The Noise of Music

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Hard rock, rap, metal. Rhythm ‘n blues, pop, country. Reggae, soul, jazz.

Music. Noise.

It’s the kind of thing people never tire arguing about.

In theory, it’s really very easy to compare noise and music. They’re both sounds. Noise is unpleasant to hear, while music is, well, pleasing to the ears. In application, it’s a little less easy to compare how each person plots the boundaries between noise and music.

There are the standard comparisons. Noise consists of random sounds that are grating to the ears; music has a melody, a tone, a beat. Noise lacks harmony, lacks direction, lacks rhythm. But then, is every song music to every person’s ears?

To some people, the rock genre is what defines music. All other kinds of music are considered as mere playthings, background noise. Rock is the epitome of music. But not all rock is music. Noisemakers range from bands that are unfortunate enough to have clean-cut poster boys as vocalists, to posers who do not truly know what rock is all about. What is rock all about then? Who has the right to define a genre? Is it the so-called connoisseurs and critics who have lived and breathed “rightful” rock? To them, music is the right, or more appropriately, the correct form of rock. All that deviate from this form, christen them as “noise”.

In every variety of music, not just rock, we can always find these persons. Their view of music is black-and-white. A song should follow rigid standards, “music morals”, in order to be considered music. They can hardly hear music through the din of others who have failed their harmony test.

On the other hand, there are many who like music from many genres, and who do not like other music from the same genres. The label of music or noise is then taken song by individual song. To these people, music is simply what makes them laugh, cry, ponder on, and moves them. Noise is simply those songs that blend quite well into the clamor and racket of the background.

Music is so varied nowadays, speaking generally. But music isn’t really that varied, because for every person, there is always a set of tunes that is truly music to their ears; the rest are just noise.