Musical Roots

I've been thinking about this post for a while, and its kind of an experiment so I don't really know what will happen but here it goes...
Every band or musician that you listen to today, is not original. I know its a shocking statement, but what I mean is not so much the actual songs its self, or the unique chemistry of the band. Rather, I mean every musical moment that you experience has traveled thousands of years to reach its current state. There really isn't any music that exists on its own. Everyone is influenced by the past, and its silly to think that a band can create a "new type of music". Why would you want to do that? Why reinvent the wheel so to speak. when millions of musicians have died over the years doing that type of work already. Its much more satisfying to take what they have done, and incorporate your own personality and creativity. Flowing off of this is also important to note that there is no set "pattern" that a band or musician needs to follow in order to be considered a type of music. These different categories stem from our need as humans to rank things or sort them. I think that a major road block for young bands and artists is that they feel that they are shoved in a category according to past examples. While to a certain extent, no one can escape sounding like some one in the past. Obviously if you grew up listening to say, Chicago, then you are going to write music that sounds a bit like Chicago. The difference is that YOU are writing it, and its OK, to show your influences in your music. You don't have to sound like something completely out of this world that no one has ever experienced. I say good luck to that. Its impossible. So embrace the past, and learn from the great musicians that have gone before.

So here is the experiment. In order to be more aware of how much modern day bands are influenced by the past, lets do some ethnomusicology.

I will pick Red Hot Chili Peppers, cause I love them
now, just do a google search, or wikipedia. and see what their musical influences are. Then pick some of those influences and do the same, until you either get bored or can't any more. You might be surprised at what you find


RHCP- (Jimi hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Steve Wonder,) I'ma going to pick sly and the Family Stone

Sly and the family Stone- James Brown, Broadway Showtunes, motown pop


James Brown- Louis Jordan, and gospel

Louis Jordan- Big Band Swing music


thats all for now, and obviously, I could have picked a different band to start from than Sly and the family stone, but I think you get the picture. Give it a try with your favorite band!