Classical Music is fantastic.. Doesnt mean you cannot respect and appreciate other styles of music. "Music" is different to each individual.

Mark Snow composed the music for the x-files. He went to Juilliard and was the co-founder of the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble. Really an all around player and composer

Edgar Meyer is a Monster Musician. I seen him perform extremely difficult cello pieces for the National Endowment of the Arts when they awarded him .5 Million Dollars to keep doing Edgar Meyers and creating Indigenous Cultural Appalachian Music and all the other vast songs in his ever growing repertoire. What really impresses me about Oscar Meyers and you Xavier is that you both express your big and distinct souls, you are both really unique and you contribute immensely by putting the double bass out front as solo voice and lead voice in ensemble to orchestra!! I’ve never bought in to this notion that only classical music is legitimate Music is universal and is expressed from the most primitive human beings as well as those whom consider themselves more sophisticated of which includes all genres of music. From Bach to Bottesini, Meyers to Robinson, Olusala to Xavier, what extraordinary times we’re living in to be blessed with extraordinary creative bassist and musicians ! What about Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder or Christian McBride? Our world is more enriched by opening our hearts, souls and then ears.

The highest form of art is...whatever you are playing. This isn't just a "corny" compliment. Art is all about feeling. Everything you play makes a statement heart to heart; soul to soul. This is especially true of your Bach. Many people deliver antiseptic performances of Bach (myself included), and it is rare to hear it played with such passion. I hope you never get tired of playing it. Everything else I've heard you play, jazz, your Etudes, etc. always has that great emotional expression as well. Bravo, bravo, BRAVO!

Thank you for sharing. Comforting to hear such introspection and spiritual clarity. I would practice violin many hours for many years till I could play most everything written... and yet, couldn't even jam with the fam band... The composers ALL embraced ALL music. It's the snob attitude Xavier references that's turned all the world's symphonies into Vegas tribute acts. "If it sounds good, it IS good." Duke E

Thanks for the post. I met Edgar at a formative time in my life--I grew up in E TN. I met him right after he graduated from IU and was about to move to Nashville. One of the first things he said to me was, 'I want to play music that people like.' Fair enough. Oh, and that was after he played some of Bach's 2nd Cello Suite. If someone really knows Edgar (whether personally or musically), they will get where he is coming from. In the years since he moved to Nashville, he has done so much to bring different musical worlds together. We can't be influenced by another person's ignorance, but the acoustic string players who play Blue Grass are some of the most amazing musicians one could hope to hear. In those conversations, Edgar mentioned Vince Gill. Nothing else to say. Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Mark O'Connor, Mike Marshall--all monsters of their instruments. At the end of the day, it is the expression coming thru the instrument or voice which is most important. Some people won't get that. As an interviewer once tried to pin Monk down, he asked, do you like so and so music. Monk responded 'I like all music'. Question came again. Monk looked at his manager and said, "I think this fellow is hard of hearing'. Monk could make magic from the corniest of songs.

I think classical music is a high ART form but that doesn't stop me loving bluegrass or reggae music. I grew up as a jazz snob, glued Charles Mingus records and Sonny Rollins to my turntable. I looked down on people who loved AC/DC and Black Sabbath . I think it is refreshing now to just be able to get loose and not restrict myself while listening. It took me years to stop analyzing chord changes and arrangements . My advice is just relax, don't make music "homework ".

I love aphex twin. You keep growing brotha. Love you bro.

Edgar Meyer is in my top 5 musicians/composers ever (personally for my own ears and reliability). His music is so beautiful, so much fun, so moving and exciting. He's a true artist exploring the boundaries and limits.

Music is music. All music can be done well and expressively. That's the beauty and that's the whole goddamn point of this creative medium. Why love less in the world? To love more music is to love more of life.

"Are you impressed with classical music because it is a higher form of art?" .... such a deep question from a young person and old soul. Big Smile.

I went to CCM in 2010 after being inspired by Edgar's recordings. After two years, I was told that the pieces I wanted to perform (Chinese traditional and Klezmer) were not worth studying, because they weren't in "THE CANON".

@user-nu5yi4qr4c

5 ай бұрын

Most of what IS in the canon is cannon fodder

I totally agree with you. That thought it's around my mind too. I think so many people in the classical world have a superiority complex that make them think that classical music Is not just the ultimate musical genere, but the kind of music that it's over the other music and that any thing that it's out of the circle of the classical forms it's wrong. I think that in a certain way classical music Is more complex than the rest of the music, but just in certain way, call it techinque, call it expressivity, i don't know. But there are other generes that have them own difficulties, that they artistic value it's in other things that classical music don't have. Every genere have they own value that make them special AND unique. Unfortune the ones that don't want to learn from all the deep ocean of rich variety that music Is.

It’s not necessarily the Classical Music that is better than others, but what the composers(and musicians) have done with what they have to work with-evidently. The level of mathematics and the connections to the human consciousness truly does go beyond other genres(of course there are exceptions), generally speaking. Maybe if there other genres get as old as classical music they will get more complex

I love it that you listen to drum&bass music. I want to hear you write some on the upright! I think as a classical guitarist and an adult-learning double bass player, I like the challenge of classical music as well as the harmonic complexity. I also like to play a bluegrass gig!

Spot on. Edgar Meyer is the initial impetus for me landing on double bass. When his first album came out....! Anyway, I went on to get my degrees in classical db (MM under Tim Cobb), and an orchestra career. Edgar's "bluegrass" isn't anywhere close to the core so-called corny. I made a probably near perfect transcription of Early Morning BTW. 1st studio album version. I need someone to get it to him for me. I've got Jerry's number via a friend, but haven't pressed that. Rather get it to Edgar directly. In 1990 I spoke to Edgar on the phone, me asking for transcriptions. He said they don't exist and recommended I ask publishers or find a way to do some. Finally in 2015 or so, my brother and I made this one off of a favorite that started it all.

Thanks for raising this important question. You're totally right - no musical expression should be considered more or less valid based off of the genre or background it comes from. I think when we perform classical music we should do it out of genuine love for what we play rather than some sort of drive to be "cultured." At the end of the day we're all just playing music we feel the desire to create, whatever that is for us.

I remember Martin Amis wrote about Joyce's Ulysses that it was an important book but that it wasn't one you would "curl up with". I think that's true for virtually all classical music as well: important for its time but ultimately historical. Exceptional artists like Bach and Shakespeare are amazing because they *remain* so relevant, but they still battle because they're so far removed from their native context, and their quality (and ongoing accessibility) makes them very much the exception, not the norm. Classical composers were just artists scrapping to make a living in a particular place and time; human creativity is a constant and constantly renewing. That the artistic output of one time and place is so fetishized seems like it has a lot to do with classism and racism, not because of any magical exceptional merit of the art itself. To quote one more exceptional artist: "I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious it means that they're worthy." That seems apropos for classical music as well.

@bustan44

2 жыл бұрын

well said dude.

Could you talk more about Edgar Meyer? He and the "corny" Bela Fleck etc musicians from the bluegrass scene are some of the most important, open-minded musicians one could come across and your insight would be awesome!

"If it sounds good, it is good." Duke Ellington

hahahahaha Awesomenesssss....Sorry I'm Missing you in Atlanta for your Concert....Have a Great Time and See Ya Soon

As a composer, the classical genre appeals to me mostly because of the freedom of expression. No limited song structure, even measured phrases, harmonic limitations, etc. There's an ambiguity that I can utilize better in my own works than in any other genre. Edgar Meyer seems to do well in that too. His Violin Concerto, which he wrote for Hilary Hahn, is arguably the best concerto even written by an American composer. Amazing work.

@XavierFoley

3 жыл бұрын

Well said! And Edgar's violin concerto is amazing! I wish it was played more often.

I started musical life in 1970 as a classical violinist at age 10. I switched to banjo at age 17 and never looked back. What I find to be the divide is the fear of improvisation in classical world, while these other genres are built on improvisation. Literally, I was told at age 13 that you have to play 30-40 years to get good enough to improvise. An untruth said by someone scared sh**less of playing music without notes written down. That's pretty much it. Even the composers so revered in classical world today were themselves consummate improvisers in their time. That basic concept is scary and alien to classical musicians. Musicians like Edgar Meyer bridge these two worlds, even dragging folks like YoYo Ma along with them :) ... read up on what Ma has to say about improvising and how these guys brought him out of his classical shell.

Hi, I just watched this video and yes. I do listen and practice orchestral, chamber, baroque or other forms of music in these idioms based in the concept that the composers in the idiom are more substantial.

classical "world" is very elitist in a certain way and sometimes that is not very good...I share the same opinion as you and I feel that as well! Keep up with the videos and sharing your ideas, I like what you're doing! Greetings from Portugal! :D

Hey! It would be awesome if you make a playlist with the music you listen to just relax, or your influences C:

Wow , it actually suprisingly to me that you listen to aphex . I think elitism is very common thing in classical music society. I mean , partly i can understand them: thinking about history of classical music , about traditions that you going inheritate. If you got only this "thinking food" it really hard to understand beauty of many other musical genres , traditions , culture ... Well , i just want to write that more experience you have , more thoughts and ideas you able to use in music you play . Anyway , thank you Xavier! You really musical treasure ! Please , continue to produce videos about double bass and music. Good luck and great succes to you !

@quazzun

4 жыл бұрын

Well , i play classical music because it fun to play , yeah partly i think about it like about something a bit bigger, like about what i can be part of maybe , but it not a big deal. It a good way to improve instrument skills i can use in other genres.

Yea I don't listen to classical that much either bro. If I'm listening to acoustic music it's usually jazz, I really only listen to classical if I'm studying for an upcoming performance.

We start out as children so expansive and unselfconscious and then unfortunately make ourselves smaller and smaller until we are hardly anything but a few entrenched opinions and the whole structure we invent to validate our existence. It's sad really. Many of us will die with a few sentences of eulogy that will easily define us. And it is our own fault. We have to actively avoid shutting down and becoming a small fortress of comfortable notions and ideas. The bass has no idea what a genre is. When I pick it up every day it is ready to make any sound I can invent. Each sequences of notes are like little strands of DNA. We either recognize the strands mirror those within ourselves or we do not. We either resonate with those sounds or we do not. There is no such thing as a better sound, there is only sound. What you do with that sound is up to you. If a whole genre exists that we can recognize then it is surely a valid resonance. Edgar is such a beautiful musician. What total nonsense. I just got back from playing at the Ojai Festival and we did not play classical music. I loved everything I heard there or more specifically that the place resonated with sounds from people who cared to share what they felt was beautiful. I didn't think about anything other than resonance.

A lot of classical players are subconsciously jealous that they can’t play contemporary music or jazz with soul. They also may seethe that plenty of great contemporary musicians are not aware how cool a lot of classical pieces are, or haven’t put the work and study hours in that classical musicians have, but are still successful.

Unfortunately I’ve encountered this attitude amongst jazz musician.

I don't play classical music because it is a higher form of art, but I do not enjoy music that sounds plane either. The thing is that all genres have good and bad music within them (good and bad being relative to the listener) so just like you can't say that a whole genre of food is bad, like chinese food or mexican food which both have good and bad in them, you can't generalize a genre of music either. What worries me is that because of the corny comment you got, you're turned away from classical music that you used to love since you associate it with the snob factor. Bach's music can be extremely beautiful whether it's played in front of a king or in front of yourself in a practice room. There are certain elements to music that create a connection in us, and no one should be ashamed for liking any kind of music for that feeling.

did you say "i relax listening to aphex twin? jaja. cool. well, if the guy says he cares about bottesini and nothing else, he is not a classical music fan, he is a double bass player. there isnt a single classical music fan that would love bottesini, if he is not a double bass player. when it comes to the dvorak cello concerto, everybody thinks its a masterpiece, even if you have no idea how to play the cello. if you try to find someone who loves bottesini and doesnt play the bass..well..good luck! btw, you are an awesome player! and i love the fact that now you have a low-c extension on your bass. i cant wait to hear your new music with those low notes!!

The insistence that classical (western) music is the "greatest" and is often considered art at its "highest standards" is just blatant white supremacy that is unfortunately still rampant in the classical world. What's so frustrating is that composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach were innovators: they were interested in the here and now. What they were composing was new and exciting, yet the classical world seems stuck in the 18th century, which goes against everything these composers were working towards. We see innovators like that nowadays in FKA Twigs, Flying Lotus, Son Lux, Woodkid, etc. If someone enjoys classical, that's fine, but they shouldn't delude themselves into thinking it's the highest form of music, and they shouldn't bash other forms of music simply because they don't understand it. Elitism like this is what will cause classical music to fade into antiquity and irrelevance: not because the music itself is unenjoyable, but because its fans are so out of touch and made to feel superior for it.

@connorhlane

2 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't call it white supremacy-that’s abusing the word. Snobbery is more on point.