So I’ve been thinking about a few interrelated points lately. Partly as a reflection on this discussion between Morton Feldman and Iannis Xenakis. One is the differences that exist between pop/rock music and classical. It often seems that each allows for different types of exploration. New Music from the classical tradition is quite open in terms of tempo, structure, and dissonance. Rock music can move in the direction of intense repetition and dissonance, but with a rather limited tolerance.
This leads directly into a discussion of the relationship between artists and their audience. Well-established rock musicians can generally remain successful even while moving in more experimental and less commercial directions. The audience gives them the benefit of the doubt, but with the expectation of something more palatable to come. Musicians without that built-up reputation aren’t likely to find an audience patient enough to hear them out. Niche audiences exist for all types of music, but it is not exactly common for artists working in these spaces to achieve a more general success.
I’ve never wanted to go out of my way to play to a crowd, at least that’s what I’ve told myself. But I have written music and come up with ideas that I didn’t think would work in a rock context and would be more suited to a classical type of audience (quieter, slower, structure-less, atonal, etc.). I’m gradually getting the feeling that I may be underestimating these audiences. This same-sounding, vintage rock revival stuff that is simply played louder than before is starting to bore me a bit. I’m sure that I am not alone.
