it's come to my attention that a lot of people judge somethings merit like art or music on whether or not they consider it to be original. i just saw phish with a few people who had never really listened to them before, and after the show while my mind was still reeling from the incredible peak they brought me to during the first set, a friend said to me "phish can play but i feel like everything they do is just a variation of music that's already been made" sure, there are bits that are reminiscent of music from the past, but i would argue that at this point in music history it would be nearly impossible to come up with a chord progression or riff that is 100% original. hence the downpour of electronic music recently. still, even if something could possibly have been inspired by art from the past, does that really take away from how enjoyable it can be? i judge art by how it makes me feel, not how "new" or "different" i consider it to be. even if someone makes it their mission to do everything as different as possible, that would just be ripping off the goal of everyone else who tried to be "original" throughout history
I direct you to this video. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM"]YouTube - Pachelbel Rant[/ame] But yeah, who knows if any of the chord progressions they came up with haven't been already used. I mean you just have to catch yourself when you realize you're just playing elements of a song you already heard. But as long as you put a spin on it, and make it your own I don't see too much of a big deal. Now as for the shitty shitty ripoffs like Vanilla Ice or Kid Rock, they should burn in hell for using song's/riff's previous popularity to make their songs famous. ^_^
awesome video lol. that kid illustrates an excellent point. personally i think it's awesome to hear the old stuff with a new spin on it. i'm a huge fan of the blues so the notion that music should constantly be pioneered as something new and original is silly to me. i see nothing wrong with a basic format being used as a platform to create never before heard jams/solos. i mean it's still bluesy, but i've never heard THAT before
Theres essentially 24 powerchords, and all of the different positions of regular chords plus their variations. All in all it's just a matter of arranging the chords a way that sounds good with a cool rhythm. It's an issue for new songwriters; they try to write something 'new' or 'original', but everything that can be sung has been sung about, and unless your into Tom Morello style expirimentation most guitar has been done. You just deal with it and have fun. You write music for yourself, not to please a producer or a specific audience. Musicians do it because they love it.
Yes, it is possible, but that doesn't mean it will make good music. Phish does copy a lot of their sounds from their influences, as do most bands. The difference with Phish is the diversity of influences. What I'm trying to say, is that they are the greatest band ever and your friend just must not be into music.
Two bands have huge hits, with the same song, all the time. First it sounds like this... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3KHzp4HKc8"]YouTube - AC/DC - Rock 'N' Roll Singer[/ame] Then it sounds like this... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yLVufAfby0&feature=related"]YouTube - The Cult - Wild Flower[/ame] The sad thing is, they are both ripping off Chuck Berry, and yet I like them all... Originality in music will get you only so far, the fans just want something to jump around to. Name an artist who is truly original, and famous, at the same time? Its a pretty exclusive club, isn't it?
as a musician, i can tell you that no matter how original i try and be, my music is always influenced by other music - whether i realize it or do it subconsciously. When you actually come original... well then you usually end up with something like "revolution 9" Music is like anything else. When it first started, it was a very simple foundation. Since its beginning, its foundation has been built upon and grown exponentially by anyone influenced by it. Besides, certain chord proressions are always going to be reused - its like music mathematics. Certain chord progressions will create certain feels and sounds to a song - they will be reused to construct "originals" even though they've been inspired, and somewhat copied from music before it. Phish is influenced by a number of bands. Pink Floyd, the grateful dead... theres so many to list. Its not their fault, they had to listen to music, and get inspired and influenced by music, before they could make music. Its the same concept as writing a book. You can't just write one without ever reading one, or practicing writing before. Naturally, you will be influenced by the style of books that you were most drawn to.
Originality is not fully possible, but innovation certainly is. Here is a good example: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgrT1o-sGSU]YouTube - Aarni - Battle Hymn of The Eristocrasy[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-B6UxqNSdk]YouTube - Aarni - The Weird of Vipunen[/ame] (And the site for those that are interested)