The decline in guitar bands is one of the reasons behind a lot of chart music sounding “strangely predictable” says 15-year-old Sadie Parker
From blues to rock and roll, guitar music has been a major part of people’s lives for decades.
However, in the past 20 years, it has seen a steep decline as a part of mainstream music, leaving many guitar lovers feeling disheartened by what they are seeing in the charts.
The rise of electronic pop music brought with it a new way of making music. Artists no longer need a group of talented musicians to create a song, instead all they need is a computer. For some people, the idea of being able to work completely alone is appealing as they can have everything sounding how they want it to without the interference of other people.
Before electronic music took over, collaboration was the key to making interesting music. Why this is no longer important to listeners is up to debate. It could be blamed on short form content on social media leading to a decline in the standards of what is considered entertaining, or maybe it could be blamed on our society’s love of familiarity and comfort. No matter the reason, this change of genre has led to mainstream songs seeming strangely predictable and familiar, even if you have never heard the song before.
Some people would argue that this new wave of music is positive as music is always evolving, and maybe electronic music is the next step.
Making electronic music does have pros as well as cons. It allows artists to perform live without the worry of making mistakes, which could reduce performance anxiety or stage fright. This could make music more accessible to people who want to make it but do not enjoy the performance side of it.
Some may argue that this type of music may make stage fright more common, if being on stage is no longer seen as a must of being a musician. Live shows are consequently becoming less common.
So is guitar music dead?
Not completely, I would argue. Although guitar bands may not be in the spotlight as much as they would have been say 30 years ago, they are definitely still around. Guitar music is being kept alive thanks to the more exciting live performances, up and coming bands bringing in new audiences, and listeners seeking nostalgia through old music.
Additionally, local grassroots music scenes will always be primarily composed of guitar bands as guitars are more accessible to learn, more portable than other instruments and is seen as more of an interesting hobby than making electronic music.
We can keep guitar music alive by supporting local bands and venues or through actively trying to expand your music taste by getting recommendations from friends and family. Or you could buy music, instead of streaming it for free, as this would directly help the artists that make this style of music.
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