[FA Worldmusic] categorically labelled

[Paul Harding]

>> So in the end, if we eliminate labels and categories,
>> how do we talk about music?
>
> Easy: talk about _music_. Rhythm, harmony, melody,
> instrumentation,
> arrangement, composition, structure, timbre,
> functionality, etc.  etc.

Most people don't have the background/knowledge to talk
about music in these terms.  Many music writers don't even
use this sort of academic language well, if at all. (maybe
they don't trust their audience to understand it?)

I look forward to a year where this topic doesn't come up.

Labels/categories suck, but it's a huge part of how people
communicate.  Whether it be the dualistic "music is either
good or bad", the geographic category of nation, stylistic
category of genre, or something that doesn't have a
literal meaning but a reasonably understood meaning like
"world music", we categorize to communicate.

-Paul