by David Villa

Created on: April 17, 2008

Music, like beauty, is in the ear of the beholder. If a certain type of music by a certain artist makes you happy than who am I to cast dispersions on your musical tastes. Years ago I held the belief that the only good music was the music I was listening to. I have since changed my mind. I've come to appreciate many different types of music, ones that I would never listen to for more than one track. I'm not an opera guy, but you have to be impressed with the way they can belt it out.

To be good, music has to move you. It doesn't have to change your life, it doesn't have to change you're mood by 180 degrees. It just has to illicit some type of change in your being. That could be from as little as tapping your foot along with the beat all the way up to bringing you to tears. There are some songs I listen to that I mostly dislike, but I remember there is about 10 seconds of a guitar riff, or 8 seconds of piano, or some lyric that hits home to me and I just have hear it. I go out of my way to listen to something I could care less about just for a nugget. There is good music in that nugget.

In the past my opinion was music could only be deemed as good if it was created with instruments you actually play. For a long time, this automatically would rule out a lot of pop and hip-hop and I was ok with that, even though there were a good amount of songs from those genres that I liked. I needed to have some type of benchmark. But then someone would come along and mix instrumental music with a multitude of sampled, synthesized sounds and my benchmark for good was obliterated. Hip-hop and pop were back in.

I still am more impressed with bands that actually sing and play instruments. As a very amateur guitar player, I find it infinitely more difficult to sing and play at the same time. We as listeners are sensitized at the ease in which some people can sing and also play the drums, guitar, piano, or even the triangle. I'm still waiting for the oboe playing singer/songwriter. It may sound strange, but it has to be good music.

All of this can be categorized as not being able to take a stand. How in the world can the noise being pumped out by pop prima donnas that's more studio than vocal be called good music. The goal isn't to create a solid song with a message, it's to put together a show that people will come to and enjoy. It's also about money. But, just ask the 6 gazillion people that buy the music if they think it's good. Music is in the ear of the beholder.

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