Since I have a minimal background in music, I find it a struggle to follow Zappa's compositions. I admit, many of his songs come off as abrasive, disjointed, and confusing. But even with little musical knowledge, Zappa's innovation within and outside music is very clear. His innovation can be attributed to his varied musical influences of Doo-Wop like The Medallions, R&B and jazz musicians like Eric Dolphy and Cecil Taylor, as well as classical composers, with Edgard Varese being one of his bigger influences. He had a tendency of collaging, reinventing, and mashing up the several forms to create something utterly unique. The collaged mash up style led to many innovative songs and arrangements. For example, "Where are the Brain Police" exemplifies an approach towards free jazz while also introducing avant garde music. The spoken words in the song "Trouble Everyday" dubbed it as being the first account of rap.
Some of Zappa's innovative ideas include mixing tapes from different shows, mashing up different styles, and using unconventional objects like kazoo’s, washboards, and even bikes. To be innovative, you have to experiment. Experimentation was a staple process for Zappa, although he rarely experimented within the usual boundaries:
“He bought a copy of H.A Clarke’s Counterpoint: Strict and Free (1928), the second page of which began: ‘Never write any of the following successions…Frank played them on the piano…he wondered ‘Why can’t we do this? This sounds great!’ He never read further”. (pg 39, Barry Miles)
Zappa's experiments did not aim to create beautiful songs, but to create reactive and content-driven works. He was one of the first to integrate concept into music and even adopted principals of Dada-ism and Surrealism in specific works like "Call any Vegetable" and "American Drinks"
Some of Zappa's innovative ideas include mixing tapes from different shows, mashing up different styles, and using unconventional objects like kazoo’s, washboards, and even bikes. To be innovative, you have to experiment. Experimentation was a staple process for Zappa, although he rarely experimented within the usual boundaries:
“He bought a copy of H.A Clarke’s Counterpoint: Strict and Free (1928), the second page of which began: ‘Never write any of the following successions…Frank played them on the piano…he wondered ‘Why can’t we do this? This sounds great!’ He never read further”. (pg 39, Barry Miles)
Zappa's experiments did not aim to create beautiful songs, but to create reactive and content-driven works. He was one of the first to integrate concept into music and even adopted principals of Dada-ism and Surrealism in specific works like "Call any Vegetable" and "American Drinks"
