最新研究:爲啥現代人多愛聽老歌
大家平時愛聽歌麼？有時候聽到所謂的新歌會不會有種似曾相識的感覺呢？現在年齡稍長的人都抱怨說：現在的流行音樂聲音大，而且所有歌曲聽起來都一樣。It is a familiar complaint from those of a certain age: today's pop music is louder and all the songs sound the same. It turns out they are right.
年齡稍長的人都抱怨說：現在的流行音樂聲音大，而且所有歌曲聽起來都一樣。事實證實他們說的沒錯。Research shows that modern recordings are louder than those of the 1950s and 60s. They are also blander, with less variety in terms of chords and melodies.
研究顯示，現代唱片的確比五、六十年代發行的那些聲音要大，在和絃與旋律上缺乏變化，聽起來單調。The finding, which will come as no surprise to all those over the age of 35 or so, comes from Spanish researchers who carried out a computer analysis of the key features of almost half a million pop, rock and hip hop songs from 1955 to 2010.
西班牙研究人員利用電腦對發行於1955到2010間50萬首流行、搖滾和嘻哈歌曲的主要特點進行分析，分析結果並沒有使年齡35歲左右的人羣感到意外。
This revealed today's tracks to be louder. The researchers say this is because sound engineers and producers are crankingup the volume at the recording stage.
這一研究揭示了現代唱片聲音大的特點。研究人員解釋說，錄音師和製作人員在錄音階段加大了音量。As a result, if two tracks are turned up to the same volume at home, the more recent will sound noisier.
如果在家播放兩張不同的唱片，並調到同等音量，結果發現較新的唱片聽起來聲音更大。This is thought to not simply due to better recording equipment but an attempt to make music that catches the attention and is suitable for playing in discos.
人們認爲這樣的結果並不單單取決於錄音設備的質量，還與試圖製作出聽衆喜歡並適於迪斯科伴奏的音樂密切相關。The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also found evidence that songs are more similar than in the past.
這項研究在《科學報告》雜誌上發表，它同時還發現，現代歌曲之間比以往更具相似性。The chordsused and the changes between chords are simpler, leading to the production of music that is easy on the ear but contains little variety.
現代歌曲中的和絃與和絃間的變化更簡單，這樣的音樂作品悅耳卻又有些單調。Researcher Martin Haro, of Barcelona's Pompeu Fabra University, said: ‘I think this is related to the role of music.
巴塞羅納法布拉大學的研究人員馬丁-哈羅說：“我覺得，這與音樂所發揮的作用有關。”‘Nowadays, it is more about relaxing, you don't want to think about what the music is telling you. In the 1950s and 60s, music was more artistic and for getting messages, things about politics, across.
“如今人們傾聽音樂以放鬆身心，並不在意音樂的內涵。五、六十代的音樂更具美感，而且，我們可以從中獲取信息、瞭解政治形勢或兩者兼俱。”‘When the synthesiser was introduced, you had lots of bands like Pink Floyd that were experimenting with different types of sound and chords, this was an experimental playground for them.
“聲音合成器的問世讓你有機會見識很多像平克·弗洛伊德那樣的樂隊，他們嘗試着不同類型的聲音和和絃，現代音樂成爲他們的演練場。”‘Now it's about dancing and relaxing, rhythm and energy, with groups and bands not so interested in experimenting with sounds and chords.' The study also found that instruments fall in and out of fashion, depending on the sound of the time.
“現在，在聲音與和絃方面趨於保守的組合和樂隊更受歡迎，人們更享受這種音樂環境下的舞蹈與放鬆、節奏與活力。”這項研究還發現，樂器的流行取決於時代的主流聲音。Wannabe musicians looking for a hit should turn to the past for inspiration, said the researcher Joan Serra, of the Spanish National Research Institute.
西班牙國家研究所研究員瓊尼·薩拉說，想要成爲音樂家的人們應該從過去的音樂中發掘靈感。Professor Adrian North, a music psychologist, said: ‘There isn't much research out there on how music should evolve, but what little there is argues that composers and performers are in a continuing battle for the attention of listeners, and apparently tailor their music to achieve this.
音樂心理學家艾德里安.諾斯教授說：“有關音樂沿革方面的研究不是很多，但毫無疑問，作曲家和表演者一直力求滿足觀衆的口味，他們大幅度地剪裁自己的作品以達到這一目的。”‘One way in which they can achieve this is by, for example, making their music progressively louder over time, as seen in the research here.
“例如，隨着時間的推移，音量越來越大來迎合聽衆，這一點從這項研究中可見一斑。”‘However, music can only get so loud before it becomes simply unlistenable, and so the same theory argues that this is where musical styles begin to evolve: rather than making their music novel by simply making it louder, performers and composers have to find new types of music, and so this is how new musical styles come about.'
“然而，音樂的音量增加不是無限度的，超出限度會使音樂失去品質，變得不堪入耳；所以這一理論也顯示，正因爲如此音樂類型在演變：表演者和作曲家努力在音樂類型上進行創新，而不是通過簡單提高音量來增加音樂的新鮮感，這樣新音樂類型就出現了。”
