TheBig3

I'd refute this very heavily but it isn't the topic at hand. All cardinal direction might have been charter but theres still tons of room on the micro level. The small things, the criss-crossing of characteristics. Rock has done little but be meatheaded thus far. I don't know if I'd say its day is over yet.

AS for the original question here, I think it ought to be Pop. It can constantly reinvent itself and it leaves other genres to be themselves and not have to fill the void.

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Raust

I think over the years metal has gotten a bad rep. I would like to see it being the dominant music genre.

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

A genre is nothing more than a grouping of cliches which you can optionally take here, and there. The dominant genre should be anything that blatantly ignores genre, and just involves people who write the best music with available resources imaginable. Taking in as much resources as available.

The actual narrative of music should be explored more closely like in classical. More formula breaking, risk taking, and generally unique music should be focused on. It should be custom to the artist/s composing it. Genres can be studied, and listened to for inspiration, but should only remain a fraction of the eventual process in creation.

But, what does that mean? Does that mean prog rock? Does that mean avant-garde? Does that mean experimental? Jazz fusion?

Means nothing, really.

Take most later Beatles for example. Lets say, the White Album.

Is the White Album a pop album? Yes, it had short catchy vocal/lyrically driven songs.

Is it a rock album? Yes, it was written by a band which started as blues based Chuck Barry inspired group, and never really lost elements of that.

Is it prog? Yes, sort of, definitely is intending to take rock in a new direction. It'd be argued that it also did so on a very large level.

Is it Avant-Garde? Well, technically, Beatles were exploring extremely experimental songwriting structures which involved what is usually branded as "random" jumps in genre midsong. Also, the Beatles were testing out and discovering worlds of rather unheard of studio technique. There are even tracks on there that are blatant attempts at Avant Garde.

In fact, The Beatles, whether you agree with it or not, and I like The Beatles but disagree, are considered largely to probably be the greatest music outfit of modern times. The only thing that kept them fresh was their refusal to stick within their designated genres.

Besides, the genres themselves are flimsy. Rock for example covers such a wide and random catalog. Started out as a more upbeat high energy tweaking of the blues, and while keeping that, ended up encompassing things like Nine Inch Nails which, in most cases, has relatively no blues influence, and can not be linked to early rock pioneers like Little Richard, and such in the slightest.

Genres are silly, in my eyes. I just voted Avant Garde because it vaguely means to completely ignore genre, and do your own thing. I think for the sake of exploring fresh music, fully manifesting evolutions in technology, evolving the narrative of music, and expanding people's consciousness, it's the best way to go.

Besides, it's how new "genres" are invented anyway, and we've been running the same old ones into the ground over the past thirty years or so.

TheBig3

So...you think the Beatles should be the dominant musical genre?

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Dr.Seussicide

Sure, why not

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Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

Eh, was only an example. There are tons of things I could also bring as decent examples.

I think a better way to phrase it is: There are no good genres. A dominant genre would be just another excuse for most new musicians to be lazy, and limit themselves creatively.

A music world without variety and defiance of formula is a dull music world.

The Bullet

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bannister

I don't really think anything should be dominant, nothing is 'superior' to me. I can find something I like in pretty much every genre there is out there, and if you can't, you're probably pretty close-minded musically and are better off sitting at home listening to the same record over and over again than joining a music forum.

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Bulldog

Meh. As long as a genre's available for me to explore, I couldn't really care less whether it's dominant or not.

downwardspiral

This absolutely.

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