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Does melody-focused music suck?

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WaxingName from Everywhere Since: Oct, 2010
#1: May 6th 2014 at 10:37:26 AM

While I haven't seen anyone say "melodic music sucks", it seems that there is quite a backlash against that kind of music in certain places. Is it because melody focus is too "mainstream" and "dumbed-down"?

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Odd1 Still just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Still just awesome like that
#2: May 6th 2014 at 11:37:01 AM

...not at all. Honestly, I'd say that most good music in general puts some sort of decent amount of focus on the melody, since that's one of the major ways to get people to actually remember your music. Melody is an integral part of music in general. Even something completely atonal has melody in some way. Everything from the most mainstream to the indiest of indie needs to put some sort of focus on the melody if the songwriters want people to listen to them.

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Aldo930 Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon from Quahog, R.I. Since: Aug, 2013
Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon
#3: May 6th 2014 at 12:11:28 PM

The answer to your question: NO. HELL NO.

Anybody who says melody-focused music sucks really needs to expand his horizons.

"They say I'm old fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast."
StillbirthMachine Heresiarch Command from The Womb ov Impurities Since: Mar, 2012
Heresiarch Command
#4: May 6th 2014 at 3:07:40 PM

Depends on the kind of melody. I like a lot of highly melodic music, same with a lot of other folks, but melody comes in a thousand different shapes and forms and can sometimes coexist with dissonance/atonality in a relationship of mutual strenghtening. Sometimes people want easy to hum fist pumping catchy tunes, other times they want darkly nuanced asymmetrical mazes of tonal strangeness.

Only Death Is Real
MetaFour AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN from A Place (Old Master)
AXTE INCAL AXTUCE MUN
#5: May 6th 2014 at 6:52:14 PM

@OP: That sort of hyperbole is literally killing music.

Jhimmibhob Since: Dec, 2010
#6: May 7th 2014 at 8:45:54 AM

We don't have a trope page for this, but in virtually all the modern creative arts, "True Art Is Unpleasant" is genuinely a thing. No one, though, is required to give its partisans the time of day.

PhysicalStamina ain't nothin' but a party y'all (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
ain't nothin' but a party y'all
#7: May 7th 2014 at 3:24:11 PM

Isn't music usually driven by melodies? That's like asking if a movie sucks because it uses film.

That said, I am a chords man, first and foremost.

edited 7th May '14 3:24:44 PM by PhysicalStamina

Do not spare the feelings of those who would not spare yours.
Odd1 Still just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Still just awesome like that
#8: May 7th 2014 at 5:24:56 PM

[up]This.

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chihuahua0 Since: Jul, 2010
#9: May 8th 2014 at 4:40:33 AM

That sort of hyperbole is literally killing music.

'Oh no! The melody hater's thoughts are stabbing music to death! Save it!'

tongue

edited 8th May '14 4:40:49 AM by chihuahua0

WaxingName from Everywhere Since: Oct, 2010
#10: May 8th 2014 at 7:53:31 AM

@Physical: Actually it's more like asking if a movie sucks because it has a story.

Also, there are some songs that focus on things other than the melody. It's just not off the top of my head.

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LightPhaser from Is This Just Fantasy Zone Since: Jan, 2012
#11: May 8th 2014 at 3:33:05 PM

I like music that's primarily melodic, so I'd have to say no. Speaking of which, can I just say something? I heavily prefer melody driven guitar solos over showoff-y "noodling" ones. It's a lot more appealing to listen to, imo

Twentington Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Desperate
#12: May 8th 2014 at 3:38:00 PM

[up]That's why I prefer Keith Urban to Brad Paisley. Urban goes for melody when he plays, but Brad tends to noodle.

Country isn't as melody-driven as most other genres, so I'm used to Three Chords and the Truth. But sometimes, a melody can be so limited that it throws me out of the song. Most songs written by Casey Beathard are an example. He seems to write everything in D, and think that D, E, F#, A, and B are the only notes on the scale. Every song I've heard of his has an endless string of major third intervals in the verses. "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" is a good example.

JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
Apparition in the Woods
#13: May 10th 2014 at 6:26:30 PM

Music and sound art without melody can be quite rewarding, but the idea that music is automatically dumb or simple if it is heavily focused on melody strikes me as incredibly silly, if not just contrarian in the least endearing way possible (outside of politics).

I mean, why shouldn't we be allowed to appreciate serial composition, harsh noise, minimal techno and jangly guitar-pop to the same degree? If they are well-executed, they are worthy, even if they are not appreciated in precisely the same fashion.

I'll hide your name inside a word and paint your eyes with false perception.
Zennistrad from The Multiverse Since: Jul, 2011 Relationship Status: I don't mind being locked in this eternal maze!
#14: May 10th 2014 at 10:39:33 PM

Hell no. One of the very first kinds of music I got into was video game soundracks, and from that I can tell you that melody-focused music does not suck.

See, back in the day, sound quality of video game systems was rather low. In order to make soundtracks stand out, video game artists had to give their music a memorable melody, and the end result were some classic songs that manage to be great in spite of their low quality sound.

MidnightRambler Ich bin nicht schuld! 's ist Gottes Plan! from Germania Inferior Since: Mar, 2011
Ich bin nicht schuld! 's ist Gottes Plan!
#15: May 21st 2014 at 3:22:32 PM

Country isn't as melody-driven as most other genres

Wait, what? I consider country perhaps the most melody-driven stuff I listen to. Then again, maybe it depends on the specific kind of country you're talking about; I'm most familiar with classic stuff like Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash, with heavy gospel influences. IMO songs like "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Daddy Sang Bass" or "Hello Mary Lou" are carried by their melodies first and foremost.

edited 21st May '14 3:22:43 PM by MidnightRambler

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Twentington Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Desperate
#16: May 21st 2014 at 4:15:15 PM

[up]They're still incredibly simple melodies. There's a reason that Three Chords and the Truth is so often a country term. You're not gonna find a super complex Beatles-esque melody anywhere in country. No diminished chords, no dissonance. And probably no song ever that isn't in 4/4 or 3/4. "Your Cheatin' Heart" was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar, and I nailed it on the first try because it was so easy.

edited 21st May '14 4:16:23 PM by Twentington

MidnightRambler Ich bin nicht schuld! 's ist Gottes Plan! from Germania Inferior Since: Mar, 2011
Ich bin nicht schuld! 's ist Gottes Plan!
#17: May 21st 2014 at 4:48:56 PM

[up] Well, yes, they are very simple. That's more or less what I meant: catchy melodies as opposed to technically interesting compositions.

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Odd1 Still just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Still just awesome like that
#18: May 21st 2014 at 6:02:27 PM

[up][up]Complex Beatlesque melody? The Beatles usually used relatively simple, catchy melodies, excepting their more fringe material.

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Twentington Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Desperate
#19: May 21st 2014 at 8:10:57 PM

[up][up]And what I'm talking about is more technically interesting ones, which are almost nonexistant in country. A melody can be good without being complex, true; heck, I think "As She's Walking Away" by Zac Brown Band has a great melody, and yet it uses the standard Doo-Wop Progression.

[up]I'm referring to their more fringe material. And even their simpler stuff often had odd chords in it. Even something as simple as "Help!" has a few chords that don't normally show up in that key, for instance.

edited 21st May '14 8:16:30 PM by Twentington

MidnightRambler Ich bin nicht schuld! 's ist Gottes Plan! from Germania Inferior Since: Mar, 2011
Ich bin nicht schuld! 's ist Gottes Plan!
#20: May 22nd 2014 at 8:09:44 AM

[up] Yeah, I understand.

The whole thread reminds me of a discussion I once had with a friend about our musical tastes. He's a "technical" listener, whereas I'm an "emotional" listener. As in, I mostly judge music by the energy and emotion in the delivery; he's more interested in technical skill and originality in the composition and performance.

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Odd1 Still just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Still just awesome like that
#21: May 22nd 2014 at 5:37:50 PM

I tend to go back and forth on that, depending on the artist, song, genre, or my mood at the time. Ideally, though, I'd say it's best to take all of that into account.

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Aldo930 Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon from Quahog, R.I. Since: Aug, 2013
Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon
#22: May 22nd 2014 at 5:49:28 PM

Me, though... I generally judge music by one criteria: "Do I want to turn this off after 5 seconds or not?"

"They say I'm old fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast."
Odd1 Still just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Still just awesome like that
#23: May 22nd 2014 at 5:55:34 PM

5 seconds is barely any time to let a song breathe. I get that that's generally how the majority of people listen to music, but it's a ridiculously closed-minded way to do it.

If you're writing pop music, sure, you should probably use them hooks pretty early on to make the listener, well, listen. But there are still many fantastic songs out there that reward the listener for being patient.

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Aldo930 Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon from Quahog, R.I. Since: Aug, 2013
Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon
#24: May 22nd 2014 at 6:27:54 PM

[up] It's really more like 30 seconds, but I've been known to turn stuff off after 5 seconds.

If I don't get interested in the song then I turn it off. If there's more than one version there's probably a better version that I find more interesting.

edited 22nd May '14 6:28:52 PM by Aldo930

"They say I'm old fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast."
Odd1 Still just awesome like that from Nowhere Land Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Still just awesome like that
#25: May 22nd 2014 at 7:00:50 PM

Eh, I'd at least say give it until the first verse and chorus are over. Still seems far too limiting to me.

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