kicking the classical

For the past year or so, I've set rock, alternative, and pop aside for classical and soundtrack music. The conclusion? I can't do classical. It's too complex for my large but apparently vacuous brain. As someone who's tone deaf and has few musical inclinations, listening to classical music always makes me feel like I'm missing something. It's the equivalent of sampling a superb seven course French meal with one taste bud. I love the idea of learning about music and taking classes in music theory, but only the idea. Listening to classical music is sometimes like sitting in lecture. My brain shuts off and my eyes start drooping when information is flying at me. In that case, I give up and either fall asleep promptly or adopt the dazed 'deer in headlights' expression. Quite a few classical composers make me feel like that.

There were some pieces that I did enjoy in my attempts to embrace other musical styles, including 'Winter' from Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' and 'Pertissimo' from Beethoven's earlier sonatas. Otherwise, I've been indulging in soundtrack music, including almost everything that Hans Zimmer ever composed (as usual), although Gladiator is still his crowning achievement with King Arthur coming in at a distant second. Of course, I love soundtrack music for its simplicity and grand flourishes.

As with everything else, we enjoy the music that we grew up listening to. I do discover new music regularly, but my fondest memories are of Savage Garden, Matchbox Twenty, and other bands that I listened to religiously in high school. In terms of sophistication and quality, Savage Garden and Matchbox Twenty were both a cut above most in their respective categories, but obviously not comparable to the complexities that define classical music. Yet, one voice, a guitar, a bass, and a keyboard is so much more soothing to me than 30 violins, 20 violas, etc. I remember not liking Savage Garden at all when I first heard them perform. It was only when I borrowed the CD from a friend and listened to it several times that I found myself liking the sound.

Back then, I had only been exposed to classical music before tentatively trying out Savage Garden. As a result, their CD sounded like a marriage of Metallica and Offspring. It's hilarious when I think back to that time. Eventually, I got into Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, Nirvana, Blink 182, and everything else. A year ago, I got sick of this music (a lot of it does sound very similar) and now I'm sick of classical music as well.

Currently, I'm going back to my obsession with Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, old old music (Sade and Engelbert), and some Moby, Black Eyed Peas, and Norah Jones thrown in. I'm always transitioning to new music, but I doubt I'll find anything that I liked as much as when I was discovering music for the first time. I don't love music enough to enjoy one style forever, nor do I have the time or inclination to learn it properly. As with so many other things, I've a healthy appreciation for music but not the steadiness nor the inclination to learn it properly.