----- Original Message ----- From: "phillip holmes" <insuranceman@xxxxxxxxxx>
Which part? I was just kidding about the great country tunes. I was serious about the musicianship of great blue grass and jazz musicians being on a par with classically trained musicians. I known all types from my time in college, and _all_ the guys I know who are in bands (country, rock) don't work as hard as the guys I know that play in symphonies.
Well, there ARE great country tunes...but the greatness isn't based on their musical complexity (just like blues!). Both blues and hillbilly music were examples of everyday folks telling their troubles and triumphs...set to music! So...it's great LYRICS, not great music, that one listens for.
Both also had a quality that is much more noticeable in swing, traditional jazz and rock'n'roll...these "musics" were meant to be danced to, partied to, and such...music to get away from the troubles of a working-class everyday life and celebrate a bit...so it wasn't, by intention, necessary (or even possible for most fans of the genres) to do any deep thinking about what they were hearing (although sometimes the lyrics seemed to be telling stories that were familiar...maybe TOO familiar!).
OTOH, classical music, along with most newer forms of jazz,
don't simply lay their message out for every listener to
find! They require more thought...sometimes deep thought...
and may require more musically-skilled players as well. However,
they AREN'T music to which one grabs a partner and hits the
dance floor...which is why the nature of jazz audiences changed along with the music itself.
And, in turn, a great degree of musical skill isn't a prerequisite for the players of the "fun" genres...although it is much appreciated should a player have it! All that is needed are lead players who can play the melody lines well enough to be recognized (using written charts if needs be) and a rhythm section capable of keeping a strong, steady beat (for the dancers). Of course, there have been many cases where prople working in these genres had, and used, much more skill and ability...and in most cases, they were probably rewarded, with fame if not fortune! In fact, in these modern days, the significantly better saleability of this type of music...which we tend to lump together as "pop music"...means that its perpetrators are sometimes rather WELL rewarded...
Steven C. Barr (who has NEVER been, so far, well rewarded...)