Dearie me...aren't we passionate. I sympathise with the minors down the Victorian coal mines too, being deprived of the opportunity to listen to the great works on their primitive crystal sets. Sure the overwhelming desire to rest from the slave culture of the era would leave little room for joy other than from a simple ditty.
But times have changed and starting as a kid with simple music, can lead to a strong desire too sample still more of what is on offer.
The overriding difficulty, as with any field of endeavour, is that the deeper we go, the more the effort needed. With classical music the unspoken question from most non-followers is " What's in it for me?" Most cannot be easily convinced that actually listening to music is worth the effort, rather than having it flow past as a musical accompaniment to a beer. ( Let's not be too critical. : )
Now of course I have a theory, (surprise) that the admired learning process is partly to " blame " for this. The encouragement of the "just do it" approach seems to frown on the " nerd ." Thinkers are not the doers that the mill wants. " Don't just stand there boy, DO IT!!" Yet if you've had anything to do with learning mode analysis you'll know that generally the doers take the action: make the mistakes and then, opps, correct them. The thinker takes longer, but doesn't make the mistakes. I call the first one the "dog peeing on the tree syndrome". " Don't argue, there's a tree, pee on it." Perhaps there are more thinkers amongst the ladies. ; )
From my teen years I could never let music flow over me as I did my homework. Most often the music won and I had to stop what I was doing and listen. Yeah! Strangely I'd have to apply the "entrenched" word to the "pop" followers, though I understand that was not the writers particular bias. Failing to proceed beyond a certain musical level these days suggests more a decision not to, rather than a lack of opportunity. Of course there _are_ certain pressures like discrete media and easiest path considerations, and the lure can be stultifying. The big unanswered question of course is: " do the media and their close associates LEAD, or REFLECT, the public taste? "
I'd be careful, that in defending the right of the ordinary pop follower to reject anything that requires more effort, we are not simultaneously defending the right for them to be manipulated by insidious operatives, under the guise of legitimate market forces. Possibly even Republicans! Oh cynical me. : )
Reg.
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