Artists you can't listen to in fear you'll give up music

[[voodoopony]]

Most of us have heard a certain someone that made our piss boil in jealousy. It's the kind of artist that'll make you want to toss your studio out the window at the sound of their music because you feel you'll never reach that level of expectation. Who are you jelly of?

tl;dr: What artist can't you listen to?

My list
Aphex Twin - A few of his songs make me want to toss my monitor out the window.
Omnipony - When I was 14 I was only just mastering GarageBand. Good job XD
SoGreatAndPowerful - Just sort of got over it recently. Was greatly rewarding.

[Bronytech]

I'm mostly jelly of people I know aren't that great, but have success due to social connections.
Also slightly jelly of people who are way younger than me and somehow ridiculously amazing.

But there is basically infinite talent out there. Music is in the hands of anyone now and everyone can distribute music via the internet, so you just gotta like your own music for what it is. Judge your work by your own standards, and take it easy on yourself. Always aim just a little bit higher.

...Though, I remember I used to get jealous of the Fruity Loops Demo Songs... haha

[Circuitfry]

So yeah uh Circuit's personal hit list: SoNotGreatAndCanGetBannedFromPonyville, ArtAttack, Omni, MictheMicrophone, Cats, Jackle, etc

[[voodoopony]]

I'm mostly jelly of people I know aren't that great, but have success due to social connections.
Also slightly jelly of people who are way younger than me and somehow ridiculously amazing.

You pretty much said what l couldn't have said in the length of a novel.
+1

[Tsyolin]

I am jealous of every electronic musician because their music is much more greatly appreciated than orchestral music. A sad truth really.

[Makkon]

Am I weird that my list is empty? Every composer I hear that is eons ahead of me in skill and articulation is inspiring to me and makes me want to do more.

I guess being appreciated isn't so important as finding personal satisfaction in your work; I find great joy in the process and journey of music making, even amid terrible frustration. I eat it up like free bacon.

[Bronytech]

Hey AJ, if you consider how long classical Western Music has been around, you might change your opinion. How else would it be that almost every person knows all the common classical themes from hundreds of years past? Electronic music has been around what, like 30 years maybe? Not that long. Plus, Electronic music is more popular with the youthful crowd; what about all of the older people?

Media as we know it, games, and movies, it would be nothing without the finely crafted orchestral scores that back them. Just hum any theme from a film and people will instantly get into it. Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer etc.

If anything, electronic music gets all the hate because anyone older than 30 doesn't "get it" and doesn't want to listen to it. And of course, the average person can't even appreciate an electronic dance track properly because they don't know anything about it. They just want something to dance to.

So in that sense, it's pretty much the same. People want to be entertained and pretty much know nothing. If your into it yourself, you will have great appreciation for certain people, and usually the least recognized people are some of the most talented.

[Aussie]

Omni, Omnivore, Omnipony, Omnivorepony, Omniponyvore, etc.

[Dr_Dissonance]

Woop

Not to turn this into a 'what's popular' debate, but AJ is mostly right...
You say:

How else would it be that almost every person knows all the common classical themes from hundreds of years past?

Now, how many of them are in the past few years? And how many do you know by name? I'm going to guess 0 for the former, maybe a few for the latter, if we're talking outside of soundtracks...

Oh and all the old people I know who are classical fans are only fans of dead guys...

Media as we know it, games, and movies, it would be nothing without the finely crafted orchestral scores that back them. Just hum any theme from a film and people will instantly get into it. Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer etc.

Correct, but the music is ONLY appreciated the way it is because of the connotations behind it. If Danny Elfman had released his Simpsons theme as just music, with no relation to the Simpsons or any other media outlet, would it have been as popular? Nope, it wouldn't...

The thing is, classical can be popular if it's got a big media name behind it...John Williams could have come up with any old tune for Harry Potter and it still would have been popular, because it's Harry Potter...
But classical WITHOUT a big media name is largely ignored by the wider community...granted, there's still a wide audience, but compared to an electronic piece without any big media backup? The electronic piece wins in terms of popularity...

But either way, I like to write music because I enjoy it, so the popular thing doesn't bother me! :P

If anything, electronic music gets all the hate because anyone older than 30 doesn't "get it" and doesn't want to listen to it.

Where'd you get this idea from??? That's completely absurd! Taste has nothing (or little) to do with age!

So in that sense, it's pretty much the same. People want to be entertained and pretty much know nothing.

Calling your audience dumb isn't a clever thing to do...the entertained part is partially true though. I would, however, not take it as the end-all reasoning behind why people listen to certain musics. There are many factors surrounding why people have favourite types of music...

But anyway...apologies for that...

BACK TO THE MAIN QUESTION!

I completely agree with Makkon!
Rather than hearing a piece and going "Wow, this is good, I must suck" I go "Wow this is good, I want to be at that level someday!"
It's the best way to think, trust me!

[Navron]

Classical:
Arvo Part: One of my favorite composers. I guess you could say my fear is I will never reach the amount of emotion that pours through each of his pieces.



Electronic:
Shpongle: Not only do they create such amazing sounds and rhythms, there's a feeling you get while listening to them that just makes everything seem to make sense.



Metal/Rock:
Mastodon: They shred more than I ever will.
Tool: They compose like I never will.

[StormWolf]

Omni, Omnivore, Omnipony, Omnivorepony, Omniponyvore, etc.

Pretty much
Also, pretty much all the brony music orchestrstors (excluding myself) cuz they're all so damn good

Also sogreatandpowerful, and to some extent archiev

I WANT TO LISTEN TO IT ALL THOUGH BUT AUGH T_T

[bartekko]

Am I weird that my list is empty? Every composer I hear that is eons ahead of me in skill and articulation is inspiring to me and makes me want to do more.

I guess being appreciated isn't so important as finding personal satisfaction in your work; I find great joy in the process and journey of music making, even amid terrible frustration. I eat it up like free bacon.

This.

Whenever I listen to someone better than me, I quickly realize that they've been making music for much longer, and so have more experience. I also make most of my music for personal satisfaction, and the fact that I know what I want to listen to.
Turns out the stuff I made when I actually cared about how popular I am are on my mp3 player, but I don't listen to them. BUT I had some of my songs on repeat for hours in the same playlist as my other favourites are.

[Tephrax]

Omnipony. Full stop. For someone that young to be already at a sub-professional standard is just unnatural. Y U SO GOOD

[Bronytech]

People are not dumb, they just don't know enough about what goes into a piece of work to be able to properly respect the talent and effort it takes to create the music. This goes for any kind of music. Like I said, people just want to be entertained. Whether it's the dance floor or in the movie theater.

Probably the only difference I would say is that pop music names get shoved down your throat over and over and on the radio. But I always wonder about the producers behind the hits. I mean, they never get any credit, and their songs are heard all over. (Though, they probably get paid pretty well.) I feel this is analogous to the relationship of composer to media.

As for age, well, yeah it does matter. Why else would there be a million dollar information industry based around customer demographics? Age, Gender, Location, they all play a part in common interests. It doesn't define them, mind you. It just shows the general trend. You don't see too many adults at the techno club. Reversely, you don't see too many teenagers at the orchestra hall.

Which brings me to my last point, which is that the internet is quite a tech-savvy place. Hence why it might seem there is a lot more interest in electronic music. I doubt most of the classical aficionados are posting on reddit or perusing various forums. They are probably enjoying an LP or Compact Disc, enjoying some time off after work.

[Nix_Spark]

The living tombstone, and Tephrax...

Yeah that right Teph... YOU AND YOUR MELODIES

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

[[voodoopony]]

In a way I agree with Makaroni, because that's generally my mentality [instead of thinking I suck, I just say "challenge accepted"]

Generally my human tendencies tend to get the best of me before I have the time to reassure myself that I can get better one day. Sometimes I hear a song that makes me change my whole game plan.

[Facade]

My list
Aphex Twin - Only a few of his songs make me want to quit forever.
Omnipony - When I was 14 I was only just mastering GarageBand. Good job XD
SoGreatAndPowerful - Just sort of got over it recently. Was greatly rewarding.

wow thats basically my list -Sogreatandpowerfull

[Overkillius]

xD

This is a horrible thread. Stop putting yourselves down everypony.

[[voodoopony]]

xD

This is a horrible thread. Stop putting yourselves down everypony.

Haha while the idea behind it is kind of wrong, we aren't necessarily putting ourselves down. We're just mentioning people we think are very, very good.

Don't quit guys

[Overkillius]

people we think are very, very good.

Oh. Ok then.

JOHN RUTTER

[Supersaw Hoover]

This is silly. If you don't listen to extremely good music, you're never going to make extremely good music yourself. Don't limit your aspirations just because you don't think you can do it! Work up to it!

I idolize the sounds of people like Mute. and Liquid Blasted and DJ TECHNORCH and GHDA and such, but that doesn't mean I don't listen to them. It just means I listen to them more to dissect their music and try to figure out why I love it so much and how to possibly make it myself!

[jubian]

Every. Single. Fucking. Artist.

As long as there's at least one thing another artist does better than me, I'm right on Envy Avenue.

[Triple_B]

Omni, Omnivore, Omnipony, Omnivorepony, Omniponyvore, etc.

Yeah, that; though i do listen to him, he makes me sad... Almost all of my life when I was 14 was spent inside of my "Room" (Cell) In Juvenile Hall. feelsbadpony.jpg

I listen to almost everyone that I am horrendously jealous of on a regular basis because I force myself to so with any luck, their awesome-sauce will rub off on me just a little bit. It kinda* works.

*; To be read as 'Doesn't.'

[randomblockfilms]

ok my list

pretty much everypony that is younger than me and older than me

and ESPECIALLY MADEON!! he is 17 and he is just SO GOOD!! GAH! i dont think ill be as good as him even when im 25.

i still listen to everyones music though. just not when im trying to make something.

[randomblockfilms]

i accidentally did a double post.