Taste trumps Talent

Three chords played with raw energy can create a more positive musical impression on a listener than a million notes laboriously regurgitated at a classical concert. The opposite can also be true. Talent doesn’t have anything to do with it. The repertoire chosen by each performer is what makes the difference.

Most three chord songs are forgettable at best, but, a small number will always be popular. Choose the right three chord song and your audience will love you for it. Play the wrong three chord song and you are just noise in the corner of a pub.

This principal is the reason that 99 percent of regional touring orchestral programmes feature either Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto D’Aranjuez’ or a well known Mozart or Beethoven selection. It’s what the people want; it is an expression of their taste.

If you are a performer and despair for what passes as ‘popular taste,’ consider these points:

• ‘Good music’ is what you play on your own stereo in your own home. It’s your neighbours I feel sorry for.
• Choosing the right repertoire for the right moment (including show elements like your opening song and encore) is about taste. Yours and your audience’s. Their taste matters more than yours.
• Think career longevity and ask yourself: will this set list work for my audiences 5 years from now? You need a set list of songs that will age well alongside you and your audiences. Really put a lot of thought into this.

The most important point to take away from this blog is...do not play what most people like; instead play what people dislike the least. You heard me.

Remember: taste trumps talent every time. Remind yourself of this every day. Now get out there and give the people what they really want: music that they dislike the least!