Canon Rock...and Some Thoughts 'bout Music, just my two cents Options

[Ianaraton]

Hi folks...

A few weeks ago, in hot Thailand, I was (in sinful company) sipping a beer in a music bar when the band started playing a well known "standard" for guitar fans, exp. in Asia...briefly said, Canon Rock. My friend Mike was with me, in spite of the fact that he was/is a world renown guitar/bass player, his first words in turning to me with a smile were..."but this is Rain and Tears by Aphrodite's Child" (I'm afraid that this betrays our age, though )
Indeed, Rain & Tears was inspired by Johann Pachelbel's Canon, so he was of course right. But I must say that we both liked the "feeling" of the piece (and of the band), so when I got back home I started studying Canon rock itself (or at least my sloppy rendering of it).
Prowling various forums, I got a lot of thoughts about this music, its place in music history, the technical ability of the various players & so on.... To the risk of being spanked on the buttocks, I would share a few considerations...
1) yes, Canon rock is not THE BEST guitar piece of the music history. Hell. it doesn't even enter in the first 100 in my opinion, But has a good sound and is fun to listen, so what's the deal?
2) it sounds familiar to most people, and this partly explains its appeal (we semipro musicians know that the public generallìy reacts better to some music that they already know, the "deja vu" effect). It's fast, nasty and at the same time melodic. three things that in a live performaqnce usually pay well
3) most of the people don't play it correctly, or at the right speed, or with all the right notes. OK, i'm probably one of the worst to it (life is a bitch, i remind to myself everytime i brace my SG after a life spent playing keyboards), so maybe I'm defending myself in saying this. But IMHO music (exp live) has two facets: how well is played and how well is received (if you pass me the expression).
I mean, we all had some experience of a live gig at which the public was jumping up & down and we were proud..and listening to the recordings of the same gig we wanted to die, so bad it was out playing, so many false noted we got, so many mistakes we made & so on...Mysteriously, on the stage in spite of all this flaws something worked & the public reacted to that something.
I know practice brings to perfection and THE aim of a player, at every level, should be to be immaculate technically and expressively. Unluckily, 98% of us all is not nor will ever become so. So should we all stop playing and sit in a black room?
Not at all. I don't approve all this people putting their videos on Youtube (most of them out of a misplaced sense of ego, just to be ridiculed by the comments). But I want to speak in defense of the millions of musicians that try & do their very best, even if this sounds howling dogs to most of the ears.
Because music is fun and passion as well. If you play canon rock at half speed and still like it and have fun, do it. If you skip all the squeals and a good half of the notes and still like it, do it. If you play in front of Granma & she likes it, do it.
Because it doesn't happen every day to be doing something that we like

Ian Araton

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[djohnneay]

That was a good read

You are not the only one who thinks like this, music is not about being highly technically skilled, or being able to play anything by ear.You don't have to be exceptionally skilled to just play or jam to your favourite songs. There are so many things I can't play, and some of the things I play are not played correctly, but who cares? Music is about having fun, and connections on stage.

I have to say, I've been playing with the same band for over a year now, and we're far away from performing. But we're having fun, and that's what it is about.

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[Fran]

Interesting read

I agree, music has to be passionate, and if the player is having fun and feeling the music, then why not?
Of course there might be an audience too, and the perfect combination is when both have a great time, but hey, no one said life was going to be perfect

The thing about music is that it's so subjective. Given the same band some people will love it, others bash it. Who cares. Do what you like, and don't look back

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[Ivan Milenkovic]

I think you wrote something that is quite obvious, but in the same time very neglected. Music should be fun, and we are doing music because we want to make something interesting for ourselves FIRST, and then play for other people and if they like it - great. If not, well we like it. That's the whole point. As soon as we treat music as something that needs to sound like something that we don't like (and possibly others will like) things start to look bad. This is very obvious as well, but lots of people fall into that trap without even knowing it, and take all the fun out of music.

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[OzRob]

I think you wrote something that is quite obvious, but in the same time very neglected. Music should be fun, and we are doing music because we want to make something interesting for ourselves FIRST, and then play for other people and if they like it - great. If not, well we like it. That's the whole point. As soon as we treat music as something that needs to sound like something that we don't like (and possibly others will like) things start to look bad. This is very obvious as well, but lots of people fall into that trap without even knowing it, and take all the fun out of music.

I'm quoting Ivan's whole post to say a hearty "Amen!"

When I post looking for feedback, there are obvious things such as getting the timing right, staying in key and technical problems such as bending to the correct pitch etc. But beyond that, I like what I like - especially airy pieces where the melody just goes on and on, evolving but returning to a key lick or hook. I don't need or particularly want strong structure such as verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus. It doesn't suit the music that's in my soul. And I appreciate many others want things mixed up - changes in key, timing, tones and so on. Great! Then make that music or find it. While I love Yngwie and Satch, I'm never going to play like them...and that's ok.

If what we play isn't coming from somewhere inside of us, how do we connect to it and allow feelings and expression to say something about ourselves that others can hear...even if they don't feel the same?

So, yes, play for yourself and if others like it, then share the joy! But don't try and change and be someone you're not. Disclaimer: that isn't of course an excuse to not stretch ourselves musically.

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[Bogdan Radovic]

I agree with all of this and of course music should come from inside. But we must also try to be as good as we can get and explore music during whole our life... I think its important to have a good technique since music is a language. Notes are words. But you can't express yourself if you don't know how to speak, right?! You can't get what inside you - out- if you don't posses proper technique/knowledge to allow for that to happen.

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[Daniel Realpe]

Pachenbel canon can be found in so many songs in pop, it's no wonder it's been so popular

Also if you listen to Bach, there's a lot from his music present today in pop...also Chopin

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