> music used to be a much bigger part of our lives. Before the radio a piano was a household staple. Kids would learn, family’s would play and sing to each other. We’ve largely given that up.
Recorded music, and our reaction to it, has pretty much crushed that. On the one hand, it's marvellous that I can listen to Jussi Bjorling or Maria Callas any time I want, but we then tend to criticise anything less than "the best". Heck, the process of recorded music has often deceived us: the Wrecking Crew made most of the great US pop/rock albums of the late 50s and 60s[1].
The net result is that when people break out a guitar or sing, we tend to critique them harshly. Why listen to a mediocre performance when we could have perfection? And, of course, who wants to perform when you'll just be compared to the recordings of the best ever?
Internet exceptionalism is a phenomenon to watch out for in all parts of life. The internet surfaces the top percentile examples of talent, and if we aren't careful we can find ourselves unhappy with anything less. Worse yet, people find themselves unhappy with their own talents and equipment in comparison.
Recorded music, and our reaction to it, has pretty much crushed that. On the one hand, it's marvellous that I can listen to Jussi Bjorling or Maria Callas any time I want, but we then tend to criticise anything less than "the best". Heck, the process of recorded music has often deceived us: the Wrecking Crew made most of the great US pop/rock albums of the late 50s and 60s[1].
The net result is that when people break out a guitar or sing, we tend to critique them harshly. Why listen to a mediocre performance when we could have perfection? And, of course, who wants to perform when you'll just be compared to the recordings of the best ever?
[1] An enjoyable documentary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wrecking_Crew_(2008_film)