like it, just dont ridicule people for listening to a certain genre... music is music.

I have the same problem with rap haters.

Music is above all art.
But it deppends also on the people, each one will have a different vision, thoughts, etc, about music.
Another thing I think about music is that it is one of the best forms of expression in the world, through music you can express whatever you want, you can always create new things

It's a means of expressing the artist's feelings and ideas. When these resonate with the audience, it's good music.

I think we can all agree that music is about emotion, musicianship, skill etc. But what one thing that metal does that is key in music, is pushing the limit of musical capabilities and standards. Thats what I like the most about metal, and thats what makes it extreme.

Written by Arian Totalis on 05.05.2007 at 23:20

Written by Guest on 24.04.2007 at 19:48

you dont have to like it, just dont ridicule people for listening to a certain genre... music is music.

I have the same problem with rap haters.

yea i get that problem with alot of other genres... althogh i dont really like mainstream rap ... i do listen to some of the old stuff / underground... mainstream is garbage in my opinion but others can listen to it all they want ... its all about thinking your cool because your rude to women you kill people and your hardcore on drugs... its ridiculus... thats why i stick with underground..... but still... even i dont HATE all rap ... i just dislike it,and just because i dont doesnt mean i can look down on people and stuff because they do... but whatever

Having an affect on you in anyway.

Music is all about manipulating air molecules.

For me music is more about the lyrics. I dont really care what type of music it is. If I can connect with the lyrics I'll like it. For example, im not a big country fan, but I love the songs "Whiskey Girl" and "RedNeck Woman" cuz I can connect with them. Secondly, I like songs that inspire people to dance/sing along purely because if someone is doing that, its like the ultimate expression of happiness.

Written by NECURATU on 21.06.2007 at 21:20

Music is all about manipulating air molecules.

Was that a spin off from the frank zappa quote

I don't know the Frank Zappa quote :/

"A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians."
- Frank Zappa

Frank was the man

Vulgar display of power:)

Written by Hyvaarin on 06.05.2007 at 10:40

It's a means of expressing the artist's feelings and ideas. When these resonate with the audience, it's good music.

I agree with you , feeling is the most important, without it music to me will only be some kind of business, not an art anymore.... (and this is what i think about Rap/Hiphop music )

Im reading a book right now, its called 'The Inner Game of Music'. It talks about how one must balance on technique/knowledge and pure passion when playing. It describes how musicians often focus too much on playing a piece of music with 100% accuracy and to meet the expectations of people around them, rather than letting the initial element of expressing emotion take a role in the actual output of music, lest it be in the area of performing or even writing music.

And I think this is applicable to how we perceive music as well, sometimes I enjoy music much more when I approach the music with a less critical attitude. Or just, not focusing on the technique of the musicians and how well they play. But rather, humbling yourself to a childlike, impressionable, yet aware state of mind.