[QUOTE="shyskillz"]
great music is an opinion. art in music can be seen by anyone from any background. some might think stringing a harp in a certain way is talent and pleasing to the ear ....while others might think banging on pots and pans is paradise. who is to say whats acceptable.. critics don't speak for everyone, to think they know whats best for all is just blind arrogance to me.
pianist
The technical end of great music making is not an opinion until you start talking about the finer points of interpretation or composition. Mom and Dad may think little Tommy plays better than Horowitz and enjoy his performances more, but that probably doesn't make it so (unless little Tommy is an astounding prodigy). Friends of garage band Pete may like his music better than Beethoven's ninth symphony, but the chances that garage band Pete manages to create a masterpiece of the musical significance of Beethoven's ninth symphony are essentially zero.
All you need to do to realize that your claim that great music is just an opinion is to answer this very simple question - is Hannah Montana's newest pop song the musical equivalent to Beethoven's ninth symphony? Is it crafted with as much skill and ingenuity? You may answer yes just to be contrarian, but you know the answer is no. And the answer couldn't be no unless there is more to identifying great music than personal opinion. If personal opinion is all that matters, then every single musician who is liked by anybody is as great as every other musician in the world, and popularity is the prime indicator of talent. Simple as that.
Critics don't speak for your taste, but that is all. You may like banal, simplistic music, and that's fine... but it's still banal and simplistic, and if an educated critic states it is, he's very likely telling the truth. Whether or not that affects your listening choices is entirely up to you. I do agree with you, however, that critics do not know what's best for all, because enjoyment of music is most certainly a personal thing. What critics can do is help people understand the difference between truly great music and music which only offers an illusion of greatness through popularity. Unfortunately, most people blindly dismiss them as arrogant elitists the moment they say something negative about a musical artist the person likes, because people take attacks on their favourite artists as attacks on themselves.
i remember being on this site for about 2 years before i even knew there was a forum. the main reason i started posting in the forums was to get more info / input on games because the reviewers were slacking. they are considered to be professional in their field too ( just like critics ) but lately they have miss judged alot of titles...i'm sure i'm not the only one that feels this way. but like i said before critics can't really determine what is great music for others, only for them selves and maybe some followers who can't think for themselves. critics can be well schooled in their choice of music but that really doesn't make their opinions of it any morebetter then those with no knowledge of it. ppl are going to like what they like, i doubt they need someone else to tell them whats bliss and whats trash. but, i do see your point.
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