[Huck]

Beethoven's 5th came to my mind too. It's not pure repetition though. It's a motif. I use it when I teach kids about musical motif. True, the phrase- da da da daaaaaaa, repeats and is reused, but the tempo changes, the motif is used to shape the various chord changes, it shifts from minor to major and back again, etc.

A better example is Ravel's Bolero.

The truth is that this article, while thought provoking, is off the mark. Repetition is a legitimate device. It can be used well or not, just like any other musical device.

Pop music--the focus of the article--is repetitive by design. A single song only contains one or two ideas. These ideas are not developed very deeply. That doesn't make it bad. It just makes it pop.

Is a french fry bad? Is a lollipop bad? Is a cheesburger bad? No. They just fulfill a different purpose than something more complex.

[cbkaty]

Is a french fry bad? Is a lollipop bad? Is a cheesburger bad? No. They just fulfill a different purpose than something more complex.

Excellent analysis.....how true.....then again there's INNAGODADAVIDABABY.... Can we cry out in horror over one repetition?

[Hawthorn]

>> Is a french fry bad? Is a lollipop bad? Is a cheesburger bad? <<

If you eat them once a month or even once a week, they’re OK. But if you eat them every day, and especially if you don’t eat much of anything else, then they’re prone to ruin your health.

Same with music. An inane song here and there is harmless. But a steady, exclusive diet of today’s “pop” music is nothing short of horrible.

[LibLieSlayer]

Very true... I did not think of Ravel... but then that makes me thing of Bo... yum!

LLS