by Stu Beef » 18 Sep 2012 15:11
Reading through the responses, I'll pretty much have to refer to what has already been said. I apologize if what I said earlier came off as, well...assholish basically. I don't mean to assert that whatever I believe is unquestionably true; I just saw a topic with opinions that I seemed to agree with and wanted to offer my own thoughts on. It hadn't crossed my mind that the experience of people on here might not be a question of intent but of privilege. I'm used to observing those with a wealth of resources waste time and potential because they have little to no ambition or guidance (not saying anything about anyone here; just personal experiences).
I hope we are all of the understanding that this discussion is happening because of music's importance; not just on a personal level, but on a cultural level. I see music as a tool of human culture; a stamp that is as clear as the name of a city or a date on a calender. The musician is an expert on an idea; someone who has immersed themselves so fully that, whenever they communicate a message, they do so with absolute certainty. I'm only willing to use the term musician as an indicator of myself and others because it is something I would consider a legitimate title: it's a profession, and in some cases a life style. But for me it goes far beyond just a job description. There's a sort of moral obligation that goes in hand with the power and freedom allowed by this form of communication/expression. When you compose/perform a piece you are championing some kind of idea. Misrepresenting that in any way could be offensive; just like how the idea itself that you are communicating can be offensive or otherwise taken negatively. That's my big problem, and it is a personal thing. Sometimes I just dislike what a person is saying or how they say it. I hate putting it in a condescending way, or sounding like I'm just trying to belittle people, but I can't hope to get where I want to be unless I can say what I believe with some kind of authority. That said, I'm still learning too. I wasn't born in a situation where these attitudes were handed to me. I've developed them over time through what I've been told and what I've concluded through my own analysis.
I hope this thread can move on to actually helping people out. I really just wanted to make it clear how I feel and why, and that I didn't mean to be unnecessarily elitist in my earlier post.