Got into an interesting discussion the other day about originality in music. Now mind you, this is just a matter of opinion. Nobody has ever come up with a definition for originality that, in my opinion, really defines the word.
Here’s what the dictionary comes up with for a definition.
the ability to think independently and creatively.
“a writer of great originality”
the quality of being novel or unusual.
“he congratulated her on the originality of her costume”
Okay, we have two very different aspects of this definition. One is on the process and the other is on the finishing product. So let’s take them one at a time.
“The ability to think independently and creatively.”
Interesting concept. To think independently or, on one’s own. Do we really do that? Can we really do that? Aren’t we all influenced by everything around us, everything we’ve been exposed to? If not, can you honestly say that, when somebody plays something for you that they’ve written, that you’ve never heard anything like it?
Okay, we can argue independent thought all day long and we probably won’t get anywhere. I contend that, because we don’t live in a vacuum and because we are constantly exposed to the outside world and the thoughts of others, we can’t help but be influenced by these thoughts. And if we’re influenced by them, are we truly thinking independently?
As far as the second part of that first definition, to think creatively, well, we’d need a definition for creatively. So let’s go there.
“resulting from originality of thought, expression”
Ah, okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Now we have to look up the definition of originality and I think we’ll have it.
1. present or existing from the beginning; first or earliest.
2. created directly and personally by a particular artist; not a copy or imitation.
Ah, there we go. Number 2 is a pretty good definition. Not an imitation.
Now, here is where we run into problems and arguments.
What is an imitation?
For some people, an imitation is an exact duplicate of a piece of work. In the case of music, an exact duplicate of a piece of music.
However, for other people, they don’t take this definition so rigidly. For them, it’s an approximation or something that is similar that doesn’t make it original.
And this is where my “nothing new under the sun” comes in to play.
See, there are varying degrees of similarity between music. Take for example, classical symphonies of the 18th and 19th centuries. You can pretty much listen to any four or five of them to get a decent sample.
Notice anything about them?
They all have a particular sound. The notes might be different in places and the tempos might be different as well as the keys that each one is in, but they all have a very identifiable sound. When you hear a symphony, no matter who has written it, you know it’s a symphony.
But I’ll go one further. Take somebody who doesn’t really know much about symphonic work. Play them one piece by Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky and then play that person three different pieces by each one and ask them to pick out which piece was written by which composer. How many people do you think would be able to do it who have never been exposed to classical music before?
I have been listening to classical music my whole life. We’re talking a good 50 plus years. And let me tell you flat out, a lot of it sounds like the same old same old. Sure, a few pieces stand out because they have such identifiable melodies. But a lot of it is very derivative. With few exceptions I couldn’t tell you one Mozart symphony from another and outside of Beethoven’s 5th and 9th, forget it.
But okay, that’s classical music and it was a long time ago and things were different then and now we have all these new instruments and synthesizers and stuff and things are different. Now we can be truly original.
Are we?
Think about this. A lot of people will say that such and such band is original. But are they really? Let’s take a group like Queen. How were they original? Well, they had a very different kind of sound highlighted by Freddie Mercury’s vocals, Brian May’s guitar and those harmonies. And yes, I can honestly say that I haven’t heard anything that sounds like Queen in my life.
Now, some people will say that Queen was a rip off, harmonically anyway, of the Beach Boys. I don’t really hear it but a lot of people do. Does that mean they’re wrong? Well, again, there is no right or wrong here. This is all just a matter of opinion.
But my point is this. If somebody can listen to another person’s music and say something like “That reminds me of…” or “You sound like…” does that mean it’s not original?
It may be original as far as the group or person is concerned (they truly did think it up on their own) but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s something new or different.
Boston had a very unique sound with their guitars thanks to some effects pedals that they band members created. But was the music itself really so different? Wasn’t it just guitar based rock and roll? What made it different to us was the sound. And again, how many Bostons do we have in the music business?
Have you ever listened to rap artists? Now in this case, we’re talking about spoken word so you don’t even have melodic voicing to differentiate these artists. in fact, rap producers purposely go after a specific sound because they know what sells in the industry. If you go too far off the beaten path, you’re not making money unless you are so original and so unique and so good that people can’t help but listen.
Except that’s risky because in this business, and this is the kicker to this whole subject, there is a lot of money involved. And when there is a lot of money involved, you have to play things safe. You have to go with what’s tried and true. And that’s why there is so little creativity in the music industry today.
But by all means, prove me wrong. Send me a song by somebody, a song that you think is truly different from anything else ever made. I’ll find something that sounds like it, guaranteed. That is of course unless it’s by some dude living down the street from you making noises in his garage.
Anybody can make noise in his garage. But if you want to make money in the music business, there really is nothing new under the sun.
One man’s opinion.
For The Love Of Music,
Steven “Wags” Wagenheim