Music the way it ought to be organized
One of the central problems in my life has been to find music I really like. It's relatively easy to find music similar in style to something you already like. Music stores are organized according to style. People usually get to know artists in a style similar to artists they like. My problem is that, as far as styles go, my tastes are all over the place. But I've always felt there must somehow be a connection between all those artists I like.
Now get this. The All Music Guide database has a field for what they call the "tone" of an artist or band. While the site doesn't let you search the database by tone, Google comes to the rescue as it often does. As it turns out, my favorite artists seem to cluster around some favorite tones. Here's irreverent, cerebral, complex music. And there's music with a quirky, detached tone. Try this for intense, ominous, cerebral pieces, or check out reflective, intense music.
Of course those are my own preferences. Try it out for yourself: start by finding a band you like, pick a few of their tones (there's quite a palette), then Google them.
Now I'm thinking, if this works for music, it might work for other kinds of creative work. It might be interesting to categorize blog tones as well, perhaps with a collaborative rating system à la bloghop to let individual perceptions even out.
 11:36:44 PM
|
|
