wow, all of them feature pretty naff drum sounds. i’ve heard that somewhere………
it must be “chinese character” syndrome. striking similarities to japanese muzak or is the other way around? it has been said in japan that the japanese listen to more melody lines, whereas the western ears are comparatively more accustomed to rhythm. slightly unrelated, i have been told that “enka” music that used to be quite rampant in japan originates from korea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enka).
really good point on “parrot learning”, which also happens in japan, due to the use of characters that originate from china. language definitely is a dominating factor, since it does affect thought and process, i mean, how else are you going to consciously manage your brain? a bilingual bloke like me, is often having to swing both ways……… i like being bi.
The Chinese really love a good melody as well. One thing all those songs have in common is their infectious melody lines. Instantly memorable and translatable to every area of life. You hear people whistling all of the above down the street. There is almost zero attention paid to production in most cases – something we simply will not stand for in the west – with the melody line being the sole selling point for the track. The naff drum sounds you refer to are pretty representative of production generally.
Good melody rocks! I think Ed summarized it well with the love of infectious melody lines, instantly memorable lyrics – all key features of a good ’saliva’ song. I am only NOW starting to dip my toe into the KTV music culture here in Beijing, and knowing the same song everyone ‘loves’ ensures you are part of the group. This and most people discover music from Baidu Mp3 …
the problem with being “melody heavy” is that the themes (lyrical content) all start to become about similar things. usually love and relationships or join hands in unity, sing-along type songs. exactly the same in japan.
production styles is not an easy issue to educate or create awareness, as i have experienced first hand in japan. first of all, you need a good coach, which means lots of good live shows. then next is getting rid of often misunderstood conceptions of musicianship. this is an issue even in america or europe. for example, with western ensembles, the quality of the rhythm section is paramount. example, motown, stax, etc. drumming is not about brute force. it is more about creating dynamics and being able to create and alter dynamics. however, for many people, it is still “rad” to beat on the drums to hell (you’re actually choking the xxxx out of the drums). if you talk to a drummer about these issues, have them examine good drumming videos closely (http://www.drummerworld.com/index2.html). there are good power hitter drummers, but they are usually an exception and not suitable for an asian physique. then there are other instruments that need to be addressed. then there is also the issue of recording, which is another whole can of worms with differing perspectives……… what can be said though is that despite all this advancements in recording technology, they have only improved upon makeup techniques. the fundamental does not change. sxxx in, sxxx out.
This is rubbish. It’s not like you don’t hear certain western “chart hits” type pop songs played incessantly in the US or UK.
Actually, I’ve found Chinese pop music is pretty vibrant and different (my experience is mainly in Taiwan – but lots of Taiwan songs and stars transfer to the mainland, the David Tao/Jolin Tsai one being an example).
Sure, they don’t perhaps have the same styles you find in the west, but then this isn’t the west. Instead they have their own chinese influences which appear in their music.
You do yourself no favours by making a bullish remark like “This is rubbish” only to go on and say that your experience is in a completely different country.
Taiwan has a robust and vibrant pop industry compared to the mainland. Some songs may make it across but the majority do not due to the censorship process. Comparisons can not really be made, therefore, between the two places in terms of depth of style and quality.
Why??!! Why put going home on here. I HATE it. I like the first one however.
wow, all of them feature pretty naff drum sounds. i’ve heard that somewhere………
it must be “chinese character” syndrome. striking similarities to japanese muzak or is the other way around? it has been said in japan that the japanese listen to more melody lines, whereas the western ears are comparatively more accustomed to rhythm. slightly unrelated, i have been told that “enka” music that used to be quite rampant in japan originates from korea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enka).
really good point on “parrot learning”, which also happens in japan, due to the use of characters that originate from china. language definitely is a dominating factor, since it does affect thought and process, i mean, how else are you going to consciously manage your brain? a bilingual bloke like me, is often having to swing both ways……… i like being bi.
The Chinese really love a good melody as well. One thing all those songs have in common is their infectious melody lines. Instantly memorable and translatable to every area of life. You hear people whistling all of the above down the street. There is almost zero attention paid to production in most cases – something we simply will not stand for in the west – with the melody line being the sole selling point for the track. The naff drum sounds you refer to are pretty representative of production generally.
Good melody rocks! I think Ed summarized it well with the love of infectious melody lines, instantly memorable lyrics – all key features of a good ’saliva’ song. I am only NOW starting to dip my toe into the KTV music culture here in Beijing, and knowing the same song everyone ‘loves’ ensures you are part of the group. This and most people discover music from Baidu Mp3 …
the problem with being “melody heavy” is that the themes (lyrical content) all start to become about similar things. usually love and relationships or join hands in unity, sing-along type songs. exactly the same in japan.
production styles is not an easy issue to educate or create awareness, as i have experienced first hand in japan. first of all, you need a good coach, which means lots of good live shows. then next is getting rid of often misunderstood conceptions of musicianship. this is an issue even in america or europe. for example, with western ensembles, the quality of the rhythm section is paramount. example, motown, stax, etc. drumming is not about brute force. it is more about creating dynamics and being able to create and alter dynamics. however, for many people, it is still “rad” to beat on the drums to hell (you’re actually choking the xxxx out of the drums). if you talk to a drummer about these issues, have them examine good drumming videos closely (http://www.drummerworld.com/index2.html). there are good power hitter drummers, but they are usually an exception and not suitable for an asian physique. then there are other instruments that need to be addressed. then there is also the issue of recording, which is another whole can of worms with differing perspectives……… what can be said though is that despite all this advancements in recording technology, they have only improved upon makeup techniques. the fundamental does not change. sxxx in, sxxx out.
This is rubbish. It’s not like you don’t hear certain western “chart hits” type pop songs played incessantly in the US or UK.
Actually, I’ve found Chinese pop music is pretty vibrant and different (my experience is mainly in Taiwan – but lots of Taiwan songs and stars transfer to the mainland, the David Tao/Jolin Tsai one being an example).
Sure, they don’t perhaps have the same styles you find in the west, but then this isn’t the west. Instead they have their own chinese influences which appear in their music.
@ Ben,
You do yourself no favours by making a bullish remark like “This is rubbish” only to go on and say that your experience is in a completely different country.
Taiwan has a robust and vibrant pop industry compared to the mainland. Some songs may make it across but the majority do not due to the censorship process. Comparisons can not really be made, therefore, between the two places in terms of depth of style and quality.