Is It Better To Be Innovative Than Skilled?

[WJGreer]

I have noticed a trend in music right now where innovation is granted a premium over execution, simply for innovation's own sake. In other words, at the moment people seem to want to hear something different, without caring as much about whether it is played skillfully.

A one-armed albino playing a guitar with two strings that are both out of tune might go further than an ultra tight funk rock outfit right now, because the one-armed albino is bringing something new to the table.

You might say, "hey Will, don't you see, this is the normal cycle of music - something new comes along, it's not necessarily good, but it soon inspires others who ARE good to model their product after it, and that product IS good - that product is what gets picked up by the labels and ultimately is what most people hear and associate with the new sound. In other words, Nirvana".

I say it is different now - it is so easy for just about anyone to distribute their music and make it available to the masses that we will have to wade through the chaff much more now than we have ever done before. CD Baby will list anyone's crummy CD for $30, and for that same fee they will see that it is available through iTunes, Amazon, and many others.

I have always been someone who has to be good at whatever I do. The musicians I grew up listening to (and still do) are masters of execution first, perhaps innovation second (in other words, I like the guys who played with Miles in the early '70s and polished that sound more than I like Miles himself). This trend, then, is somewhat sad for me.

[jomahu]

neither one is better. they are what they are.
might be just me, but i'd prefer to wade thru bazillions of bands and decide what i like for myself than have a few select people in radio, record labels, tv, and critics decide for me.

[superbassman2000]

i don't see that trend...maybe the trend is something geared more towards youtube more than anything, because its visual. I haven't seen many tight funk bands on youtube, but i have seen plenty of musicians who may only have one arm, or the bass player without any arms or stuff like that--I think that its not always the music that people like, its probably more that the person is doing something that most people would give up on--if a guitar player loses something that most see as vital to their craft, AKA arms/hands/fingers i would bet that 75% would quit playing guitar, and of the 25% remaining, 25% of them would continue progressing (not real stats, i am just guessing) so to see a person be able to continue with their craft and even excelling at their craft, is considered pretty rare, and also people can see that as uplifting or encouraging, and you don't have to be a musician to see that. To me, a tight funk band is usually enjoyed by other musicians, because they know how difficult it is--just as I don't see whats so hard about quitting smoking, because i don't smoke and don't know how hard it is.

however in the musical realm, I don't see much innovation at all. maybe one band will come out with something new, but then 10K other bands get signed who all are doing the same thing. the innovation gets lost in the mix.

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

however in the musical realm, I don't see much innovation at all. maybe one band will come out with something new, but then 10K other bands get signed who all are doing the same thing. the innovation gets lost in the mix.

One example that comes to mind is this group called "Cat Power". I had heard a lot of good buzz about them (her?) so I picked up a recording. It was terrible. It sounded like a badly recorded demo tape using a $150 4-track in someone's basement. The girl could not even hold pitch. Yet people are calling it "fresh and new" and you read about the band in Rolling Stone and Blender. I don't get it.

Then there is this up and coming band out of Denver called Devotchka. They were on Conan the other night. I'm definitely not going to call them bad, in fact they were fully competent - but they had women playing tubas and such. It wasn't bad so much as just weird. But people are loving it.

[Matt Till]

Jimi

Hendrix












And, innovator might be a stretch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNw-OLxSo-A


I should add, I LIKE Hendrix, but I'm damn sick of seeing him at the top of every "greatest guitarist EVAH!" lists.



I don't see any innovative bands getting popular these days, I'd like to see that become a trend. Even if these so called innovators weren't amazing, I appreciate the potential that it creates.

[uethanian]

yea how many truly innovative musicians were successful? not very many. there's a few, but i think the time has to be right for it culturally.

what is 'good?' tho? like i'd consider pat metheny 'good' at guitar, but personally i think his composition leaves a lot to be desired.

innovation is definitely important for progress. i think thats about as far as it usually goes.

[StanFan]

You should have skill to be truly innovative, unless your definition of innovative is to find creative ways to sound bad.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by StanFan

unless your definition of innovative is to find creative ways to sound bad.

So, you're familiar with my work.

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by StanFan

You should have skill to be truly innovative, unless your definition of innovative is to find creative ways to sound bad.

This is on the same plane as my point, though I don't agree with it as I see it in the scene now.

My position here is that innovation is more important than skill right now, and specifically that an artist or band who is doing something nobody has quite heard before will go further than an artist or band who approaches perfection in a somewhat familiar style.

I have seen and heard a lot of acts recently who most certainly are not skilled, at least not musically so, but have come up with something different and are gaining recognition for that alone.

[superbassman2000]

Originally Posted by WJGreer

I have seen and heard a lot of acts recently who most certainly are not skilled, at least not musically so, but have come up with something different and are gaining recognition for that alone.

maybe we as musicians should recognize this as the music listening (and buying) crowd is looking for something new. Instead of those of us who are musically talented complaining about this situation, we can take what the audience is looking for and make it musically complex? it seems like if the audience is looking for girls playing the tuba, why not write an awesome song involving girls playing the tuba that is pleasing to the musician's ear?

[cheesemonkey]

I think its good to be a mix of both... you can be really good at one but if you don't have the other its not much use.

[JimmyM]

Don't worry about trends and the like. Do what YOU have to do in order to get what YOU want to accomplish across.

[pklima]

Today's cheap recording and promotion do make niche products and novelty acts more economically viable, yes. But that is all. I don't think they are a serious competitive threat to more mainstream stuff which has a far broader appeal. Girls playing tuba aren't going to outcompete and destroy emo or whatever "you kids are listening to these days".

Speaking of tubas, for a few years I've wanted to record some metal with BG, DB and tuba. Maybe someday I will.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by WJGreer

One example that comes to mind is this group called "Cat Power". I had heard a lot of good buzz about them (her?) so I picked up a recording. It was terrible. It sounded like a badly recorded demo tape using a $150 4-track in someone's basement. The girl could not even hold pitch. Yet people are calling it "fresh and new" and you read about the band in Rolling Stone and Blender. I don't get it.

Then there is this up and coming band out of Denver called Devotchka. They were on Conan the other night. I'm definitely not going to call them bad, in fact they were fully competent - but they had women playing tubas and such. It wasn't bad so much as just weird. But people are loving it.

Well I don't see that as anything to do with music - it's just a case of sexual fantasy - there are many people who aren't really into music, but want to be part of the predominant culture and if they find a performer or group of performers who they "fancy" or rather, find sexually alluring they can fix on that! Of course the A&R men and record company execs know this; as well as music papers/magazine writers and it makes good copy - good pics - sells magazines/subscriptions/records etc.

Nothing to do with music!

[WJGreer]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

Well I don't see that as anything to do with music - it's just a case of sexual fantasy - there are many people who aren't really into music, but want to be part of the predominant culture and if they find a performer or group of performers who they "fancy" or rather, find sexually alluring they can fix on that!

Before I read your response it had not occurred to me that both of the examples I used had women featured prominently in the bands. I am not suggesting that any of the trends I observe have anything to do with sexuality in general, nor the presence of women in bands in particular. That is not at all the direction I was going with this topic.

[tomvelsor]

your absolutely right about the one armed albino..but i think your missing something. weather someone has polished techneque, or is doing something differnt, in the end what makes it worthwhile is that its music that some of us like. neither one can be ranked as more important than the other..