bgmckinney said:
I don't think that's what the argument is suggesting. Playing the song instead of the instrument simply means that the musician is focusing on what works best for the song, whether it is simple or complex. The argument that "if something is difficult to play, it's emotionally devoid or doesn't contribute to the overall feeling of the song" is a different argument altogether.
That was my take it. It came from someone who's been a musician for awhile, though not a famous musician.
//////////////////
Does highly complex, difficult to play compositions=better song?
There's many well-written songs that are not highly complex to play, some Beatles songs for one. I've heard many people cover Beatles songs so they can't be that complex otherwise you'd only hear a few because only the highly skilled musicians could nail their songs.
The overall feeling of the song, or any emotion it may or may not elicit, is up to the listener, I would argue.
Jazz is often more complex than other genres of music, but does that mean everyone will feel some emotion to the music, or feel anything at all?
I know full well there are better musicians than any member of U2, but whether or not I liked the better musician's songs would not be because of their technical abilities, it would be because some part/s in that song appealed to me. Regardless of the complexity or ease of that part. Sometimes it's a lyric, sometimes it's a drum part, sometimes it could just be the tempo. Unless the lyrics are so truly awful to me, not even a killer guitar part, bass part, drum part, whatever, could keep me interested. That or get the karoake version of the song sans lyrics.
I liked the Clash song "London Calling" for that opening bass line alone, that was the hook for me.
It was a guitar part in "hold me thrill me kiss me kill me" that was the hook for me for that song.
I've heard a remix of 'With or Without You' without the original drum and bass parts, and it sounded pretty flat with the drum machine beat and barely-there different bass lines. Perhaps I was biased because I'm not used to any other version, but it definitely changed the feel of the song.