Self confessed pleb

[Barking Spiders]

Once I got past 40 I thought I'd try and 'mature' my music tastes by learning to appreciate classical and jazz. So I got hold of a job lot of CDs, started tuning into Classic FM and Jazz FM and see where it took me. For a while I stuck with it even making myself sit through some turgid Mahler symphony and going to some events at Cheltenham Jazz Festival.  However, try hard as I did I just can't get into either. I quite like a fewer shorter pieces of CM usually 'obvious' popular tunes like Barber's Adagio and Satie's Gymnopedies,  and some jazz influenced stuff like Saint  Germain and Down To The Bone but that's it. Just wondering if others here have got to a certain age and thought that praps they'd give CM and jazz a go but have not really taken to either.

[Coilte]

In my opinion your criteria of .... " try and 'mature' my music tastes by learning to appreciate classical and jazz..."  is not a strong one. Music of any type must have a certain (albeit probably limited) initial appeal. This limited appeal generally makes you want to explore the music further. Simply trying to make yourself like a certain type of music, and ....  "making myself sit through some turgid Mahler symphony ..." is always going to end in the way it has for you.

 

BTW...where did you get the notion that jazz and classical music were "mature" musical tastes. ?   Music is music. Some appeals to you, some does not. Simple as that. 

Edited November 28, 2017 by Coilte

[Cato]

I got into jazz through listening to 70s funk and graduating to Herbie Hancock.

I'm not exactly an aficionado though and I'm still not keen on big band or anything too experimental.

[ezbass]

Through the years I’ve often ‘tried out’ forms of music which are new to me, but I still come back to my rock/pop base. I like some classical music and listened to a fair bit as a kid, but I’m happy just listening to Bach if I fancy some CM (although I do like Copeland a fair bit too). I was very into jazz once upon a time, but even then a lot of it left me totally cold and now Robben Ford’s, blues tinged stylings are mainly what please me. I did try opera and I just don’t like it, with the exception of Carmen (but then I also find musicals trying). As Coilte said, it either appeals to your ear, or it doesn’t and I’m not sure you can train yourself to like something that doesn’t float your boat in any way originally.

 

BTW, I love your avatar, Barking Spiders; I have 4 chums called Alan, 3 of which we’re all in the same band 

[ambient]

You like what you like.

 

I love classical music, it lead me to the music that I now play myself. I don't like all classical music, the 'popular classics' I especially dislike. What I love about classical music is the soundscape that's produced, the way the instruments mix to create beautiful textures and layers of sound. Similar textures can be created in electronic music, but rarely to my ears in pop or rock, where it's melody that is important.

 

Jazz is something else I can listen to, though I wouldn't call myself a huge fan. It is more interesting to listen to than standard rock and pop though. It's something I play quiet often too, mainly because I'm lazy and it's a gig I can just turn up to and play.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2017 by ambient

[Barking Spiders]

45 minutes ago, Coilte said:

In my opinion your criteria of .... " try and 'mature' my music tastes by learning to appreciate classical and jazz..."  is not a strong one. Music of any type must have a certain (albeit probably limited) initial appeal. This limited appeal generally makes you want to explore the music further. Simply trying to make yourself like a certain type of music, and ....  "making myself sit through some turgid Mahler symphony ..." is always going to end in the way it has for you.

BTW...where did you get the notion that jazz and classical music were "mature" musical tastes. ?   Music is music. Some appeals to you, some does not. Simple as that. 

 

Errm, it was intended to be a bit lighthearted. I use the word 'mature' loosely.  People often think of CM and jazz as being for older people, whether that's right or not. It don't matter , as it's perception that counts. Cripes. I don't really take music  seriously. For me it's all about entertainment, nowt more. A lot of people don't really start bothering with jazz or CM till middle age once they think they're  possibly a bit too old for raving or headbanging. Simple as that.

Edited November 28, 2017 by Barking Spiders

[chris_b]

I think you have to give everything a chance.

Jazz and Classical are generally not for me either but I can listen to Bach and Mozart, mostly the string quartet and piano stuff, but I fare less well with Jazz. When I was in my late teens I bought several Charlie Mingus, Eric Dolphy and Archie Shepp LP's but I never got much further. I liked the old Charlie Parker 1940's recordings I had, but they "disappeared" many years ago.

I don't subscribe to idea of "mature" musical taste. You like what you like. Give me some Delbert McClinton any day of the week.

[Coilte]

3 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

Errm, it was intended to be a bit lighthearted. I use the word 'mature' loosely.  People often think of CM and jazz as being for older people, whether that's right or not. It don't matter , as it's perception that counts. Cripes. I don't really take music  seriously. For me it's all about entertainment, nowt more. A lot of people don't really start bothering with jazz or CM till middle age once they think they're  possibly a bit too old for raving or headbanging. Simple as that.

 

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post. There was nothing to indicate that your statement was meant to be light hearted. 

Yes indeed, some people often think of jazz as being for older people, but that's not always the case. I myself have been a jazz fan since the age of fifteen...almost fifty years ago !!! Lots of jazz gigs that I attend, have a varied age group with a fair smattering of twenty to thirty year olds. So IMO, the old adage that  "jazz is for the elders"  is no longer valid. 

You seem to give the impression that your musical taste(s) should follow a certain criteria. Like ...when I get to X age I should be listening to Y music. In some cases this naturally happens, but as I said...you like what you like.

Simple as that !! 

[Barking Spiders]

1 minute ago, chris_b said:

I think you have to give everything a chance.

Jazz and Classical are generally not for me either but I can listen to Bach and Mozart, mostly the string quartet and piano stuff, but I fare less well with Jazz. When I was in my late teens I bought several Charlie Mingus, Eric Dolphy and Archie Shepp LP's but I never got much further. I liked the old Charlie Parker 1940's recordings I had, but they "disappeared" many years ago.

I don't subscribe to idea of "mature" musical taste. You like what you like. Give me some Delbert McClinton any day of the week.

Some replies here fail to note that I put the word mature in inverted commas,. This is because there is a commonly held view among younger people, that CM and jazz are for 'old people' .

[chris_b]

Hey, at least you gave it a go. Most don't even bother to skim the surface.

[Graham]

1 hour ago, ambient said:

You like what you like.

 

I love classical music, it lead me to the music that I now play myself. I don't like all classical music, the 'popular classics' I especially dislike. What I love about classical music is the soundscape that's produced, the way the instruments mix to create beautiful textures and layers of sound. Similar textures can be created in electronic music, but rarely to my ears in pop or rock, where it's melody that is important.

 

Jazz is something else I can listen to, though I wouldn't call myself a huge fan. It is more interesting to listen to than standard rock and pop though. It's something I play quiet often too, mainly because I'm lazy and it's a gig I can just turn up to and play.

 

 

If you're interested, instrumental post-rock might be the way to go if you wanted to try rock music that's evokes soundscapes - Explosions In The Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Red Sparrows, Pelican, Nordic Giants are all well worth a listen.

[SubsonicSimpleton]

It isn't compulsory to like everything within one large genre - much as it isn't compulsory to like every song/album that a band releases.

Imagine only listening to St Anger and never hearing Master of Puppets and forming your opinion of Metallica on that basis.

IMHO there is music worth listening to in every genre, but there is also going to be plenty of stuff you won't like, so it is worth digging through the poo to find the diamonds - youtube/spotify is probably a better bet than listening to radio stations.

[JBP]

Just listen to what you enjoy, there is no age limit on music, though it is always good to try new things. I tend to find I like bits of all different types of music,  if its CM, Jazz, Death Metal or whatever I just take what I like away from it... but maybe I'm just not old enough yet, though 50 is a lot closer than I would like it to be.

When I was at Uni, I did a joint Music/Popular Music degree. With the classical side of it  I was exposed to everything from Medieval Lute TAB, to Schoenberg, and everything between. I think I learned a lot from it from a theoretical point of view but about as close as i get to listening to any of that stuff these days is film scores and Nightwish. 

[Coilte]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

Some replies here fail to note that I put the word mature in inverted commas,. This is because there is a commonly held view among younger people, that CM and jazz are for 'old people' .

 

Fair enough. Some people ( yours truly pleads guilty   ) misread your post. However, even IF the.. "jazz is for older people.."  concept is correct that should not influence whether someone wants to listen to it or not.  

 

[ras52]

Jazz?  "Nice!" 

[Mykesbass]

I'm probably heading a bit in the opposite direction. Always liked a lot of Jazz - big band being a bit of a favourite, and one of my absolute favourite pieces of music is Mozart's Grand Mass in Cm. But I'm now listening to bands like Rival Sons and Temperance Movement as that's the way my band is going. I've also been a major contributor to the Disco Faves thread, and not afraid of admitting to a few "guilty pleasures". So as others have said, enjoy whatever floats your boat!

Edited November 28, 2017 by Mykesbass

[mikel]

I tend to listen to stuff that interests me rather than genres. My whole extended family have a vast range of musical likes so I was, and i still am, exposed to lots of different music.

Still cant stand Rap though. I have tried and tried but the mood never takes me. My loss?

[scalpy]

Have you tried playing jazz or classical? Because you have to and there’s something at stake? Because both were like that for me but getting involved and having to deliver for an audience really makes you appreciate what the attraction is for them.

[DJpullchord]

Nowt wrong with Mahler.

theres only two kinds of music.

music you like and music you don’t.

[oldbass]

Not sure what ur musical ability is but Ive just recently got into Jazz in a huge almost obsessive way and it happened because I became so sick of playing the same old pub standards and the same old riffs that I couldn't find a way to break free..I even had some lessons with a brilliant young guy a couple of yrs ago (I'm 57 lol...) which didnt really help cause I couldn't read well enough.

Anyway I've been hitting the dots hard for the last few years and having a ball. This is the type of thing I cant stop playing.

 

 

[Bluewine]

Jazz and stuff is cool, I take the high road in terms of comments and opinions. That should be clear in my posts and threads.

 I got to a certain age, 64 and realized I'm a rock & roll guy. I'm a B list working local bar band guy. It's simple, I like having fun.

Blue

Edited November 29, 2017 by Bluewine

[bazzbass]

I love classical music, Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin.......

[TrevorR]

19 hours ago, chris_b said:

Hey, at least you gave it a go. Most don't even bother to skim the surface.

And if there are bits of that  surface you like then listen to those bits. Let’s face it there are some bits of rock or pop you like and whole swathes you don’t. Jazz and classical are no different. Listen to what you like. So if you do want to explore a bit and  like Bach and Barber try some Vivaldi/Haydn and some Elgar/Copeland. If you want to explore deeper and think, “I’ve never listened to any Bruckner” a perfectly valid outcome is, “Well, done it once, never have to listen to Bruckner ever again”. Plenty of rock bands I have filed in that bin!

[Dan Dare]

11 hours ago, DJpullchord said:

Nowt wrong with Mahler.

theres only two kinds of music.

music you like and music you don’t.

So true. And don't worry what others think of your musical preferences or why. That's their problem, not yours.

[chris_b]

In the late 60's, my Mum and Dad had tickets for a night of Strauss Viennese waltzes (conductor Willi Boskovsky) at the Albert Hall and Dad had to drop out at the last moment, so I went instead.

I had pretty sturdy blinkers on in those days and was dreading it but discovered that a Viennese orchestra in full flow was a magnificent sound.

I haven't been to another but I came home glad I'd been there.

 

Edited November 29, 2017 by chris_b