Technicality vs. Simplicity

So I hear alot of people complaining that groups aren't as good as some other groups because their instrumental work isn't of the same technical standard...

Is it really neccessairy for groups to play 20 notes/sec. before they get to be considered good musicians.

I'd like to finish with this, posted by "Machine****ingHead" on mxtabs.net

Once upon a time in a faraway land, two painters of great aesthetic sense and skill were invited to the court of their king. The king commissioned the pair to create two of the most glorious masterpieces in the history of the land. After returning to his abode, the first thought to himself, "The king has commissioned me to create the most ambitious artwork I have ever dreamed of." He then got to work. The second artist went to his own studio and thought, "My lord wants me to creat something of immense beauty, the likes of which no one has seen." He too began painting.

When the masterpieces were finished, the king threw a huge ball in which both works were on display. The first was surrounded by painters and other art enthusiasts, who marvelled over the level of detail, the precise brush strokes, and the impeccable technique involved in the piece's creation. "It's nothing short of godlike!" they all exclaimed. Meanwhile, those nobles who were not artists themselves or took only a casual interest in it moved past the first painting and surrounded the second. They were delighted with the sheer and simplistic beauty of the piece, and they could be heard saying such things as, "This painting is much better than the first. The other is just a mess of stuff that makes no sense. Now this one, on the other hand, is simple and pretty, just as nature is." The king stood directly in between the two paintings, for he knew that there was an equal amount of worth in both... just worth of two different sorts.

 

There's a lot to be said for being able to convey a message. Sometimes a piece of art, be it music, painting or sculpture, can be so complex and detailed that its significance is lost. Great technical expertise should be valued, but what is most important is that it does what the artist intends it to do, and that may not always require exquisite detail.

 

Oo!!

I like that quote, especially the king at the end. What a wise king.

Its kind of on a different tangent, but I've always had a similar problem with my music - do I write to impress my fellow musicians with technical ability or do I write to impress everyone else?

... tis tricky. I haven't worked it out yet

 

Technicality just for sake of technicality is never a good thing. The most important thing about any kind of art is creativity. Both technicality and simplicity are good things if used in some creative manner.

(I guess that's abstract enough answer)

 

There's definitely a place for both, but in the example of the given anecdote, it sounds to me like the first painter was just kind of jerking himself off over how clever and brilliant he was, while the second one was just painting from the heart. Give me the latter every time.