What is Music? Should it be anything? What makes 'A Song'?

[HyeJinx1984]

weird title, I know, but what I'm trying to get at is... what is music supposed to be, if anything? I started thinking about this a while ago, but it wasn't until last night when I finally downloaded Nine Inch Nail's "Ghosts I-IV" and subsequently turned off the lights and tried to fall asleep while listening to it through my iPod. I say 'tried' because, I should have known better, I have a huge Ghost Phobia and the melancholy piano and background noises of doors slamming and the occasional breathing sent me into a nervous wreck, thinking the undead were creeping into my bedroom. Was that the intention, or just my interpretation because that's who I am? Is that the whole point, to create something of interpretation to every person?

The reason I ask this is because it made me wonder if Ghosts was really 'music' at all. It was sound, it was imagination, it was an experience no doubt... but what makes an experience of imagination and sound actually music? And even if it was music, what makes each track 'a song'? This just makes me think about what the purpose of what a song is... to create an atmosphere for dance? To set a romantic mood? To provide music nerds something to analyze down to the last hammer on and synthetic "bleep"? is it all those things, can it be all those things?

The simple answer I guess is that music can be whatever you want, it's just a conduit for a variety of purposes and experiences. But at what point does "sounds" become "music" and at what point does "music" become an experience? And more specifically, what do certain types of music hope to achieve? Outside of personal expression, what is Ghosts I-IV really FOR? I'm not going to suddenly have the urge to listen to track 4 in my car on the way to work, nor will it show up in any kind of party mix of mine... what is the point of owning such a thing? is it purely for the experience? I liken it a little to my other "lights out and nothing but music" experience of The Grateful Dead's 'Terrapin Station' which is the closest thing to Disney's Fantasia in terms of a musical soundscape that evokes imagination in the listener.

Sorry if this seems like a very abstract or esoteric kind of post, Trent Reznor just raped my brain all night and I'm not a normal state of mind, lol. What is music, what should it be, why should we buy it and why do we like it?

[CheezerRox]

Those are all very good, deep questions, but I believe you answered it yourself. Music is what you make it to be. It can be something made to sound beautiful for enjoyment, it can be an outlet for emotions and thoughts, it can be an attempt to recreating an experience, or many other things. It's split 50/50 between the artist and the listener.

[e r r o r]

A song is sincere. That's it.

[My name is Fez]

Those are all very good, deep questions, but I believe you answered it yourself. Music is what you make it to be. It can be something made to sound beautiful for enjoyment, it can be an outlet for emotions and thoughts, it can be an attempt to recreating an experience, or many other things. It's split 50/50 between the artist and the listener.

A song is sincere. That's it.

Agreed with both.

The only thing I would add that, my personal definition of music, from a sonic point of view, is "controlled noise." So yes, by definition, a kid punching a desk is music. Obviously, the better you control the noise, the better the music will be.

[WhiffleBallTony]

I have trouble sleeping to Ghost I-IV, as well. However, I work well with it. I think that the reason is the lack of voices. I can't sleep with silence, and when I hear voices, it comforts me. I think the album is a masterpiece, though. It's music, but it has no songs. I don't believe that Trent made it to be listened to like a normal album, but more as a blueprint for fans and himself to do crazy things with what was there. It's basically a clean slate to do anything you could imagine.

[Hungryfreak]

Information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, wisdom is not truth, truth is not beauty, beauty is not love, love is not music, music is THE BEST.

[HyeJinx1984]

It's music, but it has no songs

This is the best way to describe that album, yes

[WhiffleBallTony]

This is the best way to describe that album, yes

Yeah. It has tracks, but they aren't songs.

[mlothar16]

music is definately interpretation, this reminds of an argument I got into with my uncle when Tenacious D came out. He heard me listening to it and told me "that crap aint music". I was like can you play guitar? can you sing? (which Jack Black can sing fairly well)
The answer to both was no, but he is conviced that because of what they sing about, it can't be considered music.

No Matter how I argued he refuses to this day to accept it as music, even after I made him listen to the Who cover of Squeezebox they performed which was awesome. I still find it interesting that because the content does not suit him then in his mind its not music. I just shows that it is all in interpretation.

[xerichx07]

Music is noise. You make noise to make music. Different noises create different quality.