What the hell is "good music" anyway?

This is a fundamental question that most musicians don't ever find the ultimate answer for -- Beethoven might have come close a couple times , Stravinsky definitely did, Led Zeppelin touched on a few moments here and there, as did Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa, but what was it that made their sound stuff good?

The answer: we could relate to it on some level almost universally, across all different cultures and upbringings. There was some thing about those frequencies timbres and rhythms that rubbed our psyche in some subconscious way that communicated beyond the words, (although in vocal music, words can enter into the equation.)

So how can anyone just go out and make music as timeless, interesting and unique as that?

The truth is, I don't know if anyone has a definitive answer to that one. I have tried to be as 'unique' & 'individual' as possible -- so much so that I can't listen to pop music without an un-jaded ear... To me . it's elevator music.

ALL of it.

I WISH I could listen to something on the radio without cringing or thinking how I might have done it in a more interesting way, in fact the one and just about only thing that I find redeeming in MOR (middle of the road) music is production values; sometimes even that can detract from the overall sound image you are trying to achieve.

Now, the music I make is quite a bit left of center and while I understand how a pop song is constructed, I find myself rarely going down that path to find my own 'good music'. (Unless I am goofing on it of course.)

The music that really resonates with us NEEDS to sound different enough to be BOLD ... DARING. UNCOMPROMISING, while at the same time having enough familiarity to strike that chord in each of us -- and in this I believe the timing of the song is essential.

As we all mull over these topics everyday a new little nugget is revealed, (just try to avoid too much of the brown nuggets, they are generally the BAD ones) and this can only make our sonic manipulations more interesting and more relevant to ourselves, making it BETTER.

*NOTE* As you've noticed I am constantly comparing things back to my own work, but that's only because that's the prism I look at life through and having asked these questions and searched my own 'inner whatever of truth' I have come up with this GOLDEN RULE OF ALL:

If you don't like something then find out WHY its bad and ultimately by the process of elimination you can make something GOOD.

Later y'all.