Analyze genres differently

The things that are valued and commonly used in one genre won’t necessarily carry over to other genres.

We can see this in the differences between classical music and popular music. They are completely different ways of creating music and creating sounds. Trying to analyze them the same way won’t be very helpful.

The most obvious example of this is how many people conclude that popular music isn’t worth analysis because it can’t be analyzed in the same way as classical music.

But what if we flip that mentality?

Let’s try to analyze classical music in terms of music production and sonics. It seems to be that we can’t. The music production in classical music, when present, is minimal. Sometimes there isn’t any music production at all because the music is played at concerts with no electronics whatsoever. I guess classical music isn’t worth analysis then. There’s not much to analyze in terms of music production for Beethoven’s or Brahms’s symphonies. So I guess we should just completely write off classical music and refuse to analyze it.

… But hold on.

That doesn’t make sense, does it?

Writing off a whole genre because it can’t be analyzed in the same way as a genre that has completely different origins, values, and common practices, let alone technology?

I guess we have to develop an analysis that is specific to that genre; a type of analysis that analyzes that music on it’s own and within it’s own boundaries and practices, values, and origins. It might be related, but it needs to analyze how that genre of music works in and of itself; rather than ascribing values and common practices to it that aren’t used.

For example for popular music it’d have to take into account that computers have been used to create the music. Music production is a big part of popular music, and it’s hardly a part of classical music at all. Popular music is also written to be experienced in a different way than classical music. Classical music was meant to be performed with acoustic instruments in a concert hall. Popular music is often written to be experienced through the radio or through headphones or in a concert. It’s often written to be experienced through a speaker or headphones; electronically.

So then we need to look at it differently and analyze it differently.

ISJ