I like contemporary Christian music. I like the way it makes me feel - lifted, moved, like I NEED to sing along.
Occasionally, when the topic comes up, I get a little grief from the 'real' musicians I know. Apparently, this form of music gets condemned both on style and topic. Style wise, the 'contemporary Christian' is a catch all for everything from rap to rearranged classic hymns like Amazing Grace. It's the subject matter and what it's not that qualifies the style. It's not country and its not classical. Maybe it's the lack of defined style that gets grief.
As for topic, the people I have heard condemn the subject matter aren't condemning the belief in God. They condemn those who appear to be hypocrites; those who write and perform the music, and then lead non Christian lives.
Anyway, surprisingly, today in church the music got to me, and not in a good way. It grated on my nerves from the first note. My limited knowledge came into play, and I was critical. The little girl next to me was yelling the verses at the top of her lungs, and I cringed at the wrongness of it. I realized why some things are not good for kids. I found the music today heavy handed, and not really musical. The "rocking it up" with multiple electric guitars and such was distracting.
This is not how I typically feel. But, today I did. Anyway, I left church with a splitting headache. A borderline migraine. I wanted to close my eyes and sleep.
Oh, how much I have to say on this topic.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy Power 88 type-things, excluding the rap. Some of the computerized junk is unbearable as well. Some of it has very little to do with God.
I enjoy traditional Christian music. Chris Tomlin is a good example of what I like. The "amping it up" absolutely ruins it for me.
As a musician, it can be very hard to sit through some songs, even if they are heartfelt. This is one of the reasons I love opera so much; I don't have to nitpick, because there is very little to nitpick through. Knowledge can destroy the pleasure of listening, but to me, it is worth it to have those moments when you genuinely love the music.
I almost blogged about this very topic the other day.
Chris Tomlin is someone I like. I like some of the "pop" stuff.
ReplyDeleteWe don't listen to the radio often, but I generally go for my 80's oldies, or Power 88. Some nights Power 88 has this really head banging hard stuff I cant stand. Bentley has recently decided she likes country. I like some of the cross over stuff, but for the most part, yuk.
We go to the contemporary service at our church. I generally enjoy it a lot. Yesterday I wasn't sure if I was off, or the music was off. I think it was the music.
I am really anxious to experience more opera. I have some things in my netflix que. I just watched Mansfield Park this morning, which I've had for about 3 weeks. I think when I send it back tomorrow, Benjamin Britten is next up. I wish you could provide commentary!
I went through a country phase, believe it or not.
ReplyDeleteIf you need suggestions for singers or operas, I've got 'em!
I think that for me (a so-called "real" musician), the problem is that Christian music typically does not strive to be original nor artistic in any way. Its main goal appears to be to keep up with pop trends and to offer a Christian alternative to the secular mainstream. When I was in high school and college, there was this huge uprising of independent Christian record labels (Tooth & Nail being the most famous of them) wherein the main goal seemed to be similar, except on a much more genre-specific level. A lot of those bands actually succeeded on some level (sometimes more critically than commercially) because while there was a reflection of what was "happening" in secular music, it didn't seem like a pale imitation in many cases. For instance, the band MXPX was sort of the Christian version of Green Day, but they got popular enough to be on MTV at one point because they were tapping into a genre that was cool, and they were all tattooed and pierced and didn't seem like posers/fakers.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, many people don't realize it, but Nashville is not only home to country, but also to contemporary Christian music. It's a big business and is really nothing more than a little microcosm of the entire music industry. If you're on the edge of "making it" in secular music, you could probably just switch up your lyrical content and image a bit and probably be a star in Christian music. There's definitely a gap in talent.
That said, I don't think there's anything wrong with the music making you feel something. Music is really just a combination of various manipulations anyway. Certain chord changes evoke certain types of feelings, and those feelings are magnified by the addition of lyrics and certain vocal inflections. That is true with all music. I think Christian music just seems to let secular music try out all the cool stuff first.
One more thing... as for Bentley liking Country, don't forget... she's young. (Personally, I'm fine with real stuff like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc...) I just think it's very important for her to know how most of those songs are written. It may ruin it for her, or she may think it's neat and want to pursue it. But generally speaking (and we're talking half the time here), a group of people will book a "writing session", show up together in the same room, drink coffee or tea or wine, and wrack their brains trying to invent something out of nothing. Yes, it is a talent. Writing sonnets or haikus or some other kind of formal poetry is a talent. But let's face it. These are not sonnets. They don't have the breadth of subject matter as sonnets. They are calculated, manipulative nuggets of pop culture designed to fit within very narrow walls and by virtue of that, appeal to a very broad number of people. Then the song is pitched to an attractive/popular artist, who may put the song on hold, or later choose to "cut" (record) it. If the artist is big enough, they may even have the power to change one word (or no words) and claim writer credit. Anyway, VERY RARELY did the writer (much less the artist) experience any of the story you are hearing in the song. That doesn't always need to be the case, though. Novels are fiction, too. I just think it's important to know what's real and what's not. There are MANY MANY MANY great country/americana artists making music that are similar enough to what's on the radio, but that are working hard as performing songwriters and who write really touching, real stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think you said exactly what I tried to say, but better: contemporary Christian music has no style of it's own, outside of what it's not.
ReplyDeleteI am posting this comment on behalf of Aaron. I got the email notification of it, but for some reason it's missing here.
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One more thing... as for Bentley liking Country, don't forget... she's young. (Personally, I'm fine with real stuff like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, etc...) I just think it's very important for her to know how most of those songs are written. It may ruin it for her, or she may think it's neat and want to pursue it. But generally speaking (and we're talking half the time here), a group of people will book a "writing session", show up together in the same room, drink coffee or tea or wine, and wrack their brains trying to invent something out of nothing. Yes, it is a talent. Writing sonnets or haikus or some other kind of formal poetry is a talent. But let's face it. These are not sonnets. They don't have the breadth of subject matter as sonnets. They are calculated, manipulative nuggets of pop culture designed to fit within very narrow walls and by virtue of that, appeal to a very broad number of people. Then the song is pitched to an attractive/popular artist, who may put the song on hold, or later choose to "cut" (record) it. If the artist is big enough, they may even have the power to change one word (or no words) and claim writer credit. Anyway, VERY RARELY did the writer (much less the artist) experience any of the story you are hearing in the song. That doesn't always need to be the case, though. Novels are fiction, too. I just think it's important to know what's real and what's not. There are MANY MANY MANY great country/americana artists making music that are similar enough to what's on the radio, but that are working hard as performing songwriters and who write really touching, real stuff.