Music and intelligence connection

[Kayenneh]

It always kinda terrifies me when people start talking technical about music, or about "conveying emotions and ideas," through it, because when I'm writing, my sole thought is literally "this might sound good." So I guess in some ways, I'm a musical simpleton.

Hahha, you're not the only one. Even though I like intricate music, my own compositions are quite simple.

[thesummerqueen]

Every intelligent person I know has gained comfort in artistic expression in some capacity. I think it's 1) a relaxation thing and 2) an expression of their willingness to expand their brains in all directions. It's not limited to music.

Interesting experiment, Summer. Let's give an IQ test to a symphony orchestra audience and compare it to a test given to fans at a wrestling match and see what the results are!

You might be surprised. Some people appreciate both. Entertainment is not always art, per se. I appreciate Keats and Poe and Homer (of the Greek persuasion, not Simpson) and still laugh my ass off at a fart joke.

[Alex K]

Every intelligent person I know has gained comfort in artistic expression in some capacity. I think it's 1) a relaxation thing and 2) an expression of their willingness to expand their brains in all directions. It's not limited to music.

Interesting experiment, Summer. Let's give an IQ test to a symphony orchestra audience and compare it to a test given to fans at a wrestling match and see what the results are!

My prediction is that there will be a correlation, but that most of it will be socio-economic and not traceable to a greater appreciation of either due to lower/higher intelligence as a cause. It would be interesting though, yes...

---

It always kinda terrifies me when people start talking technical about music, or about "conveying emotions and ideas," through it, because when I'm writing, my sole thought is literally "this might sound good." So I guess in some ways, I'm a musical simpleton.

Even when I was physically capable of playing, I'd learn anime theme songs rather than classical pieces. I was just having fun with it.

'Course, that's all off the table now since I hurt my hand. Now I'm just a composer ramming inappropriate electric guitar riffs into orchestrations.

You compose? Is there a way to listen to your stuff on the web?

But yes of course, whenever I "compose" something on the guitar or computer, I am overjoyed if it doesn't sound like a dying racoon I usually leave the conveying of deep emotions to the pros ...

---

Baroque just tickles.my mind more with its obvious mathematical structure

I think TEGH will agree with you, but once again from a pianists POV, I cannot. Bach.. I hate Bach! Firstly, he made most of his music for organists and harpsichord players, so it does not translate well to the piano. Secondly, there is no phrasing, no pauses to catch your breath, you just plow through the music, hoping you'll come out on the other side in one piece. Thirdly, I had a Bach piece in my repertoire, when I got my 3/3 diploma, and due to nerves I messed it up and got barely no points for it. So yeah, even though I can understand the magnificence of baroque music, don't force me to play it!!

Wow, I wish I could say of myself that I have failed to perfectly reproduce a bach piece,alas, I don't even have the skills to fail at it, so kudos to you! Maybe one day you will be able to forgive old Joe and appreciate him again

P.s. TEGH?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I think when the musician wrote the notes of his symphony and then listened to it and liked it , he liked what he was hearing , cuz his brain was sophisticated enough to understand the depth, the consistency and the beauty in his music , and so only the intelligent ones will understand that music and see how great it is , kinda like if you encode a letter so that only the ones with the decoding mechanism can read it .

Do you think the same or not ?

Not. This smacks of, 'My work is great, you're just too stupid to appreciate it,' which is utter rubbish. It isn't the job of the audience to understand the artist, it is the job of the artist to make himself understood.

Suppose I were to record myself thumping a dog with a metal dustbin lid. This is clearly great art. If you don't get it, it's your lookout, not mine. This applies to ALL forms of 'art'. Some Brummie feckwit welds random bits of metal together in no recognizable shape and calls it 'sculpture'. Some other knuckle-dragger writes a truly execrable piece of fiction and insists that it is simply too highbrow for the rest of the world to recognize as a work of genius.

By happy chance, Mozart, Shakespeare, Bach, Shaw, Michelangelo and their ilk were clearly pleased by what they did, and made it accessible for the rest of us.

If you can't communicate genius, you aren't one.

Boru

[Kayenneh]

P.s. TEGH?

Tea Earl Grey Hot, a brilliant and knowledgeable musician here on the forums.

[Alex K]

P.s. TEGH?

Tea Earl Grey Hot, a brilliant and knowledgeable musician here on the forums.

Ah, thanks! And an ST:TNG fan as well I presume...

[Kayenneh]

Ah, thanks! And an ST:TNG fan as well I presume...

Indeed!