Drone
I haven’t made a blog post in a while, so I thought, now that the snow has finally disappeared it was time for another topic.
I’d like to talk about what most people seem to refer as ‘Drone’ music. It seems to me that people find it hard to accept the idea of drone music. From wher I am sitting the fact is that concentrated listening is needed to really appreciate music in this form and a lot of people seem to miss that point. People are able to understand the concept of drone but all people seem to do, when faced with a new track, is skip to the middle of a track, which is so easy nowadays on iTunes etc… and they seem to judge a track on whether they like it, half way in. I understand why people do that but unfortunately this behavior seems to be inherent in the modern ‘Pop’ culture.
Recently I have been listening to Ian Hawgood and Jannick Schou. I think a year ago I would have found it beautiful, but hard to appreciate. Now, having been creating more drone-like texture recently I have not only grown accustomed to listening to such pieces, but really taking in what is happening in each composition. I feel the ‘drone’ is more of a journey, you have to start at the beginning in order to reach the middle and appreciate it fully. It is sort of like unlocking the rest of the piece, but mentally and aurally. If you skip to the middle all you hear is a sort of drony sound, but when listened to from the start a plethra of textures and dynamics appear.
Having said all this, I very much understand that listening is a personal thing, and things mean different things to everyone. At the end of the day, i never discount people for their musical taste, it would be wrong to. I just wish people could think more interllectually when it comes to music, rather than feasting on the never ending stream of pop music and listening to people go on about their ‘Bitches & Ho’s’. I am lucky to know lots of musicians who care about music and the development of it, rather than making money from it. It is all very well people turning up to open mic nights reeling off cover versions of songs we have heard a million times but what is that doing for music?. To all the musicians I say try something new, experiment with sound and open up a new musical world for yourselves.
Clem
