Double Bass Next Phase of Music

easyj

easyj

Jul 18, 2016
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King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
#1
I read a recent poll about how classical music had a dramatic increase in popularity lately, along with people showing a significant increased interest in orchestral music concerts. I'm not expecting that we are going to move back to classical music being generally popular, but the associated article mentioned that it was happening for a reason. I agree. Keeping up with all kinds of music, I am getting the feeling the latest batches of pop formula songs are showing some stagnation. I think the significant increase in classical music interest may be a result of a lot of people looking for something new, outside of the currently popular styles of music (or should I say style, as in singular). Is popular music becoming too computerized? Is this interest in orchestral music signaling a desired shift toward acoustic instruments? Whether I have a point or not, I expect history to keep repeating itself, and the music of this decade is going to become significantly different than that of last decade. Popular music will not stay the same, and will be taking different directions. Does anybody notice any trends that may take hold? Do you notice people shifting theirs interests in a particular direction or directions? Does anybody have an ideas or opinions about where we may be headed?
 
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#2
I think popular music will change, but there'll always be a place for classical music which will have a similar healthy but minority following.
I dont think we'll ever see genius like Beethoven, Bach, Mozart or Schubert again and their talent will always be appreciated; even in another 200 years.
 
#3
I’d like to see that poll, because I’m shocked. What was the reason the article gave for this trend? I think the rising global temperatures will lead to people listening to cooler, calmer music in the future. Such as this …

 
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#5
This rise in interest in classical music must be regionally or nationally segmented. I have some ties to the local opera house and orchestras (Kiel, Germany), and their visitor numbers have been in an unstoppable downward spiral ever since the beginning of the pandemic. They even try to specifically attract the young crowd with stuff like orchestral video game music, but they can barely get any butts in the seats anymore. They try their darndest. Of course it's not the Met, which (if I read correctly) is the only instance in the article in which ticket sales are mentioned.
 
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#6
The point of me supplying the classical and orchestral music trend information was to indicate that there may be a strong driver for a change in music. Even if we seem to cast doubt on that data or dismiss it entirely, would we still agree that music will change direction this decade or are we thinking there is now complete stagnation, and popular music of the 10's and 20's will be essentially the same? I think this is unlikely, and I was wondering if my fellow musicians have any ideas of where we are headed. Before I read this, I felt that we were headed toward AI generated music. I watched quite a few videos on the technology. It makes sense that they want cheaper and more automated methods of hit production. On the other hand, I also have a feeling people may be getting a little worn out on the computer lab style of creation and may be looking for something else. Pop music has changed quite a bit over the years. I must confess that when my band makes an effort to listen to the current top 40 hits, for ideas of songs we should cover, we are more than a little confused. Does anybody have any thoughts or ideas of where we are headed?
 
#7
Seriously, I think music will go in all directions, like it has been since the control over production and distribution has weakened. I think technology will continue having a larger and larger impact. But I have no idea what people will actually want to listen to. Trends swing in excess in all directions but generally don’t last forever. I think musicians should play the music that inspires them and if they are lucky they’ll start a new trend and have success.

But I do think the big trends in the world will impact the musical trends.
 
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#8
I acknowledge that the control over production and distribution has been weakened, but at the same time the creation and production seems to be very homogenous. Everybody is creating and building on a computer, in a DAW. They seem to be following a set of proven formulas. I am not sure this is of any value, but after watching a video of how a hit song was conceived, envisioned, written, arranged, sung, played, recorded, mixed, and produced by this young man, it really changed my attitude and ideas about what is going on with popular music. I think the answer to the questions that everybody asked about the bass and who played it was very interesting, especially to me as a bass player.

 
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#10
easyj said:
I acknowledge that the control over production and distribution has been weakened, but at the same time the creation and production seems to be very homogenous. Everybody is creating and building on a computer, in a DAW. They seem to be following a set of proven formulas. I am not sure this is of any value, but after watching a video of how a hit song was conceived, envisioned, written, arranged, sung, played, recorded, mixed, and produced by this young man, it really changed my attitude and ideas about what is going on with popular music. I think the answer to the questions that everybody asked about the bass and who played it was very interesting, especially to me as a bass player.

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Yea, another guy that does amazing stuff in a DAW is Jacob Collier. He has some great videos on youtube demonstrating his techniques.

I can imagine that the answer to “who is the bassist” is devastating for people who spend so much time mastering the physical requirements of their instruments and want to make a living at it. :( Unless they play jazz. :bassist:
 
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#15
Chris Fitzgerald said:
Anything that weakens the death grip the style that I have come to think of as “Disneypop” - a global genre of overproduced pablum that includes pop, rap, country, and even “metal” -seems to have on the public zeitgeist is AOK with me.
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Chris, I agree with you, but it seems futile, like asking humanity to change. That’s not to say I think this music shouldn’t exist, but the persistent dumbing down of everything for commercial purposes is frightening (as it has been to older folk for generations). So other than climate change and banning TikTok (and the rest of Social Media, TB excluded), do you have any creative/imaginative ideas of things coming down the pike that might weaken the gunpowder grip of “Disneypop”? Repackaging classical music into 3 minute “songs”, which is one driver behind the recent increase of interest in classical music, seems more like capitulation than progress.
 
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#16
Along the lines of where we are headed, there is this new (maybe not that new) thing called a "music producer", which is not to be confused with what we used to call a "record producer" or maybe just "producer". It seems that all kinds of very young people call themselves "music producers" today. What I believe it means is that you are making music with a computer using a DAW. Not much else. They are not necessarily musicians nor are they making any money with music. I recently saw an ad for Sweetwater and they didn't use the term "musician" they used the term "music maker", which I thought was interesting. Also, there are now many, many "beat makers" who just make a beat/groove of just a few bars, and that's it. Kind of like the short clip you hear during a reality TV show when they are transitioning scenes, and it's typically an R&B type feel. I was at a music store the other day and they young man who worked there did confirm this is now a major trend and these people are buying midi controllers. I hope this commentary doesn't sound negative. As somebody who is an older hobbyist musician who gigs regularly, I see that many younger people involved in music are taking quite a new and different path than I did and I want to understand it. It seems the foundation that music is being built on has changed quite a bit. People are saying that AI is next. My guess is that it will be AI helping in creating portions of the music, at first.
 
#18
Carl Hillman said:
That applies to chords too.

A friend of mine said pop music these days doesn't have changes...it has sames.
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This is hilarious, but sadly true. Many songs have no changes, just a simple beat/groove that goes on for the entire duration. I completely write off music of this level, nowadays. I'd like to see strong melodies as the focal point of more songs, I turn to older music for that. I'm a dinosaur, but I am trying to at least understand the species that is replacing me.
 
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#19
You should start a thread on AI if that’s what you are interested in. People make music in their heads and it doesn’t really matter what labels we attach, except to make communicating easier. Zappa made music with a synclavier, some sort of programmable musical do-hickey that could be used to create music without musicians, and it didn’t mean the end of music or Zappa’s creativity. I was contemplating telling you that your comments sound negative because the way you frame things and conclude that things are “interesting” without saying why the are. But your last post clearly expressed your negative posture. Good thread regardless.
 
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