Do Polish people have a good ear for music?

I'm also a musician, and just going by the singers ( if you can call them that ) on that program ( VOP ) I'd have to strongly disagree "that Poles sing in tune more than most Brits". But what do I know.................

It's hard to say if Poles have a better ear for music than other folks, but it could be. They hear the same type of pop-crap nosie on the airwaves, CDs, net, etc. but a much larger percentage is in contact with singing every week at Sunday mass. Whether or not they acyually sing, the conrgeagtion is usually in tune so they are exposed to it. Dunno if that could be a factor. Also the slavic soul may have something to do with it.

Some do and some don't, Pol3. Sunday mass is your benchmark? Oh dear!! Why are you here, Paweł? I came for the music :) :) Slavic soul? What does that have to do with it? First off, what kind of music? The leading classical musicians were German and Austrian.

I thought grass-roots or inborn musicality was involved. Someone noted that this wasn't about kids from music school just the average Staś Kowalski and Ania Nowak. Besides I'm not sure hearing hysmns at mass could make a differbnce, but exposure may play a part. Only an in-depth study comparing the musiclaity of, let's say, Poles, Italians, Swedes, Welsh, French, Czechs, etc. might produce some results. Off-hand I'd say the Italians would come first.

On average, perhaps yes. The Italians have produced some of the greatest classical musicians but is this discussion confined to classical? I think not. Anyway, Albinoni and Allegri spring to mind. There are many more. The Czechs? Not so much but they had Dvorak and Smetana. It all depends on the type of music we are discussing and even then, it's all general.

I wonder is it just a cultural thing? I would say Poles are a bit more reserved than the average Brit (or indeed Irish)

Many Brits/Irish will sing their heads off at the drop of a hat, regardless of actual talent. Poles might be a bit more cautious unless they are fairly confident that they can really sing? If so it could certainly seem that Poles are better singers.

Hurrah! That giant of the music world - Sting - is coming to Sopot Opera Lesna this summer:)

Prices start at 800 zl - I will be going - if they accept dog.

So that dog can bite the twat in the gonads and raise his falsetto:))))

theguardian.com/music/lostinshowbiz/2016/apr/01/wedding-singer-sting-russians-love-their-children-too#comments

LOL I only opened your post so I could slag off Sting and there, you had already done it!!

Do Poles have a good ear for music?

Well, Chopin aka Szopen, was only half-Polish, but if he's any indicator, an inordinate number of great (classical) pianists have been Polish:-)

Now we listen one Russian song. Most popular song in Russia in last 45 years. And we thank to Russia that bought time to Poland and Serbia so we aren't assimilated and destroyed but we straighten and seek to unite Central Europe from Balkan to Baltic around us.

Zuravli

youtu.be/GJddfO54D1M

Here you have it with English subs

youtu.be/wV1kzblUElY

Well, there always has been a problem with music in Poland. First of all, disco polo and rap seem to be the most popular genres of music, second, a lot of Poles are ashamed of singing in front of public, not mentioning playing instruments, third, a lot of musicians I think, can't make a living out of their music, fourth, there aren't many music clubs in Poland, even prior to pandemic there weren't many of them, in Gliwice, we only have Silesian Jazz Club... Anyway, that was my experience and I'm a rock musician.

Or that curious crossover that exists between the two genres.


Sadly not enough if you've ever been to a karaoke bar (or a church) here.

@LostSoul
Sounds sad and confirms the view of Poland as one of the "great place to visit, bad place to live unless you're an IT programmer, a politician or a Westerner on a Western salary" club along with Southern Europe and the rest of Eastern Europe.

Now I know why so many Poles on Social media suddenly list Norway, Germany or Sweden as their place of residence. In Scandinavia many artists receive state funds. I got a movie role offer right away in Stockholm out of nowhere, can't happen in Poland, Hungary or Portugal (my other favorites). So since I'd rather do teaching and music to working 9 to 5 in a corporate office, I'll have to work in the West and travel to Polska.

@JakeRyan16candle
I'm not lying, actually this is how the music industry in Poland looks like, escpecially for rock and jazz musicians, like me.
Unless I'm wrong in few places, correct me then.
How we say in Poland "Western prices, Soviet salaries".

Polish people want to move anywhere in the West.
The culture in Poland is practically non-existent, regardless whether it is state-funded or private.
I'm afraid the inferiority complex rules over Polish people, that's why we don't achieve much success in the mainstream as accomplished musicians, artists, scientists, actors etc. Poles don't support each other, simply.

I remember an article on Korean cinema when it was starting to break through to international acclaim a few years ago.... the author contrasted Korean and Polish attitudes (article was written in Polish so I'm paraphrasing from memory).

The Polish attitude was "We can't support Polish movies unless they're really good" whereas the Korean attitude was more "We have to support Korean movies so they can become better!"

That's very sad that Polish people have that attitude, even when it comes to something easy like singing.
I had an experience, where some false notes were derided, even though it was because of fatigue. Nobody believed me that I know how C, C#, D, F#, Bb sound like very well, yet because of my exhaustion, I was ridiculed.

People here have an obsession with "clean and trained vocals". Because, if you don't sing like it, you are uneducated who never went to music school.

It's not that I'm not self-conscious about it, I know good singing demands a lot of practice, but I had an unfortunate experience with overly critical band members, when I had an unsuccessful attempt at forming a rock band. Ironically, a person, who couldn't sing at all, told me I'm a bad singer.

I'm almost certain this all comes from school. I worked with one particular imbecile who flat out told kids not to bother singing unless they could sing properly.

Yeah, typical music schools or music lessons at public schools, so typical.
@delphiandomine

It was a complete waste of time. He was a bad, bad teacher who thought that his subject was the most important, which led to several conflicts with other teachers.

@LostSoul
What about pop-rock music, sth like Train, Maroon 5, Split Enz*, Pseudo Echo* or the guitar sound of The Tourists* with Annie Lennox?

*I dig NZ and Aussie bands and the British post-punk era

Our music teachers here are also not very competent but in the opposite end - they couldn't care how someone sings, but they don't lift a finger developing a good voice in a student. They just put some CDs (now probably an mp3), play some piano etc. and mostly teach history. Despite that still my most favorite teachers. I find acting or dance coaches and teachers are much times worse.

As for Polish cinema it has the same problem as our cinema here - comedies are too silly while regular movies are too melancholic or gritty and have a criminal element. Why not make a movie or a series that uplifts the spirits, something about Poland before the ever-so present dark movies about the WWII era, sth like the Polish Braveheart? Or even pure love/family feud drama the way Turks do them (great acting in some of those, despite the banal stories).

It's not like Poles don't like lighter things, I've been told "Czterej pancerni i pies" is a cult classic (was it like M*A*S*H meets Kommissar Rex, long before those two shows existed, by synopsis it seems much like it?).

Not much interested, particularly with Maroon 5.


Yeah, Polish cinema used to be good during the communist days, nowadays it's some kind of a joke.


Same here in Poland.


That's true.

That's a good one. Shame there are no animated movies from Poland, since the fall of Communism. Only Tomasz Bagiński seems to make those, but the plot of those movies is always dark and gloomy.

Like, where is the Polish equivalent to Madagascar, Shrek, Ice Age etc.?
Also, I'd like to see more film adaptations of Polish fairy tales, for instance about Wawel's Dragon or maybe some new inventions that would be welcome?

Of course I also would like to see some Fantasy and Sci-Fi movies, too.

Ok, you might respond to my comment, but let's stick to the topic of music.

Gwiazda Kopernika 2009

Keep to the topic please

Yeah, but that's all, since then there aren't many.

I remember that I stated somewhere that Polish people don't consider musicians "real musicians", unless they go to the music school and music academy, necessarily public. It's great for classical musicians, but for rock musicians like myself, it's a pretty backward attitude, in my opinion. That makes them similar mentally to East Asians.

I think the thing is the Polish market is large but not large enough for Poles to succeed much if they only sing in Polish.

Romanians and Swedes are even smaller, yet they're more open to singing in English. They also invest a lot in marketing music abroad, hence why they're had more international success. I can name more Swedish and Romanian artists that are internationally known than Polish ones I'm afraid - ABBA, The Cardigans, Ace of Base, Inna, Alexandra Stan, etc. For Poland only Chopen and Basia. I only have heard of Doda, the "Polish Britney Spears" because I've been reading PF. I'd assume with 38 million people Poland ust be promoting more of her singers and bands internationally so its either reluctance to sing in English, lack of good promotion and development of music business or both.

In Sweden both pop and rock music are like a religion - they invest heavily in it and it gives results. It's like almost every Swede has been, is or will be in a band at least once. I think many US and UK hits have been produced by Max Martin and other Swedes. Romanians have also upped their pop and dance music industry marketing efforts and it bore fruit, i.e. Romanian popcorn (something like Disco polo, only Latin Americans, Canadians and even some US American people have heard some of it).

Romania is 19.41 million and Sweden just slightly over 10 million according to the latest data.

I think you are spot on here.
I am struggling to think of Polish Rock bands that have sung in English, which is the key to international success, I know Wilki have done some, but not many and a few of the Prog Rock bands.

It's often the themes that wouldn't translate well. Lyrics about longing, tears, angst, impossible love and existential depression don't fit well to upbeat melodies on the international market. It's not impossible, however it's near impossible to do well.

awful, worse than Manele..... by far.

Too often singing in English is a clue that they care more about money/popularity than music....

Personally I detest bland international pop.... I like music that sounds like it's from a place and not music that sounds like it could be from anywhere...

And the simplistic pidgin English of international pop actively makes most listeners stupid....

Me too, however it doesn't always sell well on the mass market.

I enjoy listening to French music, however it just doesn't sell outside le francophone.

Well, I personally think that singing in English is pretty inauthentic, to be honest. I think there should be compromise between singing in Polish and English. I would be happy, if everybody sung in Esperanto or any other conlang.

But maybe for instance Riverside, as well as the other 90s/2000 Polish prog bands, don't catch me, because they are not like my favorite 70s prog bands, much and they seem to be boring and church-like to me, IDK. I prefer SBB and Exodus. I think passion in music is what is lacking in Polish music industry.

I know I said that Polish is an awful language for singing, because of the fact it doesn't sound like pre-war Polish, like Eugeniusz Bodo used to sing, e.g., but at least it feels like at home.