Philosophy.

oliverstoned wrote: You have ruin this topic words are empty

It doesn't get funnier than that. Any time I see a post that does nothing but complain about another post being useless it tickles my deepest sense of absurd irony. Who says the French have trouble with humor?  

I truly think that music is the answer to the dilemma posed by selling echoes.

It comes with the caveat that the listener needs to be selective in his/her choice of music - but simply having joined this discussion forum means that you've already made the right decision

Of all art forms, only music physically touches you; in the form of sound waves. This has been proven to affect people biologically in terms of the chemical reactions the waves promote.

Science aside, and back to the more mystical realms, simply focussing on the ears when listening to music - ie listening in a darkened room with the volume up - can transport you into a deeply personalised dream world. Here, unlike with psychedelic drugs, it is possible to focus on things that are important to you, draw your own conclusions - and remember it.

This does not have to be a solitary activity either, as the right kind of music as background can promote conversations on deep levels. I have enjoyed many such conversations whilst listening to "Selling England..." for example. Whether such conversations are consequential or not is largely irrelevant, but having them frequently seems to assist the brain in focussing on what is important to the individual and the group to which he/she belongs.

It is but a short step from focussing the brain to having ideas, and a short step from there to acting upon those ideas - given motivation and energy. If you think, for example, that the human race is on it's way to self-destruction, then focus on what you can do to stop it - or at least help slow down the processes. If everyone did that, then maybe, just maybe, the madness would stop.

Of course, such "fireside" conversations are nothing new or revalatory - and work best with plentiful supplies of whiskey and "smoke" - but when teamed up with good music; Man! There are few things in life that are more enjoyable!

Expression of the soul, that are the words that have been used to diminish art to something meaningless.

Art is about OTHERS. You don't just perform an art to satisfy your own desires, that would be unartful. Art is about making the world more beautiful, for the sake of beauty, other people, divinity, or the concept itself.

Music is by far the best artform to do this.

That's true- that's why total strangers can feel so connected to musicians, because they seem to share an understanding, something deep and personal. Then you find out they didn't even like that song when they wrote it... 

The dark side of that is: no matter how positive the feedback, no matter how many external sources praise you, an artist can still be dissatisfied with what they've done. I think that's the root of why so many greats burn out or blow themselves away one way or another.

The beauty in the artist's head is constantly filtered by the limitations of expression...and not always due to lack of proficiency; the mechanics of expression impose forms upon raw inspiration. What will music be like when we can extract the essence directly from the pure energies of the inner self?

I'd imagine that my soul's soundtrack is pretty similar to the incidental music of Wile E. Coyote cartoons.

I think there's a middle ground or combination of the two extremes.

The desire for self-expression is a selfish desire, but it requires someone else to actually fulfil (or it's not expression- you can't express yourself to yourself, just as you can never sneak up on yourself ).

While there are certainly artists who can exist without feedback, and performers who are only concerned about how the audience responds, most music-makers are somewhere in between the two.

One of the important things about rock and roll is that it straddles the middle ground between a personal statement and a public experience. Any performer will tell you that the difference between a good night and a great night is not how the band plays, but how much the audience got into the show.

Art is a medium of sharing yourself and letting others identify themselves in you, it is selfish and if it isnt and not some testament to something you love (which is still selfish as far as im concerned) then it probably isnt real art. It's a craft or a trade, there is a distinction.

arcer wrote: indeed, I've always found that when the band plays well, the audience get it, if the audience gets it, the bands just gets better again - it is the wonderful thing about music, the symbiosis between players and audience. Granted the players are always ultimately writing and playing for themselves (and the chicks ) but when an audience responds and you and your band can rise to meet that expectation - that's as good as it gets, as good as sex!

I agree 100%, Arcer.  I remember seeing the Black Moon tour for ELP (1992 or 3?) and they were just going through the motions for the first 4 songs or so. Very little energy.  The audience was polite but no one had left their feet yet and we were waiting for that spark anything to say yeah this was what it was like 15 years ago. Then Emerson sat at the piano and started playing his solo pieces. (I know one was Close to Home and the other was, I think, Creole Dance.)  He was just on fire and after two standing ovations he just went nuts on stage and gave a great performance for the rest of the concert.  The other members picked up on it and joined in with him.  But just that on click between artist and audience sparked a great show out of what was turning into a mediocre one.