July 5, 2008
Author's Response:
To be honest, I don't think either of those are very good reasons to think badly of a song. I usually judge a song by how enjoyable it is to listen to, and not by how difficult it was for the artist to create. I'm a fan of novel chord progressions too, but to condemn a song for following classic progressions is, in my opinion, downright elitist.
As a physics major interested in music, I've taken an aside to learn a bit about why certain frequencies are consonant to the human ear, and it's no suprise that the I, IV, iv and V chords share mathematical properties that have pushed them to the forefront of interest in many cultures throughout history. I don't appreciate them any less for their banality in the eyes of others.
I also might point out that writing scores for the donzens of instruments heard here, slaving their velocity and mastering it all are hardly simple tasks to undertake (despite "computer looping"). The bridge also added a fairly complex departure from the chord pattern.
I will still thank you of course for your honesty. I could care less about being scored badly, as long as your reasons are honest and taken seriously.
If unique progressions are your thing, I encourage you to check out "Medley", "The Spanish Laureate" or perhaps "Halloween Piano Score". Maybe one of those will be up your alley.
