What are you listening to?

MisterE · Jan 4, 2012

mark":0cao2njs said:
That's a wild drum setup,,, this guy is triggering electronic drum pads with his feet?

Interesting music,,,,gotta check into this a little more

Actually, trying to discover the answer that question is how I found this music!! I couldn't believe how fast the bass pedals were so I thought it was studio generated (sped up). It's not! They have double pedals and use both feet. They actually play at those tempos live. It's an amazing technique.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5xbvtI_Xyr8" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Airborne · Jan 4, 2012

The great Tracy Chapman!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orv_F2HV4gk

mark · Jan 4, 2012

MisterE":z3dooud5 said:
Actually, trying to discover the answer that question is how I found this music!! I couldn't believe how fast the bass pedals were so I thought it was studio generated (sped up). It's not! They have double pedals and use both feet. They actually play at those tempos live. It's an amazing technique.

Well I'm glad you explained it because it was driving me nuts all afternoon at work. I watched the first video again (twice) ,,,this guy doesn't mess up,,,hearing it live has got to be something else.

MisterE · Jan 4, 2012

mark":qku9btud said:
MisterE":qku9btud said:

Actually, trying to discover the answer that question is how I found this music!! I couldn't believe how fast the bass pedals were so I thought it was studio generated (sped up). It's not! They have double pedals and use both feet. They actually play at those tempos live. It's an amazing technique.

Click to expand...

Well I'm glad you explained it because it was driving me nuts all afternoon at work. I watched the first video again (twice) ,,,this guy doesn't mess up,,,hearing it live has got to be something else.

I will never "dis" the metal sub-genres again! Those guys are serious and very dedicated to their craft. Some of the stuff is as rhythmically complicated as Stravinsky and just as hard to play. I had no clue whatsoever. :shock:

Zeno Marx · Jan 4, 2012

The problem with tech death metal and tech grindcore is that it has no soul. Great art has soul. It can have all kinds of technical wizardry and finger-jocking, but the greats also have soul. Part of that spirit is developed in the listening to the other players. Jazz is especially in-tune with the craft of listening. Playing off each other. Conversating and communicating between the players. Developing language and being lyrical with an instrument and within an ensemble. Tech metal does very, very little of that. It's complicated for the sake of being complicated. It's hollow. It's soulless. I don't mean to rip on anyone as an audience. Some things are impressive to see or hear for the first time. Problem is: if there is no substance, the likelihood of it having any longevity is very slim.

*I'm not an expert on it because I think it is some of the worst music ever created, and a very unfortunate direction for a few genres of music that I feel hold good merit. I have heard a lot of it, though.

MisterE · Jan 4, 2012

Zeno Marx":toh4t74s said:
The problem with tech death metal and tech grindcore is that it has no soul. Great art has soul. It can have all kinds of technical wizardry and finger-jocking, but the greats also have soul. Part of that spirit is developed in the listening to the other players. Jazz is especially in-tune with the craft of listening. Playing off each other. Conversating and communicating between the players. Developing language and being lyrical with an instrument and within an ensemble. Tech metal does very, very little of that. It's complicated for the sake of being complicated. It's hollow. It's soulless. I don't mean to rip on anyone as an audience. Some things are impressive to see or hear for the first time. Problem is: if there is no substance, the likelihood of it having any longevity is very slim.

*I'm not an expert on it because I think it is some of the worst music ever created, and a very unfortunate direction for a few genres of music that I feel hold good merit. I have heard a lot of it, though.

I would tend to agree that the depth of expression isn't as rich as in other genres.

My point was more that the level of musicianship necessary to pull this stuff off is staggering. I'm sure were these guys to apply it to something different, say jazz or plain rock, they'd be pretty good at that too. Taste and how they to choose express themselves is a different topic altogether.

To put it another context: The range of accessible emotion in Mahler is broad and full of "soul". Anton Webern's work is less accessible and some might argue less "soulful". He was, however, a composer every bit on level with Mahler from a technical standpoint with the ability to express exactly what he meant through music.

Zeno Marx · Jan 5, 2012

My appreciation for art definitely doesn't come from the technical. I see that it is impressive in another context, but it doesn't really speak to me in sublimity or creativeness. It's clinical or scientific. There are many, many people who can play notes and make strokes. I have to respect them for the ability to do something I cannot do, but they are not artists. They don't rise anywhere near that level of craft and process.

It's why you can walk into any academic music hall and hear the pretentious drivel of "that's simple. anyone can play it." They miss the essence of art. It isn't about notes and the ability to play them. It's about ideas and the spirit. It doesn't have to be complex to convey. Minimalists, like Terry Riley, rise to greatness not out of complexity or physical ability. Really, those things are inconsequential to the idea of art. They're mutations of linearity.

Not to be argumentative. I do have strong opinions on this subject because I've been amongst it for a couple decades now. I think every Guitar Center in the country is a warehouse of people who have amazing physical abilities but who also have no inclination for making art.

mark · Jan 5, 2012

Zeno Marx said:
It isn't about notes and the ability to play them. It's about ideas and the spirit. It doesn't have to be complex to convey.

Metal is ALL about ideas and spirit,,, that's the foundation, throw in some thrashing and pentatonic scales and you have the essence of uncomplex
conveyence.

To be quite fair,,,, metal bands remain in the limelight because of their fans, just as other artists do,,, be it jazz, sculpture, or graffiti. To label them "nonartists" is subjective.

Click to expand...

Zeno Marx · Jan 5, 2012

I want to be clear. My statements are about certain types of music and not about metal, or any other, in general. Tech death and tech grind.

Dutch · Jan 8, 2012

szyzk · Jan 8, 2012

Kyle Weiss · Jan 9, 2012

I was led onto the good part of YouTube for once...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AUjDmHHeBwY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y6GHJ8mT5Bg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

Toe-tappin' goodness. 8)

Kyle Weiss · Jan 9, 2012

MisterE":jg7n0xzj said:
Where do you find this stuff?

8)

Dutch · Jan 13, 2012

user 2031 · Jan 14, 2012

Richard Burley · Jan 14, 2012

I think I'm in love...

https://youtu.be/jWnWivspwRE

MisterE · Jan 15, 2012

Dutch · Jan 15, 2012

Richard Burley · Jan 17, 2012

http://vimeo.com/dominicboudreault/citylimits

Dutch · Jan 17, 2012

What are you listening to?

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