Being a music connoisseur for most of my life, I've managed to pick up on a few things that regular listeners probably haven't. Tempo changes, pitch shifts, etc. Being a musician also helps in this area. However, the things I've noticed don't just focus on what goes on in the studio or on stage. I've seen and heard things in the audience as well.
In today's blog, I'm going to reveal an observation I've made. I've been toying with this idea for years, to the point in which I actually considered writing a stand-up comedy routine based on it. But with the way things are these days, especially with the likes of YouTube and social media sites heavily cracking down on copyright strikes, this would be difficult to achieve. Therefore, I've resolved to writing a blog entry about it instead.
Today, I'm gonna be looking at 3 different types of music fans. If you feel like I'm calling you out, it's all good. I probably am. 😊
To help explain my findings, I will be using just one song to give examples. That song is the classic MTV Unplugged performance by Eric Clapton, a song called "Layla" (originally by Derek & the Dominos). At the timestamps mentioned below, I will be linking to the same video at those key points. If for any reason the video doesn't play at the times mentioned, please use this blog as a reference and play the video at those times manually. Not doing so will ruin the experience.
Keep in mind also that in this particular live performance, the version of "Layla" is a lot slower and stripped down in comparison to the original studio version. For many, this version was probably the first time they'd heard the song arranged this way.
So, let's get into the 3 different types of music fans!
#1 - THE EXPERT
Not to brag, but I fit in this category. The Expert is one that can tell you which song you're about to hear just by listening to the first few notes. In the "Layla" recording, these Experts start cheering and clapping only 6 seconds into it. The music starts at the 3rd second. This means it took the Experts in the audience only 3 seconds to identify which song Eric was about to play, and he hadn't even started singing yet. That's a pretty good effort.
The Expert isn't just limited to music notes either. Some (myself included) can even do it with a simple beat/strike of a drum in the intro. We have well-trained ears.
#2 - THE LYRIC MASTER/MISTRESS
These music fans are the ones who only know the words to a song. They might recognise the music at first, but it doesn't dawn on them until the vocals start. In this recording, Eric starts singing at 0:34, then the Lyric Masters' lightbulb switches on and they start cheering moments later. In my observation, these are the most common music fans. I'd be lying if I said I didn't know anyone who can identify a song in this way.
#3 - CASUAL CARL/CARLY
This category of music fan is very similar to the Lyric Master, but their knowledge is somewhat limited. These people only remember the words to the chorus.
Back to "Layla", we get a good (and somewhat amusing) example of the Casual Carl, and how small a group this is compared to the rest. Eric starts singing the chorus at 0:53. Now, listen closely at 0:56... Did you miss it? Play it again until you do.
Casual Carl has just realised what song it is and lets out a "Woo!" The sad thing is, he's the only one in the audience to do so. Poor guy.
Before anyone gets offended by my pointing of the finger, I'm not mocking this category by any means. There are a lot of people out there who only remember choruses, and that is A-OK! It's just that in this recording, it sounds hilarious and I've been thinking about it for a very long time. I thank you, the reader, for letting me get it off my chest.
So, that's my list of 3 different types of music fans. I hope you enjoyed it.
Let me know what you think, and also which category you identify with the most.
Until next time. 😎
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