Are there any melodies from classical music (or anything really) that are really catchy, and are NOT extremely popular...asking for a friend

 

Hello. In general the catchy melodies in classical are popular and internationally popular for the best known example: the Bolero, because at the time of their creations they were Hits Parade. What is interesting to explore in Youtube, these are the foreign composers not known internationally, of various epoch.

 

you can also try:
https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/1920
https://davesmusicdatabase.blogspot.com/2014/07/top-100-songs-from-1920-1929.html

just search the years you want...

 

I guess catchy and popular are attributes that will go together more often than not. Most stuff that is popular will also be catchy and vice versa. I guess there might be some stuff that actually is catchy and not popular (yet) but that would be more of an exception i guess.
So my guess would be that this might be easier to find looking at the very new than the very old.

 

We all use downloaded midifiles, drum samples, parts of prerecorded acappella voices, arpeggio presets etc .. now I wonder: how much does our music really belong to us? How can we honestly say "I am a composer / producer"
Please, someone enlighten me.
I hope that one day the spirit of Ennio Morricone will come to our rescue

 

The chances for someone to come with anything original in 12 equal on your own are very low - you basically have to use unconventional rhythms and very chromatic melodies.
Even outside of 12 equal - think world music, Oriental stuff, gamelan, Africa etc - plenty of "exotic" intervals (like our standard intervals, but bigger or smaller by like 1/4 or 1/6 tone) are in use, plus they also employ way more complex traditional drumming patterns, so... yes, it's possible to be original, but you have to be really good, if you want to combine complexity with something that sounds easy on the ears.

 

I don't know about you, but my music belongs to me because I put my soul, my knowledge and my passion into it.

It's a product of my will and abilities. It's a byproduct of my feelings, my memories, my relationships and my intellect.

It's mine because I made it, no matter if I used Superior Drummer 3, DjinnBass or how "similiar" it may sound to Veil of Maya, Periphery etc.

 

it doesnt belong to you , music is all about priming and progression , you can always reflect your personality and taste but nothing belongs to you , its not about the samples or whether you played the actual notes its about the context in which you presented them in

 

hummm .... I read a self-certification hidden behind your words. Have you ever wondered:

• How much of what I'm playing has already been said in a better and more thorough way?
• Am I just repeating patterns already listened to?
• Is what I'm playing just aesthetic?

These are doubts that constantly grip me, in fact 98% of my creative sessions end up like this:
Quit application ---> Save changes to "Untitled"? ---> Don't save

 

I feel that there is something interesting in what you say, I need some time to elaborate it completely

 

Of course I have. We all have our doubts, don't we?

These questions will only matter if you care about it (no shit).

In order to get good at composing, you have to practice. You will probably practice by writing what you heard first, just like when we are learning handwriting.

It's only natural you will try first the words you already are familiar to and it's ok to "suck". Music is — too — language.

There's another question behind what you just said and that's whether or not what you have made is good enough for you to call "mine".

 

That's right, music is a language for conveying thoughts and emotions. Now, I also like reading books: very often I come across writers who, despite their perfect technique in writing, say absolutely nothing interesting, or worse, superficially repeat concepts already treated by others in a much more comprehensive and profound way. I feel the same frustration with almost all the music I listen to (including mine).

Unfortunately, it is very rare to find that "Holy Spark" in a creative product