What Do You Value in Music?

[Locke]

There are many aspects of music that make different songs unique. Some stand out more than others to different people. What stands out to you and makes you like certain songs or certain types of song more than others?

For me, the top two things are rhythm and instrumentation. I enjoy unique and irregular measures, and often try to count the beats in my head. Sometimes the whole song is written in a somewhat irregular measure (like 7/8 or 9/8 - that extra half beat holds my attention), sometimes only part of the song is, and sometimes it switches between a few different measures in quick succession.

Here's an example of a song entirely in 5/4 (or 10/8, or 3/4+2/4, who knows?). The downbeats are on 1, 4, 7, 9 (that splits the measure into 3-3-2-2), which is interesting especially on guitar. (play air guitar for a second - DOWN up down UP down up DOWN up DOWN up...).

[video=youtube;csxp77KAdU4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csxp77KAdU4[/video]

Here's one (link) in 9/4 which actually sounds like two 4/4 measures connected by half a beat. (one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and-a-one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and-a...) This one's interesting because there are two ways to listen to it - the 9/4 way and the 4/4+1/8 way. With the latter, you get that extra hop between 4/4 sections which keeps you on your toes. With the former, the second set of four notes occurs on upbeats.

Kernoon's Fire is the best of both worlds - the song is mostly in 7/8 but frequently intersperses a 4/8 measure (or a 11/8 measure). It also has great instrumentation! Unfortunately I can't find a good video of it so you'll have to settle with this cover...
[video=youtube;ST59oEVgNv0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST59oEVgNv0[/video]

If you don't mind a 10-minute song, this one goes through several interesting rhythms. One section has one instrument playing in 6/8 and at the same time another in 7/8. Another section, despite being entirely in 3/4, is interesting because in some measures the notes are on beats 1-3-2-1, which sounds like three 2/4 measures instead of two 3/4 measures. This song is also a great example of instrumentation. The strings, the winds, the -whatever that thing is-, the percussion at the end... they all work together so well and trade off the melody. Even the ambiance adds tons of depth to this piece.

For a prime example of instrumentation, we take an unexpected turn to MapleStory:

[video=youtube;Vwn3_L3hyqY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwn3_L3hyqY[/video]

I also enjoy good harmony (e.g. The Beatles and a lot of Japanese music), and looking at voice in particular, I value intonation and timbre. I generally prefer soft "breathy" voice. *Obligatory Hitomi vid incoming*

[video=youtube;iEDeLrR3XAk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEDeLrR3XAk[/video]

 

[Violet Link]

I expected Hitomi

What I value in music? The beats, the tempo, the melody, the feelings and emotions. I like a song that has a nice irregular beat like what you had stated, Locke, and also, I like a unique tempo in a song.

The melody? Well, I like a melody that actually makes me imagine a situation, like most songs do. And something that makes me remind of the past. For example:
[video=youtube;gJ5k9YZkSRY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gJ5k9YZkSRY#at=65[/video]

That one. I can pretty much imagine a lot of things in there.

I also like a song that gives a real feel and emotion in.

 

[Mercedes]

Well I'm not at all knowledgeable in music or anything like that, but I think the main thing that draws me in is meaning, and lyrics, and it's a reason I've never quite gotten on-board with foreign music or enjoy dubstep, or similar types of music, especially if I can't understand the words. I'll dance along and enjoy it, sure, but it's something I choose to listen to. All the songs that I enjoy the most, and musicians who I follow, have a great meaning in their songs and write some amazing lyrics. I always study the lyrics and love picking apart all those meanings! Certain songs just have such a strong impact, and are written so well. Songs like Let It Be by The Beatles, Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan, Live Forever by Oasis give be goosebumps. And musicians like Lennon and Gallagher I can relate to as well. So, the emotion and meaning behind the songs is definitely the kicker for me.

Added to that, I like a talented musician, and value the true, raw talent of certain musicians. Someone who wrote a song, that meant something to them, played it on an acoustic track, mixed it, and sung it to a crowd just has a much better feeling than someone who has a good voice and is given a song to sing and the record company does the rest. Not the same sort of feeling. It all circles back to the feeling of a song, and musician, and that's definitely the most important thing for me. Bands like Stone Roses and Oasis were just so inspirational to many people up North.

And of course, a nice singing voice. Doesn't need to be the most powerful, talented singing voice, just a nice one. I prefer more soothing voices. Like Noel in The Masterplan, which is just the perfect song to throw on after a really bad day or something. Just, so relaxing. I love Ian Brown's voice, too. Off-stage he's really gruff with a strong Manchester accent, but when singing it's just perfection.

[video=youtube;yMazI2ROJXM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMazI2ROJXM[/video]

[video=youtube;M0whFVTxZs8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0whFVTxZs8[/video]

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

There's a reason my two favourite bands are Rush and Avenged Sevenfold. Rush has quite a few different songs that have unique time signatures in them, and they generally switch around a bit within the songs. The lyrics in most Rush songs are a so pretty fantastic, as they are generally inspired by Sci-Fi, which really fits their style of music.

This song, Tom Sawyer, is an excellent example of a song that switches between time signatures. It starts out in simple 4/4, then goes into 7/8 during the instrumental part with the funky synth line. It then switches over to the insanely weird 13/16 for the guitar solo. It goes back to 4/4 after this, before going into 7/8 again for the outro.

Rush- Tom Sawyer - YouTube

This instrumental song, YYZ, begins in 5/4 time, and features complex drum and bass solos, and a really neat bass line in sextuplets. One of my favorite things about Rush is their creativity with their instrumental pieces, and this one is no exception. The title, YYZ, is the code name for Toronto Pearson International Airport. The intro to the song is actually these three letters played in morse code. Neat, huh?

Rush - yyz - YouTube

Here's another one (Subdivisions). This one is in 7/4 for the intro, but it quickly switches to 4/4 and stays there for the rest of the song. I love how this song puts extra emphasis on synthesizers, since that's partially what Rush is known for. For a time, this was actually my favourite Rush song.

Rush - Subdivisions (with lyrics) - YouTube

Last Rush example is this, Where's My Thing (Pt. 4: Gangster of Boats Trilogy). This is currently my favourite Rush song of all. Like YYZ, this one is instrumental. However, it is a lot different. I love this song because it is so electronic sounding. From the ska-like guitar strumming at the beginning, to the brass-like synth line, to the extremely complex drum fills, this song really is one of a kind.

Rush - Where's My Thing? - YouTube

OK, now for my second favourite band, Avenged Sevenfold. Unlike Rush, who's known for the extreme complexity with odd rhythms, and excessive use of synthesizers, Avenged Sevenfold is more known for their diversity and unique instrumentation in their music. They are not a typical Heavy Metal band, as they like to experiment with their music.

This song, Afterlife, includes a full string section in the intro, and the main body of the song. This song is about a man who went to heaven, and needs to escape so that he can live the rest of his life that he missed. I love this song, because it sounds so... I dunno, chill, even though it's a Heavy Metal song.

Afterlife-Avenged Sevenfold [Lyrics] - YouTube

This next one, A Little Piece of Heaven, may be their most experimental song to date. It features a full symphony providing the background in place of the regular guitar and bass, with a melody inspired by Danny Elfman. It features humorous lyrics, but it is quite long. It is a must listen for anybody who doesn't mind a few F Bombs dropped here and there/

Avenged Sevenfold - A Little Piece Of Heaven with lyrics - YouTube

This one draws away from their usual Heavy Metal style (as do a lot of other songs on the album, Nightmare), as this song, Fiction, is actually a piano oriented ballad, and is currently my favourite song by them. In 2009, the band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, died while they were to continue recording the album. As a tribute to him, his vocals were left on the album. He sings the first line in this song, the chorus, and the first line of the bridge. As one of my favourite drummers, it is great to hear his voice in this beautiful song.

Avenged Sevenfold : Fiction Lyrics - YouTube

This one, So Far Away, was at one point my favourite song of all time. This song was written as a tribute to their late drummer (see above), and it is a very emotional tribute. The mood of the song really captures the emotion of losing a loved one, and is the main reason why I love it so much. It also has one of the most powerful (yet simple) guitar solos I have ever heard in a song.

Avenged Sevenfold - So Far Away [Music Video] - YouTube

So ya, that's basically what I look for in music. I like complex rhythms, diverse and unique instrumentation, and I also really love it when a band has a lot of diversity in its music. Occasionally, I also look for lyrics to see how much I love a song, but the other factors are definitely more in my opinion.

 

[Vanessa28]

To me it is always the drum and bass. For some reason I can't explain I always check for the bass the most. I can read music and it is easy for me to pick up a beat and then I dig deeper and keep my ears open. I don't necessarily care for the lyrics as long as the bass and drum are there.
When it comes to heavy metal and heavy rock I always follow the lead guitar. Especially with guitar solos I can close my eyes and sit down and follow the pattern in my head

 

[Azure Sage]

Honestly, I just value how it sounds. That's all. If I like the way it sounds, that's enough for me. I really don't value anything specific. If I like the way the instrumentation/melody sounds, that's enough for me. If I like the way the lyrics sound (if there are lyrics), that's enough for me. I don't even look for meaningful lyrics. If I think it sounds good, that's all I really value. I just don't dig very deeply into music. Heck, I couldn't even so much as name all of the members of my favorite band.

 

[Raindrop14]

I value talent in music. A lot of music nowadays don't have much talent in them (no offense intended). That's why I listen to classic rock a lot because those were the days with good music and talent... Plus I look for a nice sound, by the way. X3

 

[videogamenerd10]

I have a lot of things that I can put in this list of what I value in music. I'll just list some (with examples).

Feeling: The biggest thing in music is that it makes you feel something. And that's a big striving part of music, that it makes you feel something and any type of music can make you feel any type of feeling (even if the music is just chaos, chaos can cause an emotion).
[video=youtube;x6oLgX-Tzh4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6oLgX-Tzh4[/video]

Talent: It's obvious that any type of talent is important in music and that talent must come from how well someone can play their instrument, even your voice can be an instrument (No Skrillex, a Macbook is not an instrument. And, no Nicki Minaj, your a** isn't an instrument either). Someone with true talent can make whatever kind of music they want, it's quite that simple.
[video=youtube;AYMyxTFwuz8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYMyxTFwuz8[/video]

Dedication: True music comes from someone who dedicates their time and patience into writing a song. I've been down the road, writing a song isn't easy and neither is coming up with something original. True music comes from someone/group of people who can dedicate themselves to making something and then being so pleased with their song, that they go on to make more songs.
[video=youtube;0c3d7QgZr7g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c3d7QgZr7g[/video]

Effort: When musicians put effort into their songs, then the songs sound amazing (this must be why music doesn't sound so good anymore). It's really simple: effort=good.
[video=youtube;JC2lQycQ9gs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC2lQycQ9gs[/video]

That's all I can really think of right now.

 

[Trio the Punch]

Hmm, I guess musicianship, basically. Sort of obvious I guess, but whatever. I don't really value lyrics as much as the rest, because I don't really give a **** what a song is about or if it's about anything at all (unless it's a comedy or novelty song). What I do look for is talent and competence, especially concerning the way the music is layered and composed. Sometimes I like simplistic music, sometimes I like complex music, just so long as it displays musical talent and has an interesting composition. Which is why I don't like dubstep. Because it isn't interesting, and requires no talent.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

I value talent in music. A lot of music nowadays don't have much talent in them (no offense intended). That's why I listen to classic rock a lot because those were the days with good music and talent... Plus I look for a nice sound, by the way. X3

I agree with this, mostly. However, there is one very large exception that I would like to point out.

Most of my favourite bands are groups with a lot of talent, and they show it in their music. However, one of them, thought talented, does not show it in their music. This would be AC/DC.

Each member of that particular group are very talented on their respective instruments, but they do not express it much within their music. Almost every single song by AC/DC is simple and repitive, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. They don't play for talent and complexity like most groups, they play for whatever sounds best for their sound. And that is precisely why I like them so much! They are not afraid to, in a sense, give people the impression that they suck. The may not show a lot of talent in their songs, but each song is still great because they have such a unique sound and style. Like I implied (not directly stated) in my above post, uniqueness is one thing that attracts me to different bands. I like AC/DC because, though their music is simple, they are unique. That, to me, is more important than expressing a lot of talent within songs.

 

[Zorth]

I don't really have a filter for music where I just ignore anything that doesn't fit my per-determined values, except for of course the obvious like; the song has to be within our range of hearing (frequency), has to have some sort of pattern and intended for people to actually enjoy, in other words a good purpose.

I value talent in music. A lot of music nowadays don't have much talent in them (no offense intended)

I'd love to know what exactly defines talented music?

 

[Ventus]

I value emotion, feelings, and good lyrics. I prefer calm music. I don't know much about instruments so I'll just leave this here. It has everything I like about music.
[video=youtube;elR9Yg8FaA4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elR9Yg8FaA4[/video]