Clarify and/or Rename New Crowner 09/16/11: Air In AG-String

The laconic for this trope is "Girls playing musical instruments is hot" which I think is somewhat clear. However, given the number of male examples on the trope page itself, I am not sure that the laconic is really accurate or if this trope has to be about girls.

I think the description itself seems to indicate this is about men in a series finding women who play musical instruments attractive, but I feel like the way the description is set up with all of the euphemisms may itself be a barrier to understanding this trope. Looking at some examples, I wonder if this trope is supposed to be specifically about female characters who look good when playing musical instruments (i.e. an audience reaction trope) too.

Basically, judging purely off of the examples and description, I think the trope seems quite vague.

As for the name, I do not believe it is that difficult to come to the conclusion that it is related to music, but I still think it is a bit incoherent. It might be possible to work on the trope without renaming it though.

edited 27th Jun '11 9:21:51 AM by LouieW

I uh.

...

Not sure if Tropable.

It could be Opinion Myopia on my part as a musician (in that, I find anyone with musical skill immediately more interesting because of it) but don't people in general find musicians more attractive because of their talent (or, cynically, because of fame, if they've gotten recognition)?

I am not going to immediately jump to saying this is People Sit On Chairs, especially since all the examples are in-universe, but it... sort of seems like 'list of attractive musicians in fiction'. :/

Also, unless I'm missing something here, the title is horrible. It depends on a pun on "G-string" as meaning both a violin string and Fanservice underwear, which isn't bad in itself... except the trope isn't about playing classical music in sexy underwear, it's about (classical) musicians being hot. And the page even goes on to explain that it's nothing to do with the underwear.

So it's a Just For Pun title that acknowledges right away that the pun is completely irrelevant.

Am I way out? Is there a deeper meaning to this title that I'm missing?

edited 27th Jun '11 10:49:25 AM by DoktorvonEurotrash

Its a twist on a song title Air On A G-String.

Playing classical music but portrayed in a sexy manner or by a sexy person is very much a trope. It portrays mostly a more refined beauty. Can easily work for guys as well like Katra from Gundam Wing which was a huge hit with the Boys' Love crowd.

Maybe actually require them playing the thing in some kind of sequence?

edited 27th Jun '11 11:05:57 AM by Raso

[[quoteblock Its a twist on a song title Air On A G-String.]]

I know; it's still not funny, since the expected pun on G-string underpants is not applicable. It might as well be called World's Smallest Violin, since that's a joke about violins that is about as relevant to this trope.

EDIT: Except that we already have that one.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:10:04 PM by DoktorvonEurotrash

Well Air on a G-string carries a certain sexyness in the title specifically because of the references to the types undies hence the quote on the page.

->Sam: Hang on, I know this piece of music. I love it.
Ainsley: Isn't it great?
Sam: No, but there's a reason I like it.
Ainsley: Well, it's beautiful.
Sam: But there's another reason, hang on.
Ainsley: It's called "Air on a G String." Could that be it?
Sam: Yes. Thank you. —>— The West Wing

Someone Sexy playing classical music (with a bonus for an air of sexyness, sadness or other things is a big plus.)

Its a common thing in Harem Genre or Visual Novels like Yosuga No Sora [1]◊ or Clannad and other places (which is why the anime examples list is so large) and common to The Ojou types.

Yosuga No Sora's rather explicit sex scene at the end of Kazuha's arc was intertwined with her playing the violin (which was actually the next day).

Then there is Gundam Wing's Yaoi subtext laden concert event thing in an early episode (which started the massive following of that) playing even made the cover◊

It does exist and there is a thing for it (fetish might be too strong of a word for it.)

Now its got to be a classical music though IMO a Rocker such as Haruhi's (which is on the page) isnt really this trope. Although Rocking out in a bunny suit is certainly umm Fetish Fuel.

edited 27th Jun '11 12:58:57 PM by Raso

I think this could be a valid trope about someone finding someone attractive/more attractive because they play classical music. I think "He Plays The Violin" from 1776 is really what this trope is supposed to be about—not hot people who happen to be classical musicians, but someone specifically finding them to be sexy because they are classical musicians.

But the name has got to go.

Doktorvon Eurotrash,

These are my impressions of what meanings most of the trope's uses use.

Someone who plays an instrument, may or may not be attractive —-

• Darth Wiki Aether (also a male character)
• Destructive Harmonics
• Harvester
• Heart no Kuni no Alice (also a male character, subverted)
• Yoko Tsuno
• Wings
• The Living Daylights
• Sailor Moon Main Cast
• Princess Resurrection

Referencing someone who plays an instrument and is attractive/charming when playing that instrument —-

• Divine Secrets Of The Ya Ya Sisterhood (also a male character)
• Video Games
• Tegami Bachi
• Sarah Brightman (a real life singer and this seems to just be an audience reaction trope
• Rival Schools
• Rival Schools
• Pretty Cure Mirai ~ Spark!
• Personal Appearance
• Opera (talking about singers in real life)
• Nodame Cantabile
• Neither Holy Nor Roman Nor An Empire (also a male character)
• Moon Over June
• MiddleSex
• Marmalade Boy
• Kiniro No Corda (mostly male characters)

Index, Trope Namer, etc. —-

• Turn On Tropes
• Trope Namers/Music
• Just For Pun

Unclear/Not Familiar with the work —-

• Amazon Brigade
• Lesbian Jock

I do not think that "girl/boy who plays an instrument" is necessarily a trope, so I wonder if the first category of uses actually is misuse. I think the second category probably could be what this trope is about, but I am not totally sure.

edited 24th Jul '11 10:44:29 AM by LouieW

Well, I was under the impression that the trope itself was more like "classical music seems more attractive/sexier if the musicians are attractive/sexy." I don't mind the trope title, but I'll admit the wordplay only seems to work if you can get both the "classical music" component and the "sexy musician" component through association (seeing aa a G-string could be considered Fanservice or Fetish Fuel). I'm not sure what kind of title might put both points across a bit more directly, though... perhaps "Sexy Musician Equals Good Music" or something else that's straightforward like that, or at least a punny name that works a bit better.

Examples of non-classical musicians should be removed; I really don't think this trope would cover anything else, such as the Haruhi Suzumiya example. The first group mentioned in the above post should probably be sorted through— if we could demonstrate that the examples there fully qualify, that would help. Should this also be classified as a YMMV trope, by the way, or how should we deal with cases which seem more like simple audience reactions?

edited 8th Sep '11 2:34:51 AM by NaphthaTurisas

Yeah, that name is pretty bad. Support renaming.

Sure, rename. This is unconnected with g-strings, underwear or fanservice of any kind.

edited 8th Sep '11 4:00:41 AM by Routerie

That's just the way wikiwords work, unfortunately. Also one reason we have custom titles

There is now a single proposition rename crowner for this trope here.

I agree with Naphtha Turisas that examples like the Haruhi Suzumiya one should probably be cut. I do not believe this should be a YMMV trope though, mostly because I think that there is not much of a point in having a trope that equates to "audience reaction finding someone playing a classical instrument attractive." I feel like it makes more sense to keep the trope to in-universe examples of characters finding people with classical musical talent attractive because of that talent.

Still, I am definitely interested in hearing what other people have to say about that.

• checks for the Haruhi Suzumiya example*

OK, who thought that rock'n'roll counts as classical music?

Deleting it now.

Does it have to be classical music? I see no reason to limit the trope, and the description part that mentions classical music at all is a bit crufty.

Well if we open it up to "all musicians", it will be swamped by rock and pop musicians, who deliberately try to be sexy — this trope seems to be that it's the "music" that makes then sexy, not a deliberately created image.

Well classical music has that air of romance and majesty to it and sexy, Rock and hiphop... Not so much that's treated much differently. Rock is more Bad boy or bad girl, Hiphop is more slutty, Country is Girl Next Door.

Piano and Violin would be the most common types to the romance thing. It is very prevalent in Harem Genre and Girls' Love, The Ojou probably plays one or the other or the Broken Bird might.

Males do qualify too, The White Prince Ouji in Suite Precure is a piano player and oh man does he fit here. The main girls also play. The Dark Magical Girl? Electric Guitar completely on the other side of the spectrum. (The entire series is built around music)

This kind of elegance vs say [1]

Yeah, that has some promise to it.

edited 9th Sep '11 12:26:15 PM by shimaspawn

PLEASE rename this. Also yeah I think what this is trying to be, or should be, is people who play classical instruments and music are elegant and beautiful/handsome.

Why is this even a trope? Is it really that common in the media?

I agree, I should be something like: Musicians are Beautiful/Refined

edited 12th Sep '11 4:42:31 PM by DocDoomster

^^ I disagree that it should be "people who play classical music/instruments are handsome or elegant". They may or may not actually be attractive, but the trope is that playing classical music makes a character be seen as attractive.

edited 12th Sep '11 4:44:39 PM by Madrugada

Yes, that's what I meant.

There may also be some kind of 'aristocrats play classical instruments' trope too.

edited 12th Sep '11 4:59:51 PM by NoirGrimoir

How about 'Musically Enhanced Beauty'? or 'Pull On The Harp Strings'?

There are a few artists and songs that really power though at a high tempo that I would say arnt elegant at all but generally yes.

Classically Enhanced Elegance?