OK have you heard Lenny or little wing (srv not jimi) those are the two songs that move me the most and guess what no words


i think you can feel other things just as well as you can feel words

you just have to consider them as other forms of communication

like art you see that and it translates a message just as well as words same with an instrumental

then again that's just what i think

other good examples being Allman Bros. "Jessica"....Mettalica "Orion"...George Beson "Breezin"...etc...(and the classical artists aren't even reffered to here)bach,beethoven,tchykovsky,etc,....no lyrics there...there are many many great instrumentals that are very moving. especially for more seasoned guitar players. i would guess, ms. Dani ,that your age has not allowed you to really see the bigger picture musically. as you get older and listen to more and more music, you too will find many intrumentals that will move you emotionally as well. give beethoven's Fifth Symphony a listen. you will not be able to help but feel the emotion of that piece.......

I wont say it 50/50, cause when listen to a track you always say... and here comes the solo!... so actually it must be like 65/35 or something.
and instrumental music is great too...

I think that the lyrics can speak to you, but what moves and translates for me most is the instrumental music in the background that ties and combines to create a masterpiece.
Jack

the way i see it is this:
some artists express their emotion in different ways. for instance looking at songs like One by Metallica, it has amazing lyrics AND amazing solos, riffs etc.
but on the other hand, a person like SRV was never known as a great singer. kids never wished they could SING like him. instead, pretty much every guitarist wishes they could PLAY like him. he expressed his emotion through his guitar, not by his singing. his singing was more of a added thing. but he wasn't a singer, he was a guitarist (they call me guitar hurricane :P ).
so basically the thing that impresses me the most about music, is the emotion put into it, whether its the music, or the lyrics.

Lyrics are not really necessary for the musician. They're necessary for the NON musician as that's the way they relate to the song. It's how they remember it. It's what they sing in the shower! As an instrumental musician I find myself singing guitar riffs and rhythm, bass lines, keys, sax and, yes, even drum parts. Since I play them all I find myself focusing on the music more than the lyrics.

This is not to say that I don't pay any attention to the lyrics, because I also sing, but one is not necessary without the other. I LOVE a good accapella group where they create a complete musical texture with their voices alone. Or how about the multitude of solo acoustic guitarists who also sing. No bass or drums necessary.

Lyrics are just another part of the music and like any other instrument can be accompanied, soloed or missing altogether.

It's a personal thing. In my POV interesting lyrics are always welcome where just riffs played over and over again are not. I find most "modern" instrumentalist boring after about 5 minutes (i.e. Eric Johnson, Vai, etc). Also, by "interesting lyrics" I don't mean the standard "my love life sux" "my girlfriend left", "my girlfriend needs to leave", etc.. lyrics do not have to be poetry per se but they have to "say" something just like players don't have to play in 64th notes all the time to impress me but they have to "say" something musically and in some (if not the majority of the time) that "something" can be "said" with the correct 8 notes..

When I was young songs needed lyrics and I wondered why anyone in their right mind would use horns or strings. As I got older these ideas and my taste changed. Each piece of music is different and the music I like and listen to is very eclectic I can listen to swing,metal,country, folk, classical, rock, jazz, many different things and enjoy them for what they are. I went out the other day and bought two CD's Guns & Roses and Roy Orbison, it's about the music

in my opinion, the combination of music and words together make up a " song ". anything else is just a piece of music. however i can see how a person would still get enjoyment out of music alone. to me there are just so many great songs with lyrics that are instantly recognizable when sang by the original artist.

some that come to mind are : " later in the evening as you lie awake in bed, with the echoes from the amplifiers ringing in your head " from seger's turn the page. or " i was rollin down the road in my v-8 ford, i had a shine on my boots i had my sideburns low. with my new york brim and my gold tooth displayed, nobody gimmie trouble cause they know ive got it made " from im bad, im nationwide by zz top.

Well, I tend to treat the vocals as an instrument, and not a means of communicating a thought or point of view. If the vocals have a pleasing melody, or texture, I'm good with it. BTW, I like latin jazz. I can't speak spanish, but that doesn't stop me from listening to it. And I really like this song.....alot. And I don't speak German either, so I don't know what she's saying.

no what i meant was that you dont have to speak a certain language to enjoy the music, "i know not everyone speaks the same language, but the emotion and feel in the persons voice, speaks the same language in and of itself", so you dont need to speak that language because you understand what they are trying to convey.

anyway... Music CAN make it without lyrics...
but lyrics cant make it without music.