What Do You Think Makes Good Music Good? -

[KingCasio]

People can generally agree when a song is good or bad. However, when it comes to the actual reasons why, it's for very different personal reasons. So, what do you think makes good music good music?

For me, it's probably whether or not I get the sense the the musican(s) give a shit. I respect the artistry, especally as a songwriter myself.

What about you guys?

 

[TrippinKahlua]

Music with lyrics that don't constantly repeat

Spoiler: Big time sperg out

screw you John Mayer "Say"

 

[Oglooger]

People can generally agree when a song is good or bad. However, when it comes to the actual reasons why, it's for very different personal reasons. So, what do you think makes good music good music?

For me, it's probably whether or not I get the sense the the musican(s) give a shit. I respect the artistry, especally as a songwriter myself.

What about you guys?

 

[Bogs]

Its goodness.

 

[Kataomoi00]

This is going to sound cliche, but I think what makes a song really good is if it's able to strike a chord within you, if it gives you chills. A really good song, to me, is one that just stays with you. Over time you may forget the name, but you always remember the melody or the raw emotion you felt while listening to it.


Or something like that... I don't know...

 

[nad7155]

If you like it, you like it. Simple.

I find it hilarious how some people can judge taste.

Like how someone will show you something and tell you "now, this is REAL music!".

 

[KingCasio]

If you like it, you like it. Simple.

I find it hilarious how some people can judge taste.

Like how someone will show you something and tell you "now, this is REAL music!".

Well, to be fair, the distinction between music you like and music you think is good must be made. A lot of people don't like classical music, but that doesn't mean it's not good. Besides, even though art, and therefore, music is speculative, there must be some line between good or bad somewhere.

 

[SregginKcuf]

Like Bogs said, it's goodness.

 

[TwinkleSnort]

To me, it's a mix of things - melody, beat, lyrics, musicianship/musical artistry, feelings it evokes...so much.

 

[Sergeant Politeness]

Too big of a question to answer, really. Since this got necrobumped, though, I figure I'll at least chime in with what I think defines at least a good pop song. At the end of the day, I'm barely out of one music theory class, so I'll likely get a good bit of this wrong, but I'll try to chime in nonetheless.

Spoiler: Theory discussion/sperging

Pop songs are usually super simple; at their core, it's a lead melody, a chord progression (1-4-5 is the most common), and a beat, oftentimes in 4/4. There's a lot to work with in there, more than I could write, certainly. Each of these elements should work together to create a certain feel. The feel that's most preferable to a listener is ultimately up to their tastes, but if a song manages to accomplish that feel memorably, that is what most people would define as a "good" song.

The feel of a song comes from, usually, the intervals of the melody and the tone of the instruments. There's a bunch of little tricks to get a certain feel out of a melody, such as a melody that never finishes on the tonic (that is, the first note in a key, which is usually what makes a melody feel "complete"). Weezer's "Only in Dreams" has this, where the bassline doesn't resolve to the tonic until the final note in the track. There's a uneasy tension in never resolving that's a bit more subtle than simply fuzzing out the instruments, a bit like a pair of parentheses that don't close.

Common time (referring to the rhythm and the time signature) is common because it's a steady beat that's easy to dance to. A jittery beat, a thin beat, a heavy, booming beat--they all have different feels that, ideally, should compliment the rest of the song. A heavy beat suggests more presence and more weight because of the increased bass, which is ideal for songs that are either meant to be anthemic or dire. Meanwhile, songs meant to be fast, fleet-footed, etc. would do best with 32nd note hi-hats and thumping, dry kicks or something of the sort. You can play around with it, which is the nice thing about music. Juxtaposition of elements that normally don't go together that creates something weird and varied.

What bands that I like tend to do is twist the formula in some capacity. As per my name, we'll go with probably my favorite Failure song, because Failure is basically built off noise pop:

The "hook" of the song is that melody, D#-C#-F#, D#-C#-F#, D#-C#-F#, F-B-A#. It's a weirdly dissonant melody, which is mirrored by the vocals. It's also a super simple melody, but the best songs have those. Good bands tend to have little quirks in the way they perform, such as the chordal bass and the intricate-but-still-in-common-time drums in Failure's output. There's still a really simple chord progression, which is carried by the bass rather than the drums. This is what I think a memorable song is; a structurally tight, ultimately simple song, arranged well and performed in an interesting way. The best band in the world can't save weak songs, and the best song can easily be ruined by a weak performance.

It's far less matter of fact than that, but that's my attempt at explaining it.

Personally, as someone who does music myself, a lot of the time, I'll start with a beat that comes into my head and play a scale off it, figuring out something that catches me. In a project I have open right now, this is the bassline in the verses (I think it's in B♭ minor with a raised first):

Spoiler: Bassline

I'm sure there's a technical reason why this works, but right now, I just think it's rhymically interesting and the tone of the notes fits what is supposed to be a grimy, blown-out, lurching beat.

That's what I figure, anyway. Music is so big that I don't think a set of hardcover books could cover it all, let alone one forum post.

 

[TwinkleSnort]

Almost forgot - it has to move....something - my feet, my tail, my soul.

 

[Rose]

Billy corgan

 

[Henry Bemis]

It lives again.

This mostly applies to music with a heavy textual component - choir pieces or stage pieces, say - but I think the best music has a certain - I don't know the best word for it - simpatico? inevitability? As in, the composer has found the music that has always been inside the text, and in such a way that makes you wonder how no one else had found it before.

 

[RG 448]

Patriotism.

 

[ForeverGeneric]

Anything that isn't made by sellouts.