Lazy

      No matter how much you may love something, you will, on occasion, absolutely hate it. For example, I love to write, but I am absolutely hating the fact that I have to squeeze out 300 more words right now. Now I am going to write a really long sentence to help fill my word count but also to achieve my purpose by illustrating that passions don't always produce a satisfactory product. That was not as many words as I had hoped it would be.

      This lack of love, or really, this lack of lust for a passion is pretty common in the musical world as well. Have you ever had to play a sixteenth note run 50 times in a row to nail what would ultimately become a mere five measures of background filler sound? Yeah. Me too. And it sucks! People like the idea of having talent, but don't like to put in the effort required to become talented. Example: me writing this blog post.

      Humans are lazy, and in general, we suck. Yeah I know I'm a jerk, but it's true, right? I see it every single day. High school kids are a splendid example of such laziness, always trying to get out of extra work, leave class early, or avoid a quiz. Why are we so lame? Come on teenagers?! Where is our initiative?! Our drive?! Our passion?!

      I only have to write 64 more words. Better wrap this thing up.

      I love to write, and I love to play music, and I love to read books, and I love to solve equations, but when my “passions” become “assignments”, they loose they're appeal and become tedious bits of paper shoved inside a folder.

 Fourteen more words is no problem for me to write for this fine blog.

How to Properly "Hate" Pop Music

       If you asked me if I like pop music, my answer would be a heck no. I'll say it's trashy and repetitive and unoriginal and that it lacks meaning, and to a certain extent, I'll mean it. But, if I meant it completely that would make me a complete hypocrite, but I don't, which makes me only 4/10ths of a hypocrite and I can live with that. I may not have a whole lot of respect for Jason Derulo as an artist, but when “Wiggle” comes on the radio, you better bet I'll be singing along.

       Hating pop music is kind of a hard thing to do. On one end, pop music really does suck sometimes and your hatred of the genre is completely justified, but on the other end, you can't hate something so basic without being deemed a snobbish hipster who only listens to obscure indy artists that, quite frankly, aren't all that great either. So how do you properly detest such a thing?

       Step One: Don't completely hate it. Pop musicians are artists, too, and probably posses at least a basic understanding of music theory, or so we hope, to validate their position in the musical world. Give them a little bit of credit.

       Step Two: Have an actual passion for music. Hating pop music because it's too “mainstream” is not a good enough reason. One of the most annoying things in the history of forever is when people try to have strong opinions about something that's not really relevant to their life. Hate is a pretty strong word, so if music isn't a serious part of your life, maybe consider a position towards pop music that is along the lines of “strong dislike”.

       Step Three: Don't write off pop music completely. Sure, the mindless spewing of words on topics as advanced as careless partying, substance abuse, and sexual intercourse, does in fact offers no sense of class to our generations musical culture. But, alas, pop music is still a very large part of our culture. Katy Perry may not be a musical genius, but she certainly defines pop culture today, and such a defining figure cannot be written off so carelessly. While I primarily dislike the musical stylings of Miss Perry, I will keep an open mind about her music.

       It's really hard to hate something without coming off as a real jerk, especially something that is so widely loved. The key to true loath, however, is to keep an open mind. The spectrum of human emotion is not black and white, but hate, is a very black word. Instead of trying to jump into a pool of thought that is completely white or completely black, try dipping your toes in the grey area. Hatred is charcoal grey, but ignorance is entirely black, and as they say, “once you go black, you can't go back”. So please, hate pop music-hate it with all your might-but do it with a bit of greyscale-esque class.

Photos found here and here.

Condemning Individuality

       In a musical ensemble, players make subtle adjustments in order to blend with the group. Most of the time, it’s a subconscious decision. Without even knowing it, a string player will shift the position of their finger by a point seventh of a degree to achieve the perfect tone. Sometimes though, the shift is intentional. We may change the direction of our bow to match the principle, or extend a rest when we’ve gotten too far ahead. Either way, musicians are the greatest conformists while remaining the greatest individuals.

       Subtle adjustments may seem like no big deal, and it may seem like an exaggeration to call musicians “conformists”, but we change to fit the mold. And get this: it’s not a bad thing. The tiny changes players make, whether they think about them or not, help improve the piece. If a violinist decides not to move their finger by that point seventh of a degree, claiming they are “unique” or an “artist”, they could end up a half step sharp three measures later, compromising the sound of the entire ensemble. Music is a great form of individual expression when you play solo, or maybe in a quartet, but in a large ensemble, you must conform.

       You may be appalled by my condemnation of individuality, but that would make you a hypocrite. I guarantee, even if you are not a musician, that you make subtle adjustments in order to blend. Do you talk in a different voice when you order food at a restaurant? Do you choose your words differently when you talk to your parents than when you talk to your friends? Do you ever refrain from raising your hand in class or speaking up in discussion? Sometimes we say tiny changes like these are just a different side of us, a polite façade. And it is. We can’t all be individuals all the time. A) We’d all be overwhelmed and B) we’d all be exhausted. There is a large part of us that is dying to stand out, but there is also a smaller, lesser known part that craves uniformity.

       So, I beg of you, please conform. And yet, I still beg you to remain an individual. Nail that accent! Milk that crescendo! Play out that melodic line! But, please, listen for intonation, play piano when necessary, and don't play on a rest. In music, and in life, there is always a balance, whether it be among instruments or among people. Be an individual, yes, but listen to the world around you. The first violinist may carry the melody for nearly the entire tune, but she is not an orchestra, and even a star like herself must know how to blend.