Totally disagree. The creation of music has not changed over the generations. Creative composers and performers are still writing Jazz, Pop, Folk, Classical, 'Broadway' (show tunes), Country, Blues, Opera, Latin, etc., etc., etc. The form may change slightly but the genre' is distinct. Given the SUBJECTIVE nature of music, who's to say whether the current form is better or worse than the previous form. Not me, not you. The purpose of music (for me, anyway) is to stimulate the mind and the emotions. If a certain piece of music does that for you, then it's done it's job. In the end, we like what we like and we PLAY what we like. If it happens to 'strike a chord' with some others, great, if not, so be it. "different strokes for different folks".

So, contrary to wanting to "shock" or "dismay" or parents and grandparents, I think we, to a large degree and in many instances, are actually influenced by the music we heard in our household growing up. I grew up listening to Billy Holliday and when I'm singing (in the shower - only), I find myself phrasing both melody and lyrics like I think she might have done. Actually, I think the worse thing we can do is generalize about music.....it's just too personal for 'one size (opinion) fits all'. Just my two cents worth (and that's with inflation).

chas

PS: NOT an attack; just another point of view.

Chas, I agree your assessment, 100%! My parents loved the music I performed and enjoyed listening to on the radio (No TV in Baltimore back till about 1946.) A while back, you talked about learning songs that were not 50 years old. In some instances, for many of us, a 50-year-old just might be something new to learn. Keep in mind that Margarettaville is just 5 years shy of being 50 years old.

I still enjoy listening to many of the somewhat newer songs, such as those on AGT and BGT, and just how well those performers perform them to a huge audience. Those kids can really sing and perform well, and ironically, more often than not, they utilize the same genres that we grew up listening to when we were teenagers.

I also enjoy listening to many of the very talented keyboard players on https://www.keyboardplayers.club/ who produce some of the most incredible music anyone could ever imaging using low end to moderately priced arranger keyboards. I rarely participate in the challenges these days, mainly due to health reasons.

All the best,

Gary

I’m with Diki on this one, generational change brings new popular music that by and large the parents do not understand and think it to be crap.
Existing types of music do not die out when new stuff comes along and continue to be performed and created, but you will rarely see them in the charts any more, in fact it is quite common for the younger ones to hate everything that their parents like as its not cool, of course as they grow older than just like their parents they expand their horizon, and thus become uncool to their kids. (In the olden days some households were strict by not allowing their kids to listen to any modern music of their time, but only what their parents liked)
Generational change is how the human race progresses in all forms of life, if they don’t then they would just stagnate and die out, therefore when it comes to music, if the parents like what the kids like (And vica versa) then we have a problem, as it means music has become stagnant with a total lack of innovation.

Bill

I think there are valid points on both sides and as long as we remember that these are only OPINIONS, and that NOBODY is right about EVERYTHING 100% of the time.

chas

"I think there are valid points on both sides and as long as we remember that these are only OPINIONS, and that NOBODY is right about EVERYTHING 100% of the time.
Chas."

Chas, You have just opened the road to peace.
Thanks a-whole-lot, John C.

Yes John, I'm a well-known peacemaker .

chas

I think there is a watershed that came about in the early 60s. Up until that point, maybe late 50s as well, music was not marketed directly to teenagers. We tend to forget that the end of the 50s and early 60s was the explosion in buying power of the teenage market, for clothes, records, record players etc.

As such, the previous music, the 30s and the 40s and even the mid 50s, it was looking for general acceptance across the entire public. But the explosion in buying power of the teenage demographic brought about records that were created and marketed directly at JUST them. And it is about this time that teenagers started to like music most of their parents strongly disapproved of.

I think there is also a strong difference between families that were musicians, with children that played music, to the average family when nobody played music, they only listened to it. You generally find a wider acceptance of new stuff when you have already gone through several decades of learning new styles. The general public, on the other hand…!

To a certain extent, my comment was a bit of hyperbole, but from a general perspective, I think there is a nugget of truth in it. To the average teenager, if what they liked simultaneously pissed off their elders, win – win! 🤯

We all had different experiences with our families, but look at the big picture, and certain trends seem to become more apparent. Like I said, for those who grew up in the 40s and early 50s, they grew up under a very different circumstances to how later generations did, and that is what I think I was commenting on.

With a nod and a wink, of course!

We sometimes chide ourselves for sometimes straying away from topics not directly related to the creation of MUSIC. However, oftentimes these topics (or diversions) often provoke the most interest as evidenced by the number of responses. Although the main focus of the forum should always be primarily about music, I think occasional forays into (related) psycho/social discussions does add a little 'spice' to the forum and gives us a chance to know 'the person' a little better. Take JohnC, who vividly remembers the War of 1812 , but refuses to be a 'grumpy old man' and still likes and utilizes modern technology; or Gary, who by his account, performed open-heart surgery on a patient on a sunfish-class sailboat in the middle of a nor'easter (no word on whether the pationt survived). The point is, not every post has to be about the latest, greatest, undiscovered feature on the Genos (you should have read the manual ), or this fantastic registration you happened upon just by hitting some random buttons (no clue what their function was ).

Heck, I don't even know what THIS post is about; just some random thoughts while procrastinating to avoid starting a hated weekly chore (NO, it's not showering ).

chas