Mediocrity Celebrated
A profound lack of talent and ability characterizes the majority of music created today. This seems especially true of music that exists outside the mainstream. The surprising aspect of this phenomenon is that the bands taking themselves more seriously seem less likely to offer anything resembling serious musicianship.
Recently, after attending a rock concert in Brooklyn, I left with the distinct impression that musicianship was not only absent, but shunned. The performers seemed to pride themselves on their inability to play or sing in tune, hold together anything that resembled rhythm or even to know when they were supposed to be singing. Creative energy was applied only to the presentation of the band members as musicians. The band dressed the part, played instruments that were clearly more expensive than any lessons they could have cumulatively taken, and carried on in the affected manner of poseurs.
A cousin of mine aptly offered the description “three chords and a haircut.” I believe that several factors underpin this growing trend towards poseurism. One is laziness, encouraged by a culture of instant gratification. Another is the decoupling of rock music from dance music. And perhaps most importantly, the emergence of the Internet has rendered image more vital than substance to success.
As concerns laziness, most people lack the basic craft to make music. More children play electric guitar than any other instrument, and most of their training consists of learning the handful of power chords (octaves, with the fifth added) and Major triads necessary to play most contemporary rock songs. Parents usually regard music strictly as a leisure activity and seldom push them to learn the skills necessary to pursue any serious artistic endeavor. Lacking any sort of structure resembling that which characterized classical music education through history, or even that of jazz, most children naturally choose the path of least resistance, engaging in practice habits that more closely resemble the playing of ‘Guitar’ Hero’ than the pursuit of music as art.
Another recent change, the decoupling of rock music from dance music, has further allowed musicians to disavow themselves of any musical standards. Until relatively recently, the function of common music was largely to serve as dance music. Bands in high schools regularly performed at dance functions. The rise of DJs as well as the emergences of music driven by programmed beats has displaced bands from the dance hall and, consequently, freed them of the obligation to achieve a powerful rhythmic pulse.
These changes however, account for a lowering in quality, not a fundamental shift in the priorities of musicians. The evolution of the media and, principally, the Internet, has contributed heavily to the shift from music to image as the center of attention. Not too many decades ago, music was encountered primarily as sound, either live or piped through the radio. To the extent that image was important, it was image in the conceptual sense, not the visual that was most important. Eventually, television altered the balance, giving significant attention to the haircuts, outfits and stage-manner of bands. Elvis and The Beatles, and most other mainstream bands were noted largely for nonmusical reasons. The Internet has compounded this phenomenon by shortening attention spans and democratizing the media. Now anyone can compete on the Internet for eyeballs. Attention on the Internet is driven significantly more by image than by sound. Additionally, image can be changed easily and quickly. The acquisition of musical craft, individual style, and compelling ideas however takes considerably more time and excludes the vast majority of those currently marketing themselves as musicians.
What emerges from this stew is a culture of poseurs who shun the art they profess to represent. They feel threatened by musical ability or, more precisely by the requirement of it. However, it would be shortsighted to discount the emergence of some sort of creative expression through the conception of image and style. In this regard, today’s musicians are well studied and cannot be carelessly dismissed. However, this lesser art has overshadowed the creation of music, just as reality television has cast aside drama and literature has been relegated to a small niche market in favor of self-help books and ghost-written celebrity memoirs.
