about "STYLE"

Date: 0215/14
Orchestra: Chamber
Attendance: perfect (well, when there is such a strict attendance policy... maybe I should just keep this policy :) )
Repertoire Rehearsed: the rock stuff
Little things I noticed: Most people may be complaining about the snow, but for a guy that doesn't drive, it is PERFECT. I'm really enjoying this winter! The snow capped scenery from the train window has been just breath taking!

Note:
Since we are working on songs from a different genre right now, I want to talk a little bit about "style".
What is style? If music is a language, then styles are dialects. All music deal with harmony, rhythm, melody, scales, and timbre. But these elements are treated with different approaches and attitudes depending on the styles, and in some cases, the perspective can be so drastically different that one of those elements might have an entirely different definition all together from the next style.

Classical vs rock is such a pair. In fact they could be considered as polar opposites. Two opposing ends of the spectrum (but in my opinion, this is true if you are ONLY looking at commercial rock n roll like some of those lesser heavy metal bands in the early 80's, whose members only cared for materialistic gains, and none about music itself. And this can be said about most modern pop and hip-hop music too. If you look at intelligent rock music, there are many many similarities between them and classical!).

Can you imagine an opera singer singing a Guns n Roses song? Or can you imagine Aretha Franklin singing Verdi? As great of a singer she may be, I would pay NOT to hear her butcher Verdi.

A style is a culture, a point of view. You either get it or you don't. Classical music has it's own unique approaches and ideals in regards to sound, and so do others. And these approaches are very very specific. Changing styles is not just difficult, for any given musical style is extremely closely related to life style, and philosophy of the culture. In each culture, music is used for different purposes. For example, in some culture, music is used ONLY in religious context, and religious purposes. Any other use of music, and any music used for any other purposes, are considered less good, or much less important, or even evil.

Even within classical music, there are different cultures, and us performers are required to posses knowledge of each, and also should be able to understand and sympathize with each of them. When we perform, we are to perform as a spokes person from that particular culture.

We may not play Bach's music like we play Wagner's, even if both of those composers are from the same country (but 150 years apart, hence different culture, hence different style). Similarly, we may not perform Debussy's music like we would Stravinsky's (same time period, different regions, hence different style).

So what is the "classical style"? What is the "rock style"?

Here's my own idea about them in a very short style answer. Classical music is a music of elevation. It is designed to lift your soul and intellect to a "higher" place. Now if you ask me what this "higher place" is, I might be in trouble. but basically the music is designed to transport you (your soul, your intellect, your spirit, your consciousness, everything) to places you don't usually dwell in. We call it a higher place, because it requires more work, but the reward is greater. It is almost never about the ordinary world, but that of fantasy, or a world of ideals - a non-existing world of perfection - even if the subject is dark. Or if the subject itself is about the contemporary real world, the message seems to always take place elsewhere. And you can see that in our approaches to sound. Each sound must be out-of-the-world gorgeous, and perfectly in tune. Such perfect sound we strive for, is not a kind of sound we hear in everyday lives. Classical music is therefore very difficult in a sense that the elements we deal with do not posses immediate familiarity, but at the same time, can be very very specific. Not only do we have to play the correct notes, but in the "right" way, to make this illusive poetry hidden inside the notes to come out. But when you do, it really does transport your soul to a higher dimension, and from a higher place, the view of the ordinary world (from outside, looking in) is pretty fantastic.

On the contrary, rock n roll is about our everyday. The language is our everyday language. The sound we use is our everyday sound. The subject can be anything at all - from what's really real, to a complete fantasy, but the stages always always always take place on earth. In many cases, it is a music of rebellion - a cry for freedom. And the word "freedom", comes into play in so many levels with this particular style. Nothing is written down, and most anything is entirely up to the individual performer. In fact, nobody teaches rock n roll. You are to learn it yourself. That is (a big) part of the culture. The only rule is, whatever it is, "it has to sound good".

The reason, why we are able to speak our particular language(s) is because we grew up listening to it. It's really the only reason. We understand the most subtle of the nuances and yet no one really taught us any of that. And when we try use any other languages that we are not familiar with, we simply fail. Forget about their subtle nuances. We can't even begin to express ourselves, nor can we begin to understand others who are using them.

And so it goes back to what I basically have been saying for the last four years. One must LISTEN.
If music is something we listen to, then really, listening is the ONLY way to understand it. But perhaps listening alone may not be enough. One must also try to understand the "cultures" of these music. Because when we listen to a person speak, we try to understand what this person is saying. Try to understand what the purpose behind each piece of music is. What is it trying to say to us? After all, music is a language, and what would be the point, if we don't try to "understand" it?