Goodness

What makes music good?
How do we assess value?
What qualities do we associate with success?
And how is success measured?

please respond!

"Sounds really great (first clip on website)!...Is it any good? Who knows. It tends on the perspective I suppose. From the performers point of view – if he is happy with it that is all that counts. I think you should only make music for yourself and if you believe in the end product that’s the most important thing. If the public like it and buy it in its millions that’s an aside. ‘What makes something good’ is too wide a question...Maybe the question should be ‘Can anything be bad’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Simon Thoumire)



Obviously, the goalposts move depending on which group of people or person are reacting to what articles/song/object on any given day. I am interested in how traditional musicians attach value to different kinds of music making in different contexts. And also how the differences relate to the different roles these musicians take on.

For example, a musician who sees him or herself as a traditional musician and also as an innovative composer might see value and quality in experimental approaches to music making but if these approaches infringe in any way on a strand of traditional that the musician feels is important, they might strongly disagree with it and possibly feel angered by it.

I find it interesting the way musicians negotiate their way through these differences of opinion and identity.