What Is It About Music That You Like? (Read first post!)

s_k · 01-26-2011, 08:42 PM

What I probably like best about music is that I can control my own emotions by just picking the right record at the right time out of my cabinet, play it and listen. It can change the world for that moment for me.
I'd be stone cold dead without the helping hand of music.

Insane Guest · 01-26-2011, 09:34 PM

Favourite 3 Genres
What are your favourite genres? You can mention as many as you like, but try and figure out what's your one, two or three absolute favourites!

Metal...although I have plenty of other music.

What attracts me to music
What do you like? Do you use music as a way to vent anger? Do you like music that makes you happy? Do you like music that you can headbang to? Does it make you feel powerful or do you prefer music that makes you feel sad? Might require some imagination!

The thing that I love about metal, is that it gives me adrenaline, gets me off my ass and rock out, any music that does this, is in my library. Bands like Iron Maiden, Opeth, Meshuggah, Obituary, Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Death, Dio, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Diamondhead, Pantera, Dimmu Borgir, Atheist, Megadeth, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, the list goes on and on. This is amazing stuff. Another thing is just that it keeps on going, with more and more people getting into metal every year. More bands springing up everyyear, metal is a botomless pit. The culture behind metal is amazing, the energy you feel at a metal concert is overwhelming. The mosh pits, the chants, the devil horns, the screams, the riffs, the growls, the howls, it all makes me want to explode and just have the best night of my life. I'm getting ****ing pumped just writing about it. From the moment I heard Iron Maiden's The Trooper, I knew that this would be the music that I would be listening to for the rest of my life. Death, Black, Technical, Viking, Progressive, whatever it is, I will give it a listen.

Some example(s) of stuff you like

Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then?
Do you listen to music for the same reason as when you were a child? Or are you on a new path defined at some later stage in life?

When I was a child, around 4 years ago, I listened to music because it was "cool." I would listen to rap, hip hop, and other stuff because it was in at the time. I lived in a pretty mainstream community, and whatever played on the radio, is what was popular. I would say I only listened to music because it was what my friends listend to. One of the most memorable moments that I have, is one of the first metal bands I listened to has System of a Down. I remember hanging out with my friends, and playing BYOB. They were like "What the **** is this? Turn that **** off!!!" Yup, that's when I first realized that heavier music was just not accepted by the general population. When I first heard Iron Maiden, I had to decide, what path will I take, the less known road of Metal, or the popular road of the radio? I'm glad with my decision, even if it did change my life, emotionally and socially, it was worth it. I will wear my Iron Maiden shirts with pride, and won't give a damn what people think about my taste in music.

ThePhanastasio · 01-26-2011, 10:05 PM

Favourite 3 Genres
This is really difficult to pinpoint precise genres, but I'll try to go for the ones I've been listening to the most lately: "Jam" / Improvisational, Abstract Hip-Hop, and Jazz.

What attracts me to music
I'm attracted to music for a variety of different reasons, really. It's not necessarily any one thing that I can quite pin down. I think my love for music typically considered "jam bands" is probably one of my strongest attractions, particularly at this time in my life. The musicians playing this particular type of music tend to be very proficient with their instruments to begin with - the composed sections of their songs are often very tight and exploratory, generally drawing influences from a variety of genres and blending them seamlessly together. Then comes the "jamming" portion. When listened to with full concentration, it can be some of the most mind-blowing music you'll ever hear. The jamming is improvised, but there are two major types of jams you'll see with most acts in the scene. There are Type I Jams, which stem from the song itself. They'll be improvising around the structure of the song as it already exists, using that to base their jam around; a lot of the time, this will be with tempo changes, variations on the notes and progression, etc. - but still keeping with the song itself. Listening to a lot of Type I Jams is impressive enough to me, then you get into the real meat and potatoes of the improvisation (for me anyway): The Type II Jam. This often comes out of a Type I Jam, but in this type of jam, it's completely improvised; the notes, the chords, the progression, tempo, rhythmic changes - all done on the spot. It requires skill to do a proficient Type II jam in the first place, with a single instrument. When you bring multiple instrumentalists into the mix, and when it all really comes together...when they're feeding off of each others' energy and making this brilliant, collaborative, improvisational masterpiece seemingly out of thin air. It's really exhilarating to see or hear this, when it really does all come together. There's not a formula - not really. It's never been played before, and it will never be played again. It's really an experience and an event. Of course I'm going to use a Phish clip to illustrate this:

This is an Also Sprach Zarathustra jam > Carini which absolutely blew my mind.

Another note - when a band is able to segue one song into another...I feel like that is also an exceptional show of skill. Something I love to see.

Really, I feel like music which is really pushing the envelope is what appeals most to me. Something I've not heard before which really has the ability to challenge me as a listener. It doesn't have to be about lyrics, instruments played, who's playing it, why it was written, or anything like that.

That's probably why abstract hip-hop really appeals to me, although lyrically it can be ingenious as well. Rapping bizarre poetry over absurd time signatures is what initially drew me to Doseone, via Themselves. Any time someone asks me to put on hip-hop, I will always put this particular track in the mix. It has dropped many a jaw.

When I first heard Doseone, I felt like this is what hip-hop is going to evolve into. It's revolutionary, so ahead of its time. I guess a lot of people aren't ready for it yet. It's just so amazing to me. I can kind of feel the beats, the words, the strangeness of it all, and get in between the beats and feel fulfilled, content. All of that.

Jazz is something else which I've been listening to a bit lately. In particular, Jaco Pastorius and Charles Mingus, two ****ing phenomenal bassists.

This is why I like jazz, which is probably apparent in my love for the other types of music I'm most into.

Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then?
Not at all, really. I guess to a certain extent, I've always been pushing on to listen to music which was more challenging to me as a listener even in my teen years, preferring such intricate compositions as "The Prophet's Song" and "Innuendo" to much of Queen's other material. Now, I'm just much more hungry for music that will blow my mind than I ever was. I want to be thrilled; I want to be surprised; I want to be challenged - I want something to affect me.

zachsd · 01-26-2011, 10:47 PM

Favourite 3 Genres
Rock, Folk, Folk Rock, Country Rock, Indie Rock, Jazz, Classical (Bach, late Baroque), World (MPB, Malian), Hip-Hop

What attracts me to music
For me to really like a song, I have to connect with it emotionally on some level. It isn't necessarily a requirement for the music to evoke happy, sad, angry, or any other specific feeling, but just whatever I feel represents me. My lastfm shows a lot of depressing music (e.g. Neil Young, Townes van Zandt, Nick Drake), and there definitely is a reason for this. Embarrassingly enough, there are Neil Young songs I've actually cried to; these songs tend to be the songs I listen to the most.

Nick Drake - River Man. This song was really important in changing my outlook on life, at least I think it was. There are qualities to this song that evoke concepts from Buddhism and eastern philosophies which, in combination with other events going on at the time, led me to pursue a much simpler life and question the direction I was taking with my future.

Amadou and Mariam - Je Pense a Toi. This one of the greatest love songs ever written, in my opinion. I don't even know what the lyrics mean, it just has to be about love.

Bob Dylan - Ballad of a Thin Man (wonder how quickly Columbia will get this off youtube...). This really describes how I feel at times. Depressed, worthless, postmodern, etc.

Bill Evans - My Man is Gone Now. Just amazing, don't really know what else to say.

Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then?
Do you listen to music for the same reason as when you were a child? Or are you on a new path defined at some later stage in life?

I don't really feel like I've been an adult long enough to answer this question.

Quote:

Jazz is something else which I've been listening to a bit lately. In particular, Jaco Pastorius and Charles Mingus, two ****ing phenomenal bassists.

This is why I like jazz, which is probably apparent in my love for the other types of music I'm most into.

Yep, I've really been getting into Charles Mingus lately too. That man basses up a storm; his music makes me think of organized chaos, something that's pretty impossible to achieve (or at least seems like it would be). That might be why you like it so much, considering you are so into improv stuff.

duga · 01-26-2011, 10:55 PM

Favourite 3 Genres
Shoegaze, psychedelic rock, and chill electronic. Although, I really like to explore everything. Even if there is something I don't like at first, I'll give a few artists from that genre a go to see if I can get into something.

What attracts me to music
First and foremost I want music I can get lost in. My favorite kind of music is the kind that I can focus in on, even out, and just think about how nothing can be all that bad. Of course there isn't one constant kind of music that can do that...I have to find just the right music for just the right moments. Most of the time I feel like I am on a constant hunt to figure out what I actually want to listen to. I live for the moments where I actually do figure it out and the rest of the world just doesn't exist anymore.

I like any music that makes me feel as if the person who wrote it felt just like that as they were writing it. The thing is, every genre of music has artists that have put that much passion into their work. In fact, that is what I really love about music to begin with. I like to listen to new music and see if I can figure out exactly where that musician is coming from. They saw something in those notes or chords and appreciating good music is about recognizing the same thing they did. It never gets old. Music is an entertaining artform, but it is also a form of communication. It is definitely something to be able to feel almost exactly what a musician is trying to convey.

Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then?
I listen to a few bands my parents used to listen to while I was little, but I definitely don't have the same taste in music that I used to. It actually took me a few years to realize that every form of music has something I can enjoy. There is so much music out there, I would be surprised if many people didn't go through the same thing. I always had an interest in music, but it feels as if it started small (at least compared to now) and all the sudden the floodgates opened.

djchameleon · 01-26-2011, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Why do that? I think for some people variety is one defining characteristics of their taste. Asking people who really don't have a favorite genre to pare it down to their favorites gives a false portrait of their relationship to music.

Imo , it makes sense for the purpose of this thread to have it only be 2 or 3. This thread isn't really asking about their taste but just a few favorite genres if they were forced to pick and to discuss those 2 or 3 genres intead of a super long winded post with all of the genres in their taste.

**Janszoon** · 01-26-2011, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djchameleon

Imo , it makes sense for the purpose of this thread to have it only be 2 or 3. This thread isn't really asking about their taste but just a few favorite genres if they were forced to pick and to discuss those 2 or 3 genres intead of a super long winded post with all of the genres in their taste.

The thread is asking what you like about music. What if your answer is "variety"? That's hard to talk about if you have to choose only a couple genres.

Howard the Duck · 01-26-2011, 11:21 PM

I just hate ambient environmental sounds and the sound of silence (not the Simon/Garfunkel song)

djchameleon · 01-26-2011, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

The thread is asking what you like about music. What if your answer is "variety"? That's hard to talk about if you have to choose only a couple genres.

well if the person's answer if variety then they can state that in the second question....I don't see what's wrong with picking a couple of genres for the first one.

Zarko · 01-27-2011, 01:35 AM

Favourite 3 Genres
Using as broadly defined genres as possible, probably looking at experimental, jazz and electronic. Though experimental is probably a bit too over the place as a definition, so the third would probably be hip hop.

What attracts me to music
Can't really pin it down to anything. My emotions don't really decide what I feel like listening to or anything like that. I guess it's just something I find interesting and enjoy. Although I hardly listen to it exclusively, I am always fascinated in experimental music in general, and funnily enough listening to the experimental side of things have often gotten me more into genres than listening to the 'easy' stuff first. Best example would probably be hip hop, where I've started enjoying a lot more of the mainstream type stuff after having been initiated by the experimental side of things. Not to say I enjoy one more than the other. I'm very specific in my tastes though (I'll know whether I like something or not from only a few songs), so it is often difficult to get suggestions from other people unfortunately.

Classic - The Church is one band I just can't seem to 'get over' and I keep on coming back. I saw them last month which helps no doubt. Priest = was my favourite for a long time, though I have moved to listening to Untitled 23 now as well as Seance. 23 is probably my favourite album of theirs atm.

Dead Can Dance, Amon Tobin, Nick Cave, all deserve a youtube vid, but they're easy enough to find online!

One of my favourite beatmakers at the moment. Mansbestfriend is an alternate performance name for Sole, anticon artist. The Opus is another (the producer for Rubberoom), Dabrye, DJ Krush, Sixtoo, POS all favourites.

Mainly into the chilled stuff for electronic music atm, but won't ever complain about Aphex Twin, Tobin being chucked on.

Just a rag tag chucked in that I listen to atm. Not really listening to a tonne of music atm, and if anyone cared to see what else I've listened to normally, my journal has mroe than enough examples.

Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then?
I didn't care about music at all until I was about 17 years old, so I'm only 5 years old

. As far as I cared, music was for boredom over car drives. I still look at music the same way a tad though. Unless it is entertaining to me, I couldn't really give a damn about the nuances of the music, or its experimentalism. It's one of the reasons why I sorta carry the belief that suggesting you respect a musician whilst not enjoying them is an empty gesture.

Other than that I'm often jumping around from genre to genre in terms of what I'm enjoying at the moments. 5 months ago I had about 4-5 hip hop albums I actually cared about and now that has exploded massively to be probably my most listened genre atm. Before that I was in a huge electronic phase. I don't start disliking older genres I was into, I am just over them for the moment. Case in point, Nick Cave, who I haven't listened to for ages and don't really care to, but I would still class the Bad Seeds as one of my top few bands of all time.

01-26-2011, 08:42 PM	#21 (permalink)
s_k Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,206	What I probably like best about music is that I can control my own emotions by just picking the right record at the right time out of my cabinet, play it and listen. It can change the world for that moment for me. I'd be stone cold dead without the helping hand of music. __________________ Click here to see my collection

01-26-2011, 10:05 PM	#23 (permalink)
ThePhanastasio Killed Laura Palmer Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Ashland, KY Posts: 1,679	Favourite 3 Genres This is really difficult to pinpoint precise genres, but I'll try to go for the ones I've been listening to the most lately: "Jam" / Improvisational, Abstract Hip-Hop, and Jazz. What attracts me to music I'm attracted to music for a variety of different reasons, really. It's not necessarily any one thing that I can quite pin down. I think my love for music typically considered "jam bands" is probably one of my strongest attractions, particularly at this time in my life. The musicians playing this particular type of music tend to be very proficient with their instruments to begin with - the composed sections of their songs are often very tight and exploratory, generally drawing influences from a variety of genres and blending them seamlessly together. Then comes the "jamming" portion. When listened to with full concentration, it can be some of the most mind-blowing music you'll ever hear. The jamming is improvised, but there are two major types of jams you'll see with most acts in the scene. There are Type I Jams, which stem from the song itself. They'll be improvising around the structure of the song as it already exists, using that to base their jam around; a lot of the time, this will be with tempo changes, variations on the notes and progression, etc. - but still keeping with the song itself. Listening to a lot of Type I Jams is impressive enough to me, then you get into the real meat and potatoes of the improvisation (for me anyway): The Type II Jam. This often comes out of a Type I Jam, but in this type of jam, it's completely improvised; the notes, the chords, the progression, tempo, rhythmic changes - all done on the spot. It requires skill to do a proficient Type II jam in the first place, with a single instrument. When you bring multiple instrumentalists into the mix, and when it all really comes together...when they're feeding off of each others' energy and making this brilliant, collaborative, improvisational masterpiece seemingly out of thin air. It's really exhilarating to see or hear this, when it really does all come together. There's not a formula - not really. It's never been played before, and it will never be played again. It's really an experience and an event. Of course I'm going to use a Phish clip to illustrate this: This is an Also Sprach Zarathustra jam > Carini which absolutely blew my mind. Another note - when a band is able to segue one song into another...I feel like that is also an exceptional show of skill. Something I love to see. Really, I feel like music which is really pushing the envelope is what appeals most to me. Something I've not heard before which really has the ability to challenge me as a listener. It doesn't have to be about lyrics, instruments played, who's playing it, why it was written, or anything like that. That's probably why abstract hip-hop really appeals to me, although lyrically it can be ingenious as well. Rapping bizarre poetry over absurd time signatures is what initially drew me to Doseone, via Themselves. Any time someone asks me to put on hip-hop, I will always put this particular track in the mix. It has dropped many a jaw. When I first heard Doseone, I felt like this is what hip-hop is going to evolve into. It's revolutionary, so ahead of its time. I guess a lot of people aren't ready for it yet. It's just so amazing to me. I can kind of feel the beats, the words, the strangeness of it all, and get in between the beats and feel fulfilled, content. All of that. Jazz is something else which I've been listening to a bit lately. In particular, Jaco Pastorius and Charles Mingus, two **ing phenomenal bassists. This is why I like jazz, which is probably apparent in my love for the other types of music I'm most into. Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then?** Not at all, really. I guess to a certain extent, I've always been pushing on to listen to music which was more challenging to me as a listener even in my teen years, preferring such intricate compositions as "The Prophet's Song" and "Innuendo" to much of Queen's other material. Now, I'm just much more hungry for music that will blow my mind than I ever was. I want to be thrilled; I want to be surprised; I want to be challenged - I want something to affect me. __________________ Phish: Studio Discography Reviewed 100 Albums I Heartily Recommend My last.fm It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken Perhaps they're better left unsung

01-26-2011, 10:55 PM	#25 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	Favourite 3 Genres Shoegaze, psychedelic rock, and chill electronic. Although, I really like to explore everything. Even if there is something I don't like at first, I'll give a few artists from that genre a go to see if I can get into something. What attracts me to music First and foremost I want music I can get lost in. My favorite kind of music is the kind that I can focus in on, even out, and just think about how nothing can be all that bad. Of course there isn't one constant kind of music that can do that...I have to find just the right music for just the right moments. Most of the time I feel like I am on a constant hunt to figure out what I actually want to listen to. I live for the moments where I actually do figure it out and the rest of the world just doesn't exist anymore. I like any music that makes me feel as if the person who wrote it felt just like that as they were writing it. The thing is, every genre of music has artists that have put that much passion into their work. In fact, that is what I really love about music to begin with. I like to listen to new music and see if I can figure out exactly where that musician is coming from. They saw something in those notes or chords and appreciating good music is about recognizing the same thing they did. It never gets old. Music is an entertaining artform, but it is also a form of communication. It is definitely something to be able to feel almost exactly what a musician is trying to convey. Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then? I listen to a few bands my parents used to listen to while I was little, but I definitely don't have the same taste in music that I used to. It actually took me a few years to realize that every form of music has something I can enjoy. There is so much music out there, I would be surprised if many people didn't go through the same thing. I always had an interest in music, but it feels as if it started small (at least compared to now) and all the sudden the floodgates opened. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

01-26-2011, 09:34 PM	#22 (permalink)
Insane Guest Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: CA Posts: 1,322	Favourite 3 Genres What are your favourite genres? You can mention as many as you like, but try and figure out what's your one, two or three absolute favourites! Metal...although I have plenty of other music. What attracts me to music What do you like? Do you use music as a way to vent anger? Do you like music that makes you happy? Do you like music that you can headbang to? Does it make you feel powerful or do you prefer music that makes you feel sad? Might require some imagination! The thing that I love about metal, is that it gives me adrenaline, gets me off my ass and rock out, any music that does this, is in my library. Bands like Iron Maiden, Opeth, Meshuggah, Obituary, Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Death, Dio, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Diamondhead, Pantera, Dimmu Borgir, Atheist, Megadeth, Amon Amarth, Dark Tranquility, the list goes on and on. This is amazing stuff. Another thing is just that it keeps on going, with more and more people getting into metal every year. More bands springing up everyyear, metal is a botomless pit. The culture behind metal is amazing, the energy you feel at a metal concert is overwhelming. The mosh pits, the chants, the devil horns, the screams, the riffs, the growls, the howls, it all makes me want to explode and just have the best night of my life. I'm getting **ing pumped just writing about it. From the moment I heard Iron Maiden's The Trooper, I knew that this would be the music that I would be listening to for the rest of my life. Death, Black, Technical, Viking, Progressive, whatever it is, I will give it a listen. Some example(s) of stuff you like Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then? Do you listen to music for the same reason as when you were a child? Or are you on a new path defined at some later stage in life? When I was a child, around 4 years ago, I listened to music because it was "cool." I would listen to rap, hip hop, and other stuff because it was in at the time. I lived in a pretty mainstream community, and whatever played on the radio, is what was popular. I would say I only listened to music because it was what my friends listend to. One of the most memorable moments that I have, is one of the first metal bands I listened to has System of a Down. I remember hanging out with my friends, and playing BYOB. They were like "What the is this? Turn that ** off!!!" Yup, that's when I first realized that heavier music was just not accepted by the general population. When I first heard Iron Maiden, I had to decide, what path will I take, the less known road of Metal, or the popular road of the radio? I'm glad with my decision, even if it did change my life, emotionally and socially, it was worth it. I will wear my Iron Maiden shirts with pride, and won't give a damn what people think about my taste in music.

01-26-2011, 11:21 PM	#28 (permalink)
Howard the Duck Live by the Sword Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 9,075	I just hate ambient environmental sounds and the sound of silence (not the Simon/Garfunkel song)

01-27-2011, 01:35 AM	#30 (permalink)
Zarko Barely Disheveled Zombie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 1,196	Favourite 3 Genres Using as broadly defined genres as possible, probably looking at experimental, jazz and electronic. Though experimental is probably a bit too over the place as a definition, so the third would probably be hip hop. What attracts me to music Can't really pin it down to anything. My emotions don't really decide what I feel like listening to or anything like that. I guess it's just something I find interesting and enjoy. Although I hardly listen to it exclusively, I am always fascinated in experimental music in general, and funnily enough listening to the experimental side of things have often gotten me more into genres than listening to the 'easy' stuff first. Best example would probably be hip hop, where I've started enjoying a lot more of the mainstream type stuff after having been initiated by the experimental side of things. Not to say I enjoy one more than the other. I'm very specific in my tastes though (I'll know whether I like something or not from only a few songs), so it is often difficult to get suggestions from other people unfortunately. Classic - The Church is one band I just can't seem to 'get over' and I keep on coming back. I saw them last month which helps no doubt. Priest = was my favourite for a long time, though I have moved to listening to Untitled 23 now as well as Seance. 23 is probably my favourite album of theirs atm. Dead Can Dance, Amon Tobin, Nick Cave, all deserve a youtube vid, but they're easy enough to find online! One of my favourite beatmakers at the moment. Mansbestfriend is an alternate performance name for Sole, anticon artist. The Opus is another (the producer for Rubberoom), Dabrye, DJ Krush, Sixtoo, POS all favourites. Mainly into the chilled stuff for electronic music atm, but won't ever complain about Aphex Twin, Tobin being chucked on. Just a rag tag chucked in that I listen to atm. Not really listening to a tonne of music atm, and if anyone cared to see what else I've listened to normally, my journal has mroe than enough examples. Are you attracted to the same musical qualities now as then? I didn't care about music at all until I was about 17 years old, so I'm only 5 years old . As far as I cared, music was for boredom over car drives. I still look at music the same way a tad though. Unless it is entertaining to me, I couldn't really give a damn about the nuances of the music, or its experimentalism. It's one of the reasons why I sorta carry the belief that suggesting you respect a musician whilst not enjoying them is an empty gesture. Other than that I'm often jumping around from genre to genre in terms of what I'm enjoying at the moments. 5 months ago I had about 4-5 hip hop albums I actually cared about and now that has exploded massively to be probably my most listened genre atm. Before that I was in a huge electronic phase. I don't start disliking older genres I was into, I am just over them for the moment. Case in point, Nick Cave, who I haven't listened to for ages and don't really care to, but I would still class the Bad Seeds as one of my top few bands of all time.