Rock music is superior to classical music

Thanks for your response. First of all, I would like to respond to my opponent’s question: “If you learn to play the violin will you be able to play dubstep? What about rap? Heavy metal?” I would say that you could, yes, but only with a special arrangement. I respond with a likewise question: if you learn to play electric guitar, will you be able to play a Bach Brandenburg concerto? You probably could, but again, only with a special arrangement, albeit a dramatically simplified one. Consider this YouTube video, which is dubstep with a violin? http://www.youtube.com... For example, the orchestra I perform in has played several arrangements of popular songs, including Viva la Vida and songs by Act of Congress, a relatively new modern pop group. I’ll post a link to their YouTube channel at the bottom of my post, in case you haven’t heard of them. “Would kids rather learn to play their favorite rock songs or (Johann) Bach songs? It is a fact, more people like rock better than classical music.” This point I do agree with, but it is not exactly the point of the debate. The purpose of this debate is to determine which genre is more worthwhile to learn, or in other words, which one produces the higher degree of talent when properly mastered. My opponent has said that he disagrees with my point when I said that rock music rarely changes meter, key or tempo. I was not referring to the melody when making that point, which my opponent suggests. The melody, musically defined, is the “core tune” of the song. For example, sing the first few bars of Amazing Grace to yourself. The tune you sing is Amazing Grace, but the song is in a specific time meter (3/4) and the key and tempo vary depending on who is playing or singing it. Amazing Grace, by the way, does not change meter, key or tempo during any point in the song. I would also like to point out that classical music has not died out, or not to the extent that most popular music from centuries ago has. The NY Times article you cited says that classical music is dying out because of a lack of interest. In almost every generation, classical music is never the most popular genre. It has usually been supported by the aristocratic or royal classes. The prime reason that you see patronage and support from the upper class declining is because of the declining economy. There are two major factors involved: rising corporate taxes, which restricts funds from foundations, and, of course, increasing pressure on the wealthier patrons. Finally, my opponent says that rock changes as time goes on and classical music stays remotely the same. While the former assumption is true, the latter is demonstrably false. Popular music has evolved greatly over the centuries, from 1700s and 1800s drinking songs, folk tunes and military songs, to the emergence of rock music with Elvis Presley and the like. The 60s through the present show the obvious development of popular music with the advancement of rock music. Believe it or not, classical music does evolve in much the same way. Classical music essentially began in the Renaissance, where much of the developed music was for religious purposes. The Baroque and Classical period of music mainly took on a sunny form, with much of the music written at the behest of national kings and queens. The Romantic period ushered in more chromatic music with a deeper expressive meaning. The 20th century was basically an incremental advancement of the Romantic era, though there were many changes in structure and form. And TODAY, there are still a good many classical composers, believe it or not! You can look on websites of major orchestras and more than likely you will find many works that are being premiered. Modern classical music usually takes the form of abstraction, often having little melodic or harmonic structure. But my point is: today’s “average Joe” has probably never heard of active classical composers. The orchestra I perform in has premiered several classical works by composers I had previously never heard of. However, it was MUCH THE SAME WAY during the time of many famous classical composers! The “average Joe” of the late 19th century never heard of Tchaikovsky or Brahms either! It was not until long after the composers’ deaths that the beauty of their works were discovered. Sources: Swafford Jan (1992) The Vintage Guide to Classical Music. New York: Vintage Bookshttp://www.goethe.de...