Original Music is indeed a community interest.
Chad Becks raises the dilemma that many genres of guitar including the jazz and classical varieties are experiencing a lack of growth in comparison to other more popular genres. Though I’ve not observed an actual decline of interest in classical or jazz guitar within the musical community, I can certainly relate his observation to the acceptance and support of musical creativity. Becks’ observation between pop music and jazz or classical guitar differentiates between two vastly different levels of creative complexity within written music, and is analogous to the continually growing popularity of cover-bands versus lesser-supported original music at the local level.
Having lived in Centre County now for eight years, I can certainly say that musical interest among the general public favors popular music over original music – or at least the typical downtown band line-ups selected by our venues make it appear this way.
With State College holding a large population of the county, it’s common to hear local musicians blame the venues and their student patrons for this lack of variety. True or not, many naturally relate the demand for sing-along bands to the thirsty student patrons that stimulate the borough’s night life economy. On the contrary, bluegrass – an example far from sing-along pop music – has much local support not only from musicians but more importantly the community. So it is not truly fair to say that State College night life only caters to popular music. Though bluegrass’ local popularity may be largely attributed to its American roots, other roots genres such as blues and jazz do not share the same steady niche that bluegrass holds in and around State College.
Again using bluegrass as our example – there is another reason for why it is a more successful contender than jazz in a community where pop seems to flourish. Centre County already has numerous popularized gathering circles for bluegrass music. They are hosted on a regular basis by local churches and cafes and offer a free open-to-any-skill-level environment to learn how to play bluegrass music. The circles provide a unique opportunity for musicians to collaborate and meet each other, and it’s my belief that these circles have created an unintended movement over time. The result is a stronger community foundation for bluegrass to thrive in the county. American root genres or not, the same cannot be said for jazz, blues, jamband, and funk, though, some intimate downtown atmospheres such as Zeno’s Pub (and occasionally Bar Bleu) show that there is a consistent interest in such creative music styles.
For whatever reason, there are not many gatherings in Centre County to bring attention to jazz guitar and much more generally, original music. I too agree with Becks, and generally speaking, I believe that it is up to our musical community to establish localized “cells” of musicians to hold playing circles that encourage growth of original music in the community. Numerous local organizations and venues already exist to thrive on the music and musical relationships generated at such creative music circles. Though, much like the circles that assist the interest in bluegrass among the public and local musicians alike, I believe the original music circles must occur regularly and encourage participation at every skill level to successfully increase awareness that original music is indeed a community interest.
Living in metro areas you’d think these genres of creativity would be thriving and that supporters would be demanding this type of musical community. However, at least in Pittsburgh, the numbers are decreasing. You mentioned bluegrass, of which I am very supportive of, and I believe it is dwindling due to the support our local non-profit group Calliope faces in attrating a younger audience.
That’s interesting that you see bluegrass support on the down turn. I checked out the Calliope website, and it seems like they are doing some great things, such as the compilation CDs. There is a compilation CD project going on here, but it is exclusive to musical projects with members who are students attending the university.
I agree with both of you that creative music styles are dwindling in popularity. The national music scene is indicative of that, as there has been a sharp decline in career artists, who have been replaced in large part by “pop stars.” What we are told to like on a large scale often precipitates into the smaller scale.
As far as the local scene is concerned, people may just need to be reminded that other types of music can be interesting and fun, too. I like the idea of having monthly or otherwise regular Real Book sessions and perhaps some open jams that allow any skill level, so as not to appear pretentious or exclusive. As a piano player, I’ve often been pigeonholed for not playing the guitar, and my music is immediately judged as being inappropriate for “fun” and rather, something that must be absorbed only on an intellectual level. I’m not sure that is true, so there has to be a way to make something other than rock guitar seem fun.
I do still worry that the population in these small Central PA towns simply cannot support a wide enough variety of musical styles. If only 10% of the population is seeking something other than rock n’ roll singalongs, that may not leave enough people to regularly attend other types of shows. We might just have to be satisfied with working toward a small but dedicated following.
Gina: As you know, most people in State College in particular live here temporarily, especially the undergraduate population. They are here for four years and leave after they get a degree, and generally only get a true feel for the community towards the end of their term. In a town that existed only *after* the college was established, perhaps this regular turnover is one of the factors inhibiting the roots of original music to take hold.