# Why many young people today play instruments well but never liked classical music?



## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

I am always curious on this question. As a teenager in a non-musical high school, many peers around me play instruments really well. Some of them are top of the amateurs and some of them might even reached professional level, compared to me who plays violin just at an intermediate level. However, I found myself almost the only classical lover in the whole school, which made me feel lonely. I am wondering what caused this--because of the enforcements of their parents, busy school work, the popularity of modern music, or they will start to love classical music as they grow older and get more mature?

I had a friend who played both piano and clarinet very well. He said he actually "hates" classical music very much, because as he hear the music or see the instruments, he could recall how his parents forced him to learn the instruments when he was very young. He told me he even cried once when he heard clarinet music. Now, he no longer plays both instruments, and even forgets Mozart's famous Kochel 622, Clarinet Concerto in A. 

Another example is the concert master of my school orchestra. She plays Mendelssohn VC (which can't be easily played through even by some professional violinists) but listens to Korean Pop... She told me this when I proposed to create a classical music club, and this message was very shocking to me that I almost never talked to her again in the next month.  Maybe K-Pop is more attractive than classical? Let me say something subjective. Honestly, Oppan Gangnam Style (I know it is old-fashioned in 2021) isn't even a music in front of Mozart Violin Concerto No. 7 Rondo-Allegro, in terms of the happiness they bring people. No pop music that depicts tragic loves stories is better than the first movement of Mozart Sinfonia Concertante. None of the modern hip-hops help you concentrate better Bach/Brahms Violin Concertos.

Sometimes I find parents kinda controversial as well. They force the kids to learn an instrument but never hoped the kids to understand classical music, which they also don't like. Some parents even discourages kids listening to classical, because they believe only old people listen to those. I am proud of my parents, though. They never forced me to learn an instrument, and I fell in love with violin myself. 

Also, I would really like to try if I can introduce classical music to some people that used to love pop or even rock music. I think music preference is more of a personal choice, but sometimes people in the school orchestra need to understand what they are playing in order to play it better. Anybody has any suggestions on this?


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## KevinJS (Sep 24, 2021)

I would go ahead and start the classical music club that you mentioned. You might be surprised at the choices of some of your contemporaries.

But why limit the exposure? Play something classical and something from another genre when you meet up. Ask your members for suggestions if you don't know what's popular outside of classical.


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## GucciManeIsTheNewWebern (Jul 29, 2020)

There's a lot of classical musicians who care more about being good at their instruments than classical music itself. Classical music is just a vehicle for them to obtain prestige and recogniton and are pretty indifferent to music outside of their own instrument's repretoire. It's not necessarily a bad thing as everyone has a different relationship with music and can live their lives however they want to, but I do find it kind of sad.

As for parents forcing instruments on their kids, I can totally see why that would make them sour on CM or the instrument itself. It's just another way for overzealous parents to live vicariously through their kids, be it music, sports, their career, etc. I'm happy my parents were never that way. Whenever I see child prodigies on social media, I get this queasy feeling that the child is being deprived of a childhood and their parents are pimping them out for social media likes. It makes me pretty uncomfortable. I just hope they don't end up becoming jaded as well and hating this thing that was forced on them.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

The thing that I don't get about classical music "snobs" in general is they often say things like "pop music is like fast/junk food. Listen to classical music, because it's _good for you._" (btw, I only listen to classical music but I don't agree with them.) Why do they think music is some kind of nourishment for the soul and mind? There are people around me who don't particularly care much for any music in their lives. They just casually listen to whatever's on the radio, not placing much significance/meaning in what they listen to. They could just as well be playing video games or watching pornography instead, but no one condemns that behavior as "unhealthy compared to listening to classical music". Somehow, only "listening to pop music or other similar genres" is unhealthy compared to "listening to classical music", according to some weird logic.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I agree with the forcing on kids when they're young kind could make the kids abhor the music. I felt that way myself. I was into pop and liked music with nice simple chord progressions. It's not surprising that Beethoven's Pathetique 2nd movement is more popular with the less 'hard-core' Classical fans. I also think the media hype and music usable in coming-of-age films and music surrounding popular current music has more effect on younger people. A lot of Classical comes across as more cold, cerebral, difficult and less inviting. It has less of a hold on youth culture.


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## JackRance (Sep 13, 2021)

I think that the main problem is that many of them doesn't know or doesn't understand calssical music. But don't complain, you're not so alone...


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

I bet many of them can play a John Williams tune


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

KevinW said:


> I had a friend who played both piano and clarinet very well. He said he actually "hates" classical music very much, because as he hear the music or see the instruments, he could recall how his parents forced him to learn the instruments when he was very young. He told me he even cried once when he heard clarinet music. Now, he no longer plays both instruments, and even forgets Mozart's famous Kochel 622, Clarinet Concerto in A.


This was more or less exactly me for a large part of my life. It took a while to disassociate classical music from hours of unenjoyable practice doing something I didn't particularly like.

Morton Subotnik was a clarinet prodigy before becoming an early electronic/avant-garde guy, and once told a story about being drafted into the military during the Korean War, where he'd dream about getting his arm shot off and would wake up thinking "wow, they can't force me to practice the clarinet anymore!" I feel ya, dude. Being good at something is no guarantee you'll like it.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Fabulin said:


> I bet many of them can play a John Williams tune


I don't quite believe John Williams' music should be classified as classical. The Star Wars music and other film music are a part of the popular culture, though they were mainly performed by an orchestra. I know many of those music are in the form of classical music, but they are not identical to other classical works.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

If you are in secondary (high) school and can find musicians but no classical music lovers it probably has more to do with school, age and conformity than anything else. Many of those people will probably move onto classical music later in life when they are away from peer pressure to conform.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

_I don't quite believe John Williams' music should be classified as classical._

Orchestras play it in subscription concert series meaning they apparently classify it as such.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Another issue is young people have shorter attention spans. Most classical pieces, and/or movements of pieces are quite long. The young would lose interest pretty rapidly.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

KevinJS said:


> But why limit the exposure? Play something classical and something from another genre when you meet up. Ask your members for suggestions if you don't know what's popular outside of classical.


There has been a music club on music. Sadly, they do not cover classical music and none of the members likes classical.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

I have no problem with another generation making different choices over their music. My son is a professional musician but his choice in music is very different to mine. So what?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

KevinW said:


> I am always curious on this question. As a teenager in a non-musical high school, many peers around me play instruments really well. Some of them are top of the amateurs and some of them might even reached professional level, compared to me who plays violin just at an intermediate level. However, I found myself almost the only classical lover in the whole school, which made me feel lonely. I am wondering what caused this--because of the enforcements of their parents, busy school work, the popularity of modern music, or they will start to love classical music as they grow older and get more mature?
> 
> I had a friend who played both piano and clarinet very well. He said he actually "hates" classical music very much, because as he hear the music or see the instruments, he could recall how his parents forced him to learn the instruments when he was very young. He told me he even cried once when he heard clarinet music. Now, he no longer plays both instruments, and even forgets Mozart's famous Kochel 622, Clarinet Concerto in A.
> 
> ...


I think the answer's obvious, it's just not marketed to them. I remember, as an example, bits of Orff's Carmina Burana and Lakmé's Flower Duet were popular here in the UK because they figured on TV ads for attractive products, or popular TV series. Same for the Hallelujah Chorus and the start of Beethoven 5.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Mandryka said:


> I think the answer's obvious, it's just not marketed to them. I remember, as an example, bits of Orff's Carmina Burana and Lakmé's Flower Duet were popular here in the UK because they figured on TV ads for attractive products, or popular TV series. Same for the Hallelujah Chorus and the start of Beethoven 5.


And the Looney Tunes cartoons I watched growing up were saturated with classical music.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

progmatist said:


> And the Looney Tunes cartoons I watched growing up were saturated with classical music.


That's the way to get the kids - Liszt's Hungarian rhapsodies!


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

progmatist said:


> And the Looney Tunes cartoons I watched growing up were saturated with classical music.


These days it seems the Japanese animators do it far more than the Western ones. Most famously in Your Lie in April, an internationally successful romance anime loaded with the music of Saint-Saëns, Chopin, Debussy, Scriabin, etc.




^This one (Classicaloid) is much less popular. I know it's stupid and cringe-worthy, but I wonder why Western animators/fanfic-writers never try to do this sort of thing.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

My son was a keen musician and attended junior departments in London. I was always baffled by this question - I saw vey good young string and wind players sitting in between their lessons in the corridor listening to modern pop on their MP3 players. No idea and hopefully as they mature will find classical music their prime choice. My son moved on from serious practice to study engineering at university and I am pleased to say that he only listens to classical music (he likes Mahler a lot) - he also composes pieces for various projects they have going on at the university.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

What I would ask is if the parents forcing their children to practice classical music are practicing musicians themselves. The do as I say, not as I do mentality doesn't cut it. A cellist friend of mine was encouraged to play so she could fill out the family quartet. Both parents and an older sibling played. The cellist became a professional musician.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

EdwardBast said:


> What I would ask is if the parents forcing their children to practice classical music are practicing musicians themselves. The do as I say, not as I do mentality doesn't cut it. A cellist friend of mine was encouraged to play so she could fill out the family quartet. Both parents and an older sibling played. The cellist became a professional musician.


Sorry, could you please rephrase a little bit?


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

KevinW said:


> Sorry, could you please rephrase a little bit?


He is asking whether the mentality described in the OP is symptomatic of parents who aren't musicians forcing their children to learn an instrument.

In other words:

Are instrument-practicing children of parents who are musicians themselves more likely to "like classical music"?


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

I got it. I think those children are more likely to become classical lovers. My music instructor and her composer husband have 5 children, and all of them are violinists or composers. I do not know many other musicians in my life, so this is possibly the only example I can give.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

My problem has always been that I loved classical music but instruments don't treat me well.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

PlaySalieri said:


> My son was a keen musician and attended junior departments in London. I was always baffled by this question - I saw vey good young string and wind players sitting in between their lessons in the corridor listening to modern pop on their MP3 players. No idea and hopefully as they mature will find classical music their prime choice. My son moved on from serious practice to study engineering at university and I am pleased to say that he only listens to classical music (he likes Mahler a lot) - he also composes pieces for various projects they have going on at the university.


it was very much like this in youth orchestra- in fact i'd be listening to Rush on my CD player during breaks when i was 14 years old.

like i said, being good at something is no guarantee you'll like it. talent is sometimes a curse.


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## sharik (Jan 23, 2013)

hammeredklavier said:


> Why do they think music is some kind of nourishment for the soul and mind?


because it really is?

art is there not for someones pleasure or entertainment but for *inspiration*.

the Ancient Greeks looked at sculptures of Gods and got inspired, not relaxed or pleased.

same about music that should be *classical* in order to inspire folks.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

sharik said:


> because it really is?
> 
> art is there not for someones pleasure or entertainment but for *inspiration*.
> 
> ...


Just because it's inspiring to the heart of one dog doesn't mean the whole pack must respond that way. Art exists for many reasons and purposes.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

sharik said:


> because it really is?


As I said, there are many people who don't care much for music in general, not just classical music, but they live on just fine without getting mentally deprived.



> art is there not for someones pleasure or entertainment but for inspiration. the Ancient Greeks looked at sculptures of Gods and got inspired, not relaxed or pleased.
> same about music that should be classical in order to inspire folks.


This is a common excuse made by classical music snobs to justify their snobbism. The primary difference between Tchaikovsky and Taneyev is that Tchaikovsky tends to be more appealing to the modern ear, and that's it. You can use all kinds of lofty terms ("inspiration" and whatnot) to glorify your niche interest all you like, but come on, if given the choice between the entire ouevre of Dittersdorf OR all non-classical music to listen to for the rest of your life; are you going to choose Dittersdorf just cause it's "high art"?


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## sharik (Jan 23, 2013)

hammeredklavier said:


> The primary difference between Tchaikovsky and Taneyev is that Tchaikovsky tends to be more appealing to the modern ear


is not Tchaikovsky more *inspiring* then Taneyev in the first place ?


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

sharik said:


> is not Tchaikovsky more *inspiring* then Taneyev in the first place ?


Is Rachmaninoff simply more "inspiring" and "inspired" than Reger? Maybe on the fundamental level of human biological senses, Rachmaninoff is simply "catchier" to listen to, for the majority of modern listeners? And some people are just attaching labels like "inspiration", "high art" cause they don't want to admit it?


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

What percent of them simply "shred" or play redundant blues scale related rock?

To be a classical musician means you know how to feel and understand one hundred times as many music styles than all of rock put together. 

Rock is deceptive. It's crafted to be sonically interesting and not really have much of an imagination. There are of course many exceptions to the rules, but many people will not appreciate them.

Much of it has an antagonistic quality to it, from crafty insults like in punk/new wave to violence and meaningless sex in other forms of it. 

The modern "rock star as saint" mythos has to be deconstructed and overcome so that we can see the true geniuses in art and the real saints that have helped many in drastic ways. They should be our role models.


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

regenmusic said:


> To be a classical musician means you know how to feel and understand one hundred times as many music styles than all of rock put together.


jeez and here i thought i was playing the notes on the score, turns out that i have a deeper understanding of music by a hundredfold than all of "rock" put together


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

regenmusic said:


> What percent of them simply "shred" or play redundant blues scale related rock?
> 
> To be a classical musician means you know how to feel and understand one hundred times as many music styles than all of rock put together.
> 
> ...


Being a classical musician doesn't require hundreds times of deeper understanding towards music than rock, but I would say at least a dozen times deeper. Also, rock stars today focus more on how to attract more audiences, but classical musicians put more time and effort in music itself. Rock (and many other pop music) are deceptive for sure that most of them are written to meet the expectations of the audiences instead of pursue better musical qualities. There are some well-written modern rock or pop for sure, but what I encounter more are just songs that draw people's attention but do not have good musical imaginations.

For example, think about the main themes of pop and rock music--sex, rebellion of traditions, superficial romantic love, sad mood, unconventional youth? Some even include violence and doing drugs. I really hate these. In comparison, most of the classical music highlights the good things in humanity. Bach shows reverence to God (which isn't a bad thing unless you are overly frantic in religion), Mozart is bringing listeners with an optimistic mood and energy, and Beethoven's music showed how he strived against his destiny... There are also people like Mahler who developed more complicated themes in his music. There are bad classical music as well--Mozart also wrote a few dirty music and Bach had composed music that only aimed to enjoy his noble audiences, but the bad classical music has been filtered now.


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## Marinera (May 13, 2016)

KevinW said:


> Another example is the concert master of my school orchestra. She plays Mendelssohn VC (which can't be easily played through even by some professional violinists) but listens to Korean Pop... She told me this when I proposed to create a classical music club, and this message was very shocking to me that I almost never talked to her again in the next month.  Maybe K-Pop is more attractive than classical? Let me say something subjective. Honestly, Oppan Gangnam Style (I know it is old-fashioned in 2021) isn't even a music in front of Mozart Violin Concerto No. 7 Rondo-Allegro, in terms of the happiness they bring people. No pop music that depicts tragic loves stories is better than the first movement of Mozart Sinfonia Concertante. None of the modern hip-hops help you concentrate better Bach/Brahms Violin Concertos.


To horrify her back, I would refer her to some k-pop analyzed on the vigilant citizen website.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

regenmusic said:


> To be a classical musician means you know how to feel and understand one hundred times as many music styles than all of rock put together.


Cringe bro. Pure cringe.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

fbjim said:


> jeez and here i thought i was playing the notes on the score, turns out that i have a deeper understanding of music by a hundredfold than all of "rock" put together


LMAO :lol: :lol:

Great response


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Cringe bro. Pure cringe.


Exactly the response I would expect from someone who puts rock over classical.

But don't worry, in a few years many will see what I'm saying because, "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."


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## chipia (Apr 22, 2021)

I honestly think that young people don't get into classical music, even if they play it, because it's OLD.
In a way I think it natural for people, especially younger ones to be more attracted to contemporary culture than to past ones. Maybe this could change if contemporary music played a bigger role in music lessons.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

_I honestly think that young people don't get into classical music, even if they play it, because it's OLD._

Here finally an honest opinion from someone that apparently does not know classical music is still being composed. The reason for that no doubt is the quality of music written today, little to none of which has stuck worldwide.


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## neofite (Feb 19, 2017)

chipia said:


> I honestly think that young people don't get into classical music, even if they play it, because it's OLD.


I am having difficulty following your logic. Does this mean that old people should like classical music because it's OLD?


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

neofite said:


> I am having difficulty following your logic. Does this mean that old people should like classical music because it's OLD?


To an extent, yes. Youth tend to have more interest in what musicians their age are creating. Even ones into "adventurous" experimental music probably aren't listening to Boulez or Xenakis, they're probably listening to a noise musician on Bandcamp.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

fbjim said:


> To an extent, yes. Youth tend to have more interest in what musicians their age are creating. Even ones into "adventurous" experimental music probably aren't listening to Boulez or Xenakis, they're probably listening to a noise musician on Bandcamp.


Yeah. They tend to pursue anything new without considering those things carefully.


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## GucciManeIsTheNewWebern (Jul 29, 2020)

"Rock" is being used as an extremely generic umbrella term in this thread. The word encompasses an incredibly diverse range of styles with their own varying levels of compositional complexity and unique musicality. Talking about "rock" music barely means anything. Some of the generalizations being made here aren't so far off from this:

"I don't like 'rock music' because they only use three chords and sing about sex and drugs"

"I don't like 'classical music' because it's froo froo music for people in powdered wigs that all sounds like this:"


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

GucciManeIsTheNewWebern said:


> "I don't like 'classical music' because it's froo froo music for people in powdered wigs that all sounds like this:"


At 1:09, some of the stereotypes jazz musicians have about classical music are described:


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## GucciManeIsTheNewWebern (Jul 29, 2020)

hammeredklavier said:


> At 1:09, some of the stereotypes jazz musicians have about classical music are described:


Yeah that is stupid. I get the video is tongue and cheek but chromaticism and everything else has been in use in classical for several centuries. I also think the whole narrative about the tritone "OMG u got burned at the stake if you used it in the Middle Ages" is overly exaggerated.

Oh, and for the record on my post above, I actually love that Boccherini piece. It's just my go to example for what I think people who are ignorant about CM think it all sounds like.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

regenmusic said:


> Exactly the response I would expect from someone who puts rock over classical.


??? I don't "put rock over classical". In fact, I prefer classical as a whole, many times over. I can even accept that the pinnacle Classical Music has produced "greater" works, composers, and performers than Rock. But to say what you said demonstrates pure ignorance, that's all. I doubt you are a skilled musician in either genre.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

GucciManeIsTheNewWebern said:


> I also think the whole narrative about the tritone "OMG u got burned at the stake if you used it in the Middle Ages" is overly exaggerated.


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## Boychev (Jul 21, 2014)

Personally, I think it boils down to the classical music scene not having set standards on final, definitive versions of compositions.

If you're someone who just casually listens to music as a background or for dancing or hanging out or driving or whatever, you're not likely to be into classical simply because it's not popular anymore, there is no huge commercial industry making sure classical music is heard by everyone, so most likely classical isn't a part of your world unless you seek it out.

If you're someone who is interested in music, classical music is mind-bogglingly infuriating. Why are there a thousand different performances of the same piece? Why isn't there one final and definitive performance that sets the standard that everyone is supposed to listen to?

Say, with rock music if you want to listen to Led Zeppelin IV, you listen to the album Led Zeppelin IV, not someone's cover version of the album, not your local band playing the album, not some recording of a live version of the album, there is one album and everything else is a mere imitation of it. That's it, end of discussion. But if you want to listen to, say, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, which one of the many different recordings are you supposed to listen to? Which one represents the ideal version of the piece? Sure, there are guides online and published as books, but each guide prefers different versions so none of that is really helpful to get you started. There are famous renditions but there is no consensus - is Karajan's Beethoven good or bad for example? Is Arrau's Debussy good or bad? Is Gould's Bach that sounds nothing like any other rendition of those pieces good or bad? If he's not playing the pieces the correct way, why is he so acclaimed?

I think that turns off many listeners from classical. Nobody wants to hear their cousin's jazz combo ruin John Coltrane's My Favorite Things, they want to hear the original Coltrane studio recording, and that's exactly what everyone does. Classical is nothing like that. Why bother with it at all then if there is all likelihood that you're not even listening to the piece you want to listen to, but someone's "creative take" on what the piece is _maybe_ supposed to sound like (if you can even catch a glimpse of the actual piece through the distortion and misinterpretation on display by the performer)? How are you supposed to go to concerts without even knowing what a correct interpretation of the music sounds like?


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## fbjim (Mar 8, 2021)

Well, classical music has had CD guides, and I don't know if that's the primary reason - I think most seeking out classical in a casual sense simply pick out the first reasonable-sounding thing they see on Amazon, Spotify, or Google- but classical music is pretty different that way, and perhaps incompatible with the recording industry's conception of music as a pre-packaged product. 

The idea that - when dealing with scores, there isn't actually such a thing as a "definitive take" on music, as scoring is not a perfect medium for communicating a composer's intentions - and that performer interpretation has always been an aspect of classical is quite a bit different as well and it simply represents a level of "getting used to" that can represent a barrier to entry- that, and how when dealing with classical we tend to credit the composer above the performer which is entirely different than most recorded music.


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## VoiceFromTheEther (Aug 6, 2021)

Boychev said:


> Personally, I think it boils down to the classical music scene not having set standards on final, definitive versions of compositions.
> 
> If you're someone who just casually listens to music as a background or for dancing or hanging out or driving or whatever, you're not likely to be into classical simply because it's not popular anymore, there is no huge commercial industry making sure classical music is heard by everyone, so most likely classical isn't a part of your world unless you seek it out.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure I follow the thought behind this rant. Why does it matter which recording one listens to? It's still the same score / sheet... If you say 'I like when the trumpets come in in the fourth movement' someone who knows a different recording will still get what you are saying...

I've never seen people who would be turned off from eating chocolate just because a candy store dares to offer more than one type of mint-flavoured chocolates...


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## Phredd (Jul 7, 2020)

Boychev said:


> Say, with rock music if you want to listen to Led Zeppelin IV, you listen to the album Led Zeppelin IV, not someone's cover version of the album, not your local band playing the album, not some recording of a live version of the album, *there is one album and everything else is a mere imitation of it. That's it, end of discussion.* But if you want to listen to, say, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, which one of the many different recordings are you supposed to listen to? Which one represents the ideal version of the piece?


I don't think that's true for modern music, actually. Listening to a Taylor Swift album (or really, these days, a Taylor Swift playlist) is different from going to a Taylor Swift concert. The audience doesn't expect a note-for-note rehash of the recordings at the concert, and bootlegs are sold and/or concert versions released. Audiences expect some performance differences. And that's true of recordings, too. Is Leonard Cohen's original recording of "Hallelujah" in any way definitive? It's certainly not the most popular recording of the song that is out there in the wild. I'm sure there are people out there who are fond of one or another version of the song that don't even know who Leonard Cohen is (just as there are people who recognize, say, the "Hallelujah Chorus" without knowing who Handel is). Nobody covers an entire Led Zeppelin album, but I've certainly heard alternate renditions of "Stairway to Heaven". You hear covers of "Bohemian Rhapsody" all the time. Those are all tunes written quite recently. Who knows what will survive to become truly "classic" rock that will continue to be reinterpreted by others? Maybe some performances will never be duplicated, I don't know.

It's also worth noting that recording quality has reached the point of diminishing returns. Back when Mozart was writing music (or for 100+ years after), if you wanted to hear Mozart's music, you listened to whomever in your city could play Mozart. There was no option to pull out a recording of Mozart's version of Mozart's music, unless he happened to be playing/conducting where you happened to live (or very nearby). That's not the case in the modern era, so it is much simpler for particular versions to become ingrained in the culture, with exact duplicates proliferating. But that's not always the case.


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## Durendal (Oct 24, 2018)

Phredd said:


> I don't think that's true for modern music, actually. Listening to a Taylor Swift album (or really, these days, a Taylor Swift playlist) is different from going to a Taylor Swift concert. The audience doesn't expect a note-for-note rehash of the recordings at the concert, and bootlegs are sold and/or concert versions released. Audiences expect some performance differences. And that's true of recordings, too. Is Leonard Cohen's original recording of "Hallelujah" in any way definitive? It's certainly not the most popular recording of the song that is out there in the wild. I'm sure there are people out there who are fond of one or another version of the song that don't even know who Leonard Cohen is (just as there are people who recognize, say, the "Hallelujah Chorus" without knowing who Handel is). Nobody covers an entire Led Zeppelin album, but I've certainly heard alternate renditions of "Stairway to Heaven". You hear covers of "Bohemian Rhapsody" all the time. Those are all tunes written quite recently. Who knows what will survive to become truly "classic" rock that will continue to be reinterpreted by others? Maybe some performances will never be duplicated, I don't know.


On the contrary, I think popular music has definitely moved in this direction in the last couple of decades. Most band's/artist's live performances are now supplemented with heavy use of pre-recorded playback to enable live shows to more accurately reflect the sound of the recordings (as well as to mask limitations and errors during performance that are normally easily eliminated in the studio).


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I'd like to think that the days when parents forced their children to learn an instrument is over. I remember meeting someone who said he was forced to play piano as a teenager. The result was that it wasn't until well into adulthood that he began to play again, let alone enjoy classical music.

Those who study music in private schools might come to dislike classical for other reasons. They are raised in a socio-economic situation where things like playing music and attending concerts is more or less a requirement. It might have social meaning but little personal meaning, so its easy for them to discard once they have finished school.

Today, the benefits of learning music for children are better understood than in the past. Experts in psychology and education tell us that it is one of the best things for cognitive development. Music involves using all parts of the brain.

I would have been interested in learning an instrument, but my parents lacked the money. It does require investment, and no wonder that those who make music their career often come from private schools. Nevertheless today, many average income earners can afford to buy an instrument and pay for lessons. 

I have met parents whose children are playing music through choice, even in cases where the parents themselves play an instrument. No doubt, children may make the decision later, but in most cases playing doesn't lead to a career in music anyway. It can, however, become a hobby with many benefits.


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## Oistrakh The King (12 mo ago)

KevinW said:


> I am always curious on this question. As a teenager in a non-musical high school, many peers around me play instruments really well. Some of them are top of the amateurs and some of them might even reached professional level, compared to me who plays violin just at an intermediate level. However, I found myself almost the only classical lover in the whole school, which made me feel lonely. I am wondering what caused this--because of the enforcements of their parents, busy school work, the popularity of modern music, or they will start to love classical music as they grow older and get more mature?
> 
> I had a friend who played both piano and clarinet very well. He said he actually "hates" classical music very much, because as he hear the music or see the instruments, he could recall how his parents forced him to learn the instruments when he was very young. He told me he even cried once when he heard clarinet music. Now, he no longer plays both instruments, and even forgets Mozart's famous Kochel 622, Clarinet Concerto in A.
> 
> ...


That's exactly the same situation in my school! It is something important to realize that playing well doesn't equal to loving Classical Music. You know the role played by the parents in this...


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

hammeredklavier said:


> The thing that I don't get about classical music "snobs" in general is they often say things like "pop music is like fast/junk food. Listen to classical music, because it's _good for you._" (btw, I only listen to classical music but I don't agree with them.) Why do they think music is some kind of nourishment for the soul and mind? There are people around me who don't particularly care much for any music in their lives. They just casually listen to whatever's on the radio, not placing much significance/meaning in what they listen to. They could just as well be playing video games or watching pornography instead, but no one condemns that behavior as "unhealthy compared to listening to classical music". Somehow, only "listening to pop music or other similar genres" is unhealthy compared to "listening to classical music", according to some weird logic.


There's a psychological bias humans have that anything that requires hard work/effort is worth more than things that don't. Understanding classical music can take some hard work and effort, given that if one doesn't understand harmony or classical structures the music will just sound like a train of sounds/tones without any logic connecting them. Pop music being much simpler and more ubiquitous is much easier to grasp intuitively and enjoy. There's a greater predictableness to its rhythms and harmonic progressions that tickle the parts of our brains that delight in pattern-finding.

The thought goes that this ease of understanding and enjoyment must be bad for us because many things in life that only offer pleasure without effort are not good for us (to use another of your examples, many people feel this way about pornography too): think of indulging on sugary or fatty/greasy foods. So we're typically taught from an early age that temperance is a virtue and to be wary of easy pleasures. Pop music is an easy pleasure, but there's no evidence that it's "bad" for us in the way that too much sugar is. It's just an example of how human brains can learn a principle that's often valuable but not have the rational discernment to understand when it isn't applicable.


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## Eva Yojimbo (Jan 30, 2016)

I think there are many plausible reasons for this, and many have been given in this thread. Some musicians care much more about performing music than enjoying music, and when they do enjoy music they might be more apt to enjoy the music that's more ubiquitous in their culture than the music that's not. The latter would actually make them rather normal among music listeners. There are many things that pop (and its various sub-genres) offer that classical does not have, so it's not surprising that many people are drawn to those aspects rather than the things that make classical unique as a genre.


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