what is the difference between good and bad music


my friend says rap is bad music. another friend says mahler is a terrible composer.

is it all subjective, i.e., a matter of opinion ? or are there standards which can distinguish good from bad music, however one defines these terms ?

if there are standards, can one specify them or refer me to a source ?
mrtennis

Showing 1 response by musicslug

the changeability of personal taste is fascinating: how many times have we pulled out a piece of music we used to love/not love, only to find that our feeling about it has flipped 180 degrees? it makes selling 'unwanted' CDs/LPs a risky proposition indeed...

another interesting note on this subject: some musical instruments (stringed especially) are just naturally louder and have better timbre when they are tuned properly. now how do you explain that? are there preexisting C#s in the universe?

albert: if you are open to Stockhausen, you might try to get your hands on Kim Cascone's 'Blue Cube' or 'Cathode Flower' - very cool computer-generated music by an associate of Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks) or Jon Wall's 'Fractuur' or 'Alterstill' - music constructed of samples of 20th century composers (which doesn't sound sampled at all; it sounds composed and seamless)