# Which has greater variation: Beethoven or traffic noise



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

"If you listen to Beethoven, it's always the same, but if you listen to traffic, it's always different." - John Cage











Which do you think possesses greater variation: traffic noises or the music of Ludwig van Beethoven? And which do you prefer listening to?


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

Are you asking people to vote for what they prefer - Beethoven's music or traffic noise? Or are you asking people to vote for what they think has greater variation? The former would be a fairly useless poll. The latter would be somewhat interesting.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Yes, greater variation. Can you update thread title and poll title to be "Which has greater variation: Beethoven or traffic noise"?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Traffic has greater variation most likely.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

I hate Currentzis' traffic noise.


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## Andrew Kenneth (Feb 17, 2018)

Love these Swiss cable car recordings.
(unfortunately this cd was very limited - only 500 copies were pressed)






The location sound recordist , Ernst Karel, also recorded the sounds of cable cars in Nepal for the movie "Manakamana" in 5.1 surround.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

I live by a busy road. Traffic noise is not especially varied, because it is just a buzz with random ups and downs. 

Beethoven is more varied, because there is substance to the ups and downs. Also, the actual volume differences come across as more substantial with Beethoven, from a quiet little solo to letting it all hang out.

No contest.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Beethoven instills a wide array of emotions and expressions, there are many colors and contrasts in his music. Traffic noise is just an one dimensional, gray mesh of sounds that means nothing. In terms of variation of expression, there's no contest: Beethoven is the clear winner.


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## Amadea (Apr 15, 2021)

Birds have the greatest variations. John Cage was clearly too urban.


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

^ Speaking of birds, there's John Cage's _Bird Cage_ (1972)






for tapes and natural bird sounds. It's a good acousmatic (everyday sound) work - simultaneously pastoral, urban, and surreal.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


>


You should have posted this




instead


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## cheregi (Jul 16, 2020)

I read somebody on another forum express dismay over the feeling that no Mahler or Wagner symphony could ever possibly be as awe-inspiring as the sound of a train rushing by. I think about that a lot


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

^ "Fortissimo at last!" - Mahler at Niagara Falls.


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