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Should music challenge you?


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Music should just be an experience you feel in the moment, however you want it.

 

All this overthinking is a bit much.

 

Some days I want my mind blown by something like Mastodon's Blood Mountain or Yes' Topographic Oceans.

 

Other days I just want a little fun so I play something like Foreigner or even Madonna.

 

I don't always want to be challenged.

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Sometimes I'm in the mood to hear some simple pop songs.

Sometimes I'm in the mood to hear what I call party music or danceable music.

Sometimes I'm in the mood to be something more moody and introspective.

Sometimes I want to listen to steely Dan and focus on the little details and tones.

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I like to be challenged by music on a long drive in the car. It helps keep me awake and my car on the road. Oh, I can sing too.
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As seen in this thread, it seems people who are musicians of some sort, are less likely to listen to music just for the enjoyment. I'm aware of a person who said a whole Rush album was ruined and made unlistenable because of some guitar glitch either in the recording or actual playing. I don't get it. I used to want to play the guitar and actually took a few lessons but I'm kind of glad that I wasn't able to continue because I enjoy listening to various kinds of music more than I think I would if I was an accomplished guitar player.

 

I've heard other non-musicians say something similar when actually if you do have musical training it helps you to appreciate and understand the music much more. There are a lot of nuances that you might not notice if you are not trained to hear them, so to me, being a musician gives me a much wider appreciation of all music because I know more of what goes into it. To put it in artistic terms, it would be like being able to see a rainbow compared to someone who is not musically inclined and maybe they can only see a few colors or only black and white.

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The short answer for me is no. Music is entertainment, and I think sometimes we try to elevate it above what it really is. Here's an example. Because of this forum, I've given King Crimson a couple of chances. It does nothing for me. I played bass in garage bands as a kid, and play infrequently now to amuse my own kids. I'm a fan of Steve Harris, and Geezer Butler, and John Taylor, and, of course, Geddy. When I was playing a lot I could play La Villa and Genghis Khan pretty well. So what I mean is I feel like I have a basic understanding of what it takes to perform music. But I'll take Kurt Cobain's work over Steve Vai's or Yngwie Malmseen's every day. "Challenging music," to me, is a synomym for "I don't really love it but I think I should." Loving music for me is like sexual attraction. It's not a conscious decision. I don't really buy into the "it grew on me" concept, for the most part. Any music that I truly love, as opposed to like or enjoy, hit me the first time I heard it. There are literally millions of books out there that can challenge you mentally. I don't think music works best as an intellectual exercise.

 

JMO.

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The short answer for me is no. Music is entertainment, and I think sometimes we try to elevate it above what it really is. Here's an example. Because of this forum, I've given King Crimson a couple of chances. It does nothing for me. I played bass in garage bands as a kid, and play infrequently now to amuse my own kids. I'm a fan of Steve Harris, and Geezer Butler, and John Taylor, and, of course, Geddy. When I was playing a lot I could play La Villa and Genghis Khan pretty well. So what I mean is I feel like I have a basic understanding of what it takes to perform music. But I'll take Kurt Cobain's work over Steve Vai's or Yngwie Malmseen's every day. "Challenging music," to me, is a synomym for "I don't really love it but I think I should." Loving music for me is like sexual attraction. It's not a conscious decision. I don't really buy into the "it grew on me" concept, for the most part. Any music that I truly love, as opposed to like or enjoy, hit me the first time I heard it. There are literally millions of books out there that can challenge you mentally. I don't think music works best as an intellectual exercise.

 

JMO.

This^^^ (except I never played an instrument lol). I can enjoy a simple AC-DC tune as much as a more complex Yes tune. It has to move me and entertain and I know "it" when I hear it no matter the style or genre. The thought of it being challenging never occurred to me... Edited by Narps
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The short answer for me is no. Music is entertainment, and I think sometimes we try to elevate it above what it really is. Here's an example. Because of this forum, I've given King Crimson a couple of chances. It does nothing for me. I played bass in garage bands as a kid, and play infrequently now to amuse my own kids. I'm a fan of Steve Harris, and Geezer Butler, and John Taylor, and, of course, Geddy. When I was playing a lot I could play La Villa and Genghis Khan pretty well. So what I mean is I feel like I have a basic understanding of what it takes to perform music. But I'll take Kurt Cobain's work over Steve Vai's or Yngwie Malmseen's every day. "Challenging music," to me, is a synomym for "I don't really love it but I think I should." Loving music for me is like sexual attraction. It's not a conscious decision. I don't really buy into the "it grew on me" concept, for the most part. Any music that I truly love, as opposed to like or enjoy, hit me the first time I heard it. There are literally millions of books out there that can challenge you mentally. I don't think music works best as an intellectual exercise.

 

JMO.

This^^^ (except I never played an instrument lol). I can enjoy a simple AC-DC tune as much as a more complex Yes tune. It has to move me and entertain and I know "it" when I hear it no matter the style or genre. The thought of it being challenging never occurred to me...

 

AC/DC is a great example actually. Are they virtuosos? Nope. But their songs achieve their desired result.

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Lots of great responses. I do think a number of folks are misconstruing what I mean by "challenging."

 

By challenging, I don't mean just Yes and crazy complex prog stuff. I mean it much more subjectively. Like how most any rap music can be challenging for me to listen to because it's so out of my usual comfort zone, or how metal has always been challenging for me to listen to (whether it's British Steel or Rust In Peace), but I'm starting to learn to love it. Challenging doesn't mean complicated and difficult and stuff. When I was first getting into music, AC/DC was challenging because I wasn't aware how rock and roll could move you like that being taken down to it's core attributes.

 

Do you get what I mean by "challenging?"

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The short answer for me is no. Music is entertainment, and I think sometimes we try to elevate it above what it really is. Here's an example. Because of this forum, I've given King Crimson a couple of chances. It does nothing for me. I played bass in garage bands as a kid, and play infrequently now to amuse my own kids. I'm a fan of Steve Harris, and Geezer Butler, and John Taylor, and, of course, Geddy. When I was playing a lot I could play La Villa and Genghis Khan pretty well. So what I mean is I feel like I have a basic understanding of what it takes to perform music. But I'll take Kurt Cobain's work over Steve Vai's or Yngwie Malmseen's every day. "Challenging music," to me, is a synomym for "I don't really love it but I think I should." Loving music for me is like sexual attraction. It's not a conscious decision. I don't really buy into the "it grew on me" concept, for the most part. Any music that I truly love, as opposed to like or enjoy, hit me the first time I heard it. There are literally millions of books out there that can challenge you mentally. I don't think music works best as an intellectual exercise.

 

JMO.

 

I think music can be challenging on an emotional or purely experiential level, not necessarily mental. I also think a lot of music is art, not just entertainment. I do see what you mean, though.

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I find that I've got 2 sets of ears... my listening/enjoyment ears (which I use most of the time), and my musician/producer/writer ears (which sometimes overlap into the first, but usually it's a separate thing).

 

 

 

What's funny is... if I DON'T like something (for whatever reason), sometimes the "producer" ears will kick in and want to make changes! :LOL: I can go from one set to the other during a song!

 

 

It would be exhausting for me to always be doing "critical listening".

 

That said, I DO like to be challenged, and usually if a piece of music challenges me, there's already something there that my ears are attracted to or digging.

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Yes fans should listen to Kendrick Lamar. Rise to the challenge!

 

I love both.

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Lots of great responses. I do think a number of folks are misconstruing what I mean by "challenging."

 

By challenging, I don't mean just Yes and crazy complex prog stuff. I mean it much more subjectively. Like how most any rap music can be challenging for me to listen to because it's so out of my usual comfort zone, or how metal has always been challenging for me to listen to (whether it's British Steel or Rust In Peace), but I'm starting to learn to love it. Challenging doesn't mean complicated and difficult and stuff. When I was first getting into music, AC/DC was challenging because I wasn't aware how rock and roll could move you like that being taken down to it's core attributes.

 

Do you get what I mean by "challenging?"

 

In that sense, I personally don't have a true comfort zone. Sure, I am more likely to listen to grunge, or 80s metal, or hard rock, but I thoroughly enjoy Prince, and Harry Connick, Jr., and Michael Jackson, and Madonna, and Louie Armstrong, and Muddy Waters, and on and on. I don't say that to show how eclectic I am. I would still say that music either touches you when you hear it, or it doesn't, regardless of its genre. That's how it's always been for me, anyways.

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There was a day I loved Prog, which I consider a challenge. Couldn't get enough. I would get my hands on as much of it as possible. These days I find it harder to get into new stuff. Maybe I am burned out, but simpler stuff seems to make me happy, and at the end of the day, that is all that matters.
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I find it "challenging" to listen to songs that don't strike emotion or tell a story. The two most important things music should do.
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Yes. Listen and be challenged, especially by changes within a genre. For me it was classical with a twist. Wendy Carlos' Switched On Bach, Isao Tomita's Snowflakes are Dancing, and Virgil Fox's Heavy Organ albums.
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I have enough challenging things in my life without adding music to the list.

 

I listen to music that I enjoy.

Whether the music is complicated (Rush) or simple (AC/DC) I don't care.

Just make it enjoyable.

 

But truth be told, typically I find 'simple' music more enjoyable than 'complicated' music.

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I don't know if "should" is right. People are different and some don't like to be "challenged" by their music. I, on the other hand, DO like my music, and books too, to have a lot to digest. I get bored with music that doesn't have anything interesting going on.
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The biggest challenge I've faced musically has been in trying to enjoy opera. I love a wide range of classical music, but there are very few operas I've heard that I've ever liked. I even listened to opera for ten years every Sunday evening on the local public radio station, but opera just never clicked. The singing always sounded to me like a bag of cats being beaten with a stick.

 

Last year the radio station got rid of Sunday opera..and, what a relief! :LOL:

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I saw "Baby Metal" last night (opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers). That was pretty challenging! lol! The backing band was excellent; the bassist in particular was spectacularly impressive. However, the J-Pop choreographed 3 teen girls singing and dancing, and semi-creepy fan base, sorta sealed it as a "no go" for me!
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I saw "Baby Metal" last night (opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers). That was pretty challenging! lol! The backing band was excellent; the bassist in particular was spectacularly impressive. However, the J-Pop choreographed 3 teen girls singing and dancing, and semi-creepy fan base, sorta sealed it as a "no go" for me!

 

You did better than I would. That is not really the kind of challenge I am up for, LOL! I would have skipped the warm up set.

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