marco85

you see, this is why I immediately suggested tackling the problem by reading Kant, not because I'm an asshole... but because it’s quite lengthy...

no no no, absolute subjectivism is not an accurate word, I would particularly remove that absolute which leads to a nice contradiction (everything is subjective except for subjectivism), and I’ll tell you, philosophy has always been a search for truth, rather than subjectivism, yet, despite all the mental musings that I leave to your imagination, it has led to more questions than answers... You say that music is a physical phenomenon... however, it is a "product" of a soul (the composer) which is NOT a physical phenomenon. The same can be said for the listener: we don’t appreciate music as beautiful with our logical capacities but with our soul (of course, Kant's discussion is much more complex, involving the distinction between intellect, reason, and judgment...). Do you, ajee, believe in the soul? in the spirit? or is there only moving atoms behind our thought (something that science has NOT proven, contrary to what common sense thinks)?

Whatever I respond would always lead back to the topic of beauty and what I like and dislike; and even if I replied, "he's a great composer because he used the key of D major (let's say)," he would ask me, "and why is someone who uses the key of D major a great composer?" and so on, ultimately my answer would be "because I LIKE it" or even "because it's right, it's good, FOR ME, that it is so."

I am referring to the critique of judgment...

For me and you, no; but for an "ignorantone," maybe yes. You can't prove that Beethoven and DJ Francesco are on the same level: you can instead prove the law of gravity and the motion of the stars. And while this is the same for everyone and everywhere, the difference (in level) between Beethoven and DJ Francesco is not the same for everyone and everywhere!

Anyway, if you still disagree and are convinced of your theses, you can always write a book. If you were right (hehe...), it would be a revolution and you'd make a fortune, since in philosophy everything (or almost everything) has already been said, except for what you claim...but first, take a look at Kant...come on...I know it's long, but it's "beautiful":-)

Oh, come could it be easy? You're the one searching for impossible things like objectivity in the impressions that music can give (this phrasing is flat—this solo is interesting). We were talking about music, right? So if you want to give an objective judgment regarding music, you can only refer to mathematics. I didn't say that what isn't mathematics is "metaphysical nonsense" (heavens, after all, there’s nothing more abstract than mathematics). And in any case, Leibniz (who also never dealt with aesthetics, if you had looked at Kant instead of seeking “illustrious opinions” that had nothing to do with the matter...) always refers to the "structure" of music, not the impressions (the ones YOU are referring to) that it can evoke. In fact, there are books on logic (a discipline heavily indebted to mathematics) where certain concepts are explained through references to mathematical structure itself. I know that mathematics faces its own aporias, but those are a different story... remember that the beauty of an object is not in the object itself but in you who are looking at it. The fact is that we are all different (thank goodness); you cannot seek objectivity (which is a "universal and necessary truth") for beauty, just as you cannot seek it for goodness, etc.

you can definitely say it's tough... Jetto, sorry I haven't replied yet about uli, but I still haven't had the chance to watch the videos! Anyway, I had listened to his CD where he plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons but, I must say, it didn't really excite me much... even though the Four Seasons is one of my favorite classical works, and maybe I'm being a bit harsh! Let’s be clear, as a guitarist, he's a monster; he really pays a lot of attention to touch and sound, but it was a titanic task to do justice to the Four Seasons with an electric guitar...

Look, doing bends and vibratos like Malmsteen does is a real hassle. The fingering of his solos (if you want to do them WELL) is much harder than Petrucci's. Anyway, the track is "Soldier Without Faith." I have the original sheet music, and thanks to the staff, you can precisely determine the speed per second. However, I’ve never seen Petrucci go that fast either.

Oh! Really! Isn’t this a lie too?