it almost always starts out with rock or heavy metal. the sound is brutal and the beat, conspicuous. the entire structure is rigid, and the intentions, exceptionally clear. there is little doubt why youngsters are attracted to this genre, while the oldbies might also find it hard to shake off after piling on the years; this type of music is a sensory barrage--an auditory onslaught, if you will (and you will, cause i say so :)). in this indulgent age, its not surprising that this loud genre is the most popular of all.
the less hardcore would instead begin at gangster rap, if they did not transition from the overbearing noise coming from the amplifiers. here the music takes a diminished role, and the lyrical substance is brought to the forefront and becomes emphasised. here, the language is crass, and the content, primitive. all of it is still loud, but there is definitive storytelling, albeit of stories which have no more than fantastical value. stage one music is easily appreciated but hardly understood, as there is little to understand.
stage two: alternative
such music presents itself as a polished form of stage one: melody triumphs beat, and the lyrics take on a less serious tone, with lighter subject matters. one might observe a more conservative aura around stage two music, which does not provoke physical involvement, which is always paramount to stage one music success.
because there is a transference of priorities from physical to mental attention, there is a clear distinction between the first two stages.
stage three: lyrical abstraction
in a world of sensuality, the first two stages supply the demand of the five senses, but once in a while there are songs authored with lyrics so abstract that they became substrates for the imagination of the listener. such musical pieces are not plainly blank slates, as there is instrumental accompaniment and the lyrics themselves not nebulous.
more often than not, we may observe stage two-three hybrids with indulgent music coupled with ingenious prose. these are usually stage-three-creditable, as there is an unambiguous mental participation from the listener.
stage four: auditory abstraction
if it is possible to create multiple meanings from words, then it must therefore also be possible to create multiple meanings from sound. it is not difficult to write ambiguously, but to design music in such a manner as to be substantive yet freely interpretable is a feat known only to legends. it is with little doubt that most classicals fall into stage four. it is also with little uncertainty that this genre is not popular due to its lack of definitive structure; classical music rarely imposes. humanistic reasons easily account for the larger preference against it. because of its flexibility, it can only give to the listener what is asked of it, and an unfortunate rule of normal behaviour precludes the average person from the appreciation of music that does not tell him what should be heard or felt throughout the piece(a-la stage one).
stage five: intuition
this area is so abstract that its not even there (so philosopical!). in this area, any piece cannot really be called a symphony, neither can it be called a song. yet it is called music, and might even be akin to an artistic performance. it is apparent that at stage five, we no longer dwell on what the first four stages of music dwelt with. stage five is...beyond music. it is a dimension where even thoughts and dreams exist, and such existence is contingent upon the level of intuition to which we apply to anything we experience as creatures of the five senses.
if at each stage we progress as listeners by applying greater intuition to what we hear, or as songwriters, by creating pieces that are increasingly more accessible to the intuiting ear, then the highest level within reason, is stage five. the quest for a higher level would not only be nigh on impossible, but also virtually meaningless--
and we are back to stage one.
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