Hello Ken and Ralf!
Ken, I suppose prog-rock can be, what Ralf is not fond of in this area. I
only very slightly agree. If a band or artist, just adds a bit of drums and
perhaps subtracts a few instruments from an arrangement, it's boring and
mostly not to my taste, since they would then focus on the hits. On the other
hand there are very nice examples of classical music arranged, slightly
recomposed for pop, prog and jazz. From Jeth Rotul's swinged bouree, to
Ekseptions classica tunes, to the occasional classical tune interpreted by
Symphony X in metal style or Me Kong Delta's interpretations. You just
sometiems wonder, what might happen, if you "step" up old music, by adding
bass and drums and reworking the rhythm slightly and probably even adding your
own rocking bits in the middle. :-)
As to the musicians you so "ranted" against Ralf, I think it's too
generalised or better seen in too grained a fashion. Dream Theater certainly
manage to carry emotion, if they so choose and if it is your kind of harmony
or other means. These means must be compatible enough with your liking,
musical education to touch you. I - for instance - get touched by Bach's St.
Matthew's passion and I have cried at one or two key points. The same wouldn't
happen with Mozart's Don Giovanni, although I understand, that it has it's
points to get touched. Perhaps not in the same way, but certainly something to
take you in. Ijust can't see it.
As to gothics and hip hoppers. I'm not sure if you'd do them justice. There
are those, who call themselves gothics and just allude to the style of life,
which is - I suppose - reasonable and justified. And then there are those, who
also enjoy the music of that genre and probably have the added bonus(?) of
living the gothic life style. I suppose being a hip hopper always entails
liking hip hop. Yet again I'm not sure how many of them are particularly fond
of the music and how many might be fond of some political or social subspecies
of the genre for its messages. From what I've seen they both can carry
meaning, stories and/or emotion and they can do it very well, if they make an
effort or just have talent.
I suppose it always boils down to that; Are you willing to give a certain
impression, transport a certain atmosphere or thing in music and do you have
the talent and means in your repertoire to pull it off. And yes of course
anyone in any musical genre can gloriously fail at that. :-)
Warm regards
Julien
--------
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