Kinsao
Horizon Rider
- 8 May 2005
- 8,515
- 143
Yeah... there are different levels of experiencing and understanding music, I guess.
Like, I miss out on a lot of nuances of Japanese (and other languages!) songs because of not understanding the lyrics.
(of course, I can - and sometimes do - look them up on the net, but I have way too many songs to do that for all of them 
)
The way I see it, there are different aspects to the ways musicians get their message across... the first is the pure sound, by itself, which is what I mainly only get out of music. For instance, you don't need PVs or to go to a live, but simply put the CD in your stereo, close your eyes and off you go... I admit that's the way I most often experience music.
Of course, the lyrics are part of that whole experience, too, but only if you can understand them. And, there are those songs that are instrumental and don't have lyrics! I think anyone would agree that they are not in any way 'less', but just a 'different' way of the artist communicating their ideas, emotions etc.
Then there is the experience of attending a live, which is a different basin of fish. Then, it is the crowd experience, the mood of the crowd, that gets into you and makes the experience into what it becomes. And, the spontaneous interaction of the performer with the crowd - it all goes together. And, the live is both aural and visual, so you have the other elements that go with the visual.
Also, the visual is in things such as the CD booklets and PVs - I tend to think of the visual as in some way subsidiary to the hearing of the music, but it still contributes to the experience, as much or as little as you choose. :music:
I think not understanding the lyrics - whether that's because you don't know the language, or because you choose not to listen properly or make an attempt to interpret - does make your understanding of the piece at a shallower level, indeed; I say that even though I'm guilty of it.
On the other hand, it isn't out of choice for me.
And also, I have found that with the language barrier, that I have put interpretations on some pieces that actually don't match at all with the lyrics... sometimes that has proved my understanding more narrow, but at other times the results have been... quite interesting.
Like, I miss out on a lot of nuances of Japanese (and other languages!) songs because of not understanding the lyrics.
(of course, I can - and sometimes do - look them up on the net, but I have way too many songs to do that for all of them )The way I see it, there are different aspects to the ways musicians get their message across... the first is the pure sound, by itself, which is what I mainly only get out of music. For instance, you don't need PVs or to go to a live, but simply put the CD in your stereo, close your eyes and off you go... I admit that's the way I most often experience music.
Of course, the lyrics are part of that whole experience, too, but only if you can understand them. And, there are those songs that are instrumental and don't have lyrics! I think anyone would agree that they are not in any way 'less', but just a 'different' way of the artist communicating their ideas, emotions etc.
Then there is the experience of attending a live, which is a different basin of fish. Then, it is the crowd experience, the mood of the crowd, that gets into you and makes the experience into what it becomes. And, the spontaneous interaction of the performer with the crowd - it all goes together. And, the live is both aural and visual, so you have the other elements that go with the visual.
Also, the visual is in things such as the CD booklets and PVs - I tend to think of the visual as in some way subsidiary to the hearing of the music, but it still contributes to the experience, as much or as little as you choose. :music:
I think not understanding the lyrics - whether that's because you don't know the language, or because you choose not to listen properly or make an attempt to interpret - does make your understanding of the piece at a shallower level, indeed; I say that even though I'm guilty of it.
On the other hand, it isn't out of choice for me.
And also, I have found that with the language barrier, that I have put interpretations on some pieces that actually don't match at all with the lyrics... sometimes that has proved my understanding more narrow, but at other times the results have been... quite interesting.
: look at the live of the song vanilla by gackt
That one with the ripped jeans is just too perfect. If only there was a more convenient tear in it. 
