Analyzing Music
It is important to analyze music because you can learn so much about what the meanings are in the lyrics and form your own opinion on the depth of the music. Analyzing music is like dissecting the lyrics and feelings behind the music. The good thing about music today is that there are many genres and styles to listen to and interpret in your own words. Analyzing a song can help bring meaning to things and we can learn a lot about what a person was feeling at the time that they wrote the song. It is not easy to understand a person through their music unless they word their music in a way that it is obvious.
A lot of musicians use metaphors and sayings that we may not be familiar with and this is when analyzing comes in hand. Analyzing the true meanings in music can also help enhance our way of thinking and come to realize that we may have the same feelings as some artists. Analyzing music does not detract from the experience because music is more enjoyable when you understand what the artist is trying to say. Music can be appreciated more once we understand the lyrics and look past the slowness or hardness of the music itself. A lot of people will not listen to certain music because of the way that it sounds but when one does this; you miss out on the feelings behind it if you do not analyze the music.
Anyone can enjoy music based on how it sounds but to really listen and analyze the words within the music takes some effort. According to Aaron Copland in “Music and Culture” by Anna Tamasino, he states that the quality in the ideal gifted listener is imagination. He believes that a person’s imagination is important with analyzing music and in understanding the lyrics. The meanings may change from one person to another but it is mostly easy to find the meanings in music in analyzing and interpreting what they are saying.
Like for many musicians, music can be an outlet through hard and troubling times. When you analyze a song past what it sounds like, you might find that the song correlates with emotions or feelings you might be having at the time. A song can help you cope and get past some troubling times in your life. A song might make you feel better and help you understand why you are feeling the way you are and that it is ok because you are not alone. You might find that someone else might have already gone through some of the same hardships you may be going through.
A good example of why analyzing music is a good thing is the story from Mellisa Ethridge about how music changed her life and gave her the outlet she needed through troubling times. It wasn’t until she came across a verse in a song that she felt better about her troubling times and began to make music herself. This is proof that analyzing and truly listening to music can change how you are feeling a pose an outlet for those hard times we go through.
This is a very good and thought out blog! My initial response to the prompt question was that music should not be analyzed because it takes away from it, but you make some very valid points that make me want to reconsider my opinion. I agree that one should pay attention to the lyrics because that is where most artists get their message across. The things they talk about in the song are usually things you can relate to and understand what point it is they are trying to convey. My favorite band, Rebelution, talks about wanting to change the system, love, and feeling good. Their views on these topics are very similar to mine and perhaps that is why I like them so much. Their message is one I completely agree with. However, have you ever considered that lyrics aren't music? Lyrics are words that go along with the music in order to complete a song. I think the music itself, the sound, should not be analyzed but just listened to and enjoyed. Analyzing guitar chords or whatever it may be, seems like it would completely take away from the song. Why not just enjoy it for what it is?
ReplyDeleteI really like what you had to say about analyzing music. At first when I read that you approve of analyzing music, I kind of cringed because being an amateur musician myself I have always felt that analyzing music took away from the overall feel that the music is trying to portray. But now that I have read your blog I have a different perspective. I now realize that analyzing lyrics can in fact be a good thing. Like you said by analyzing the lyrics to a song, one can fully grasp the true meaning of the song and therefore completely understand the context of the music. I have never thought of that of it that way. I liked how you emphasized the fact that analyzing the lyrics is another way for a non-musician to feel the music that point made an impact on me since I believe that music is all about the emotions it gives people. But I do not think that analyzing the actually music; the melody, instruments, and so on, can be analyzed; they are the ones that improve upon the overall mood of the song and therefore I feel that they cannot be altered at all. This was very well written and I truly enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for the different perspective on analyzing music!
ReplyDeleteYou proved a strong case for the analytical side of the argument. While I do agree that a lot of the singers may use some metaphors and personal stories in their songs, that doesn’t mean that the song cannot appeal to many followers, or even the innocent bystanders that hear the tune on the radio. Often times I will find myself singing along to a song that I don’t even know, and if I don’t know the words then I can always hum along with the song. It usually isn’t until after I figure out a few lines on my own that I either read the album insert or look up the lyrics online. I feel that by doing it this way and learning a few of the words on my own, I am able to draw a deeper connection to the artist, and possibly see inside his or her head when the song was written. But I think there has to be a point where the listener can simply sit back and enjoy the music, without trying to dissect what emotions may have been running through the studio when the tracks were recorded or what the back story was behind the lyrics.
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