5 ms·
As a longtime musician myself, I can certainly tell when someone is making mistakes. in one example, i've listened to so many versions of beethoven opus 111 tha
by lmg643 13y ago
As a longtime musician myself, I can certainly tell when someone is making mistakes. in one example, i've listened to so many versions of beethoven opus 111 that i've noticed a world-famous pianist who played the bass line in a single measure differently than what was written (sounded better his way, IMHO).
but what makes one "best" is highly subjective. i'm not sure what the research proves other than perhaps it's harder to move on from adolescent disappointments than is commonly acknowledged.
A more relevant question for the snob factor is "how do critics recognize when NEW music is great, average or crap." because that's pretty much what wine is - a constant cycle of new product, varying from year to year, even when it came from the same vines.
the valid "snob" angle here for both wine and music is that we aren't supposed to judge based on pure sensory experience. For example, a very sweet wine is going to be palatable to a lot of folks, but we're supposed to recognize the subtleties of a dry pinot noir instead. or compare most anything by john cage to anything by beethoven. or compare beethoven to justin timberlake.
there is a valid case to be made that once you learn to have "cultivated" tastes, you can pick out all these details and truly appreciate them. i once participated in a blind wine tasting where only one woman out of 30 people could reliably pick out the fancy wines from the cheap ones. for her, i expect the process of drinking wine is a lot different than for the rest of us yokels. Tasting things we can't notice, and appreciating them differently. good goal to aspire to, if we care, otherwise just admit we have no clue, be happy, and move on.
- 001sky 13y agoAs a side note, the explosion in terroirs from the new world has really (seems to have) made the notion of wine snobbery somewhat archaic. In the 19/20th century perhaps it was a mark of distinction, to put some investment in this. The math is far more dauting to have an encyclopaedic understanding of the field than it was in, say 1930. The growth of new areas, new techniques, and the everchaning weather has made this a fools errand, and a false class marker at best.
- wozniacki 13y agoDispense with the class markers and terroirs. I wonder how many self-professed wine snobs can even tell reds from whites. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rmm-xqRHGw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rmm-xqRHGw
- brazzy 13y agoAnd dispense with the ridiculous prices. My takeaway regarding wine would be (If I drank any) that anything more than $10-$15 per bottle is probably snobbery- or collectors markup.
- VladRussian2 13y agoand this is just another kind of snobbery - a snobbery toward "perceived snobbery"
- WalterBright 13y agoI played trumpet for years as a kid. I was terrible at it, and eventually gave it up. But I did get something interesting out of it - I know how hard it is to play a trumpet well, and when someone does play it well, I enjoy listening to it very much. When I point out fine trumpet playing to others who have no experience with the trumpet, they just shrug their shoulders. But I still derive obvious pleasure from hearing it, clearly more so than others. I think it is real pleasure, not just snobbery.
- WalterBright 13y agoAs a corollary, I can't distinguish good piano playing from great. The nuance is lost on me. Interestingly, I can also recognize the 'lip' of particular trumpet players. Each one has his unique sound, despite playing identical instruments. Herb Alpert has his casual elegance, Al Hirt's in-your-face aggressive style, and Maurice Andre his amazing tone.