It's often said that contemporary music is difficult.
But is it really the music that's difficult?
Or is it the way we listen?
Many people love classical music, but tense up at the mention of 'contemporary music'.
Imagining 'incomprehensible' things like pianos being struck with their lids or endless dissonances, many have quietly avoided it. You are probably not alone.
Today, I'd like to talk about how to ease that apprehension a little.
Listen to Music as You Would Walk Through a Museum
It might surprise you, but even those who specialize in music rarely 'like everything' in contemporary music.
The same goes for classical music. While some may love Bach, Chopin, and Stravinsky, few, if any, adore all of their works.
It's natural to have pieces you like, pieces that don't resonate, and pieces you dislike. That's perfectly normal.
Yet, when the label 'contemporary music' appears, we suddenly feel compelled to 'understand' it.
As if we're not qualified to listen unless we've read through an abstruse commentary from beginning to end.
But there's no need for that. It's like not having to scrutinize every painting in a museum.
You stop in front of a painting that catches your eye. With music, you can start with a piece that resonates with you.
Music That Doesn't Make You Wait for "What Happens Next"
Still, you might wonder, 'Where should I start listening?'
For your first piece, I recommend a genre called "Minimal Music".
As the name suggests, it's music that repeats a very small number of sonic elements, gradually changing them.
This resonates surprisingly pleasantly even with first-time listeners.
A representative composer of this genre is the American Steve Reich. Please listen to his piece, Piano Phase, written in 1967.
The mechanism is very simple. Two pianists begin playing the exact same short phrase simultaneously.
However, one of them slightly accelerates the tempo.
As a result, the two perfectly synchronized sounds gradually drift apart.
This divergence creates a strange effect. Even though they are playing the same notes, the changing overlap makes it seem as if a different melody emerges.
As you listen, your ears might trick you into thinking, 'Did a new melody just appear?'
Reich himself called this 'music as a gradually unfolding process'.
There are no dramatic developments or moving climaxes. We simply follow the quiet progression of rules with our ears. The process itself becomes the music.
Here lies the first trick to enjoying contemporary music:
Instead of waiting for 'what happens next,' listen intently to 'what is happening now.'
