What is Good Music Final Draft

What is Good Music?

By Abby Richter

What is good music? I have had many discussions about this topic, some of which even lead into an argument. It’s something we all have different opinions about, but underneath all of it there is good music, and then there is bad music.

First off what is music? The most basic definition of music is “an artful combination of sounds.” To me, this is a little unclear though. I feel like music is a combination of sounds mixed with melody, harmony and certain rhythms. This is where most of us are going to start having our own opinions.

We can all probably agree on what sound is, and possibly even rhythm. But in order for music to be music there has to be melody and harmony. I have noticed that this has become a problem in the second half of the 20th century. I feel like 95% of the music composed in this era is bad music because it lacks melody and harmony. I turn on the radio, and all I hear is drums hammering the same rhythm over and over. Rhythm is an important part of music, but it shouldn’t destroy the melodic flow. This repetition of rhythm with drums is a problem because the real music below all this noise is being drowned out. Drums shouldn’t be used to hammer away the rhythm, but rather be used to emphasize the musical piece.

Now that I have ranted and raved about what makes music bad, maybe I should turn to a lighter note on what makes music good. To me, good music is when a musician can pick up just a guitar and sing without anything else. Without all the extra noise or all the repetition of computerized sounds, I feel like the real music comes out.

Good music has a rhythm that is varied. The repetition is a healthy amount and not overdone. I have heard music lately that uses the same notes in the same exact way 64 times. Without variation, listeners will soon become bored. Goods music has proportion, structure and overall harmony.

Most music uses the same four notes in a song, but it’s the way those notes are put together that determines whether the music is good or bad. If the notes are varied into different phrases, the musical piece develops and ends in a way that leaves me feeling that the piece is actually finished. If there is no variation in musical piece, it leaves me feeling that the performer just died.

Good music is much like a good piece of literature. It takes an idea from the very beginning of the song, has a variety of events in the middle, and then re-uses that very first idea for the end. That is, well to me anyways, what make a musical piece feel finished and properly structured.

I know when I have heard a good piece of music because it appeals to me on a variety of levels. It appeals to me intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. We all have that one song that we can listen to over and over, and it still has appeal to us no matter how many times it is played. It continues to interest us even after we have listened to it a thousand times. I could go on and on about all the technical differences between good and bad music, but we are all going to have our own opinions. But hopefully, after picking out the good and the bad elements of music, the next time you turn on the radio you’ll actually listen and notice the melody, the harmony and the feeling that a good piece leaves you with.