Uproars Entertainment

Do you have to become great at an instrument to be make good music?

I have this debate with friends all the time. They think you have to be very good at your instrument (Think Van Halen on guitar for example) in order to make good music, but I dont' think so. There are many musical artists who aren't necessarily the best with their instruments but still write very good and memorable songs. On the flipside I know many virtouso's like Yngwie Malmsteen whose music isn't really appreciated and is just dismissed as showing off.

Public Comments

1. i think the technical wizards like van halen and malmsteen are boring and pretentious, all their stuff sounds the same, and they lack soul and emotion in their playing. give me eric clapton or stevie ray vaughn any day over those guys.
2. It is unfortunate that most of the people you hear on the radio (fall out boy, fifty cents and the like) are absolutely worthless musicians (using the term loosely). Luckily there is a program called protools that can make a fart on a snare drum sound great. So no you do not have to be good at anything to make a great song all you need is a great producer and engineer.
3. NO. look at nirvana for example. A 5 year old can play that music but it makes you bob your head. And being good at an instrument doesnt mean you make good music either. For example : Malmsteen. talented at guitar / terrible music.
4. Not necessarily. You can make good music without even touching an instrument.
5. Good music? YES... Great music? NO!
6. I think good music is a combination of talent/training and creativity. The best music is the kind that makes you feel, and that also has a catchy tune. This means that people who are sort of good at singing/playing but written meaningful music have decent music. It also means that people who are really good at playing/singing, but not all that creative can write decent music as well.
7. I agree with you, especially since "good" is a subjective term within this context.
8. While proficiency with ones instrument allows for a greater range of possibilities, it still comes down to how well a piece is executed. It is expressive? Can you connect with the writer's lyrics, their prose? Does it move you in some way? Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Huddie Ledbetter weren't "great" technically on the guitar but no one can doubt their artistry and contributions to the American music scene. In high school I played lead guitar in bands that covered Rush, Zep, Rush, Boston, Kansas, EVH, etc. To this day, I love Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, Tom Scholtz, Steve Howe, Angus Young, Joe Perry. But I also dig on Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, and Bach. As I get older, I find myself moving toward simplicity. I'm listening to more Jim Croce, James Taylor, John Denver, Bob Dylan. My current favorite is Sara Bareilles. I love her voice.