Excellent post, thanks for taking the time to write it!
I was actually just going to make my first ever Steemit post about "human scale" in music - the idea that as (essentially) a story telling medium, a song tends towards an effectiveness of sorts when it contains a very real, and very human message.
I was thinking about what that practically means, and I landed on the same analogy you used in your third last paragraph: "an elephant trying to fit through a doggy door". In architecture, a building is said to have a good sense of human scale if it is well sized and suited to the activity that people will be using it for. I tend to think the same for music. As there is no music that is not listened to by people, does it not make sense that we should aim for "human scale" in our compositions?
Writing music for people to relate to is like building a house with a 40' high, 15' wide front door. Just because more people fit through, doesn't mean that it's fit for purpose....or indeed, of any endearing quality.
Thanks again!!
Cool stuff @earthhermit! I look forward to reading your fully drafted post about human scale in music. The various purposes for which we listen to music is a fascinating topic on its own. We listen at social gatherings, restaurants, weddings, graduations, family reunions.
We listen on the bus, in a car, cleaning the house.
We listen at a venue surrounded by strangers. We listen in the bedroom with our significant others. We listen to zone out and to tune in. Everyone has their favorite music for their own situations.