Different ways of listening to music?

poppiee · 01-03-2014, 08:33 PM

I don't see anybody talk about this but like erectile dysfunction, I'm sure it hits some people... You just don't feel anything when listening to music.

After thinking about it for a while, I conclude some songs resonate with you emotionally immediately (this is most common in mainstream music, as it's the most broadly played and accessible music), others take a while to get used to (deep meaning albums) and others make you feel indifferent (how I feel about literally all music right now). I was wondering why I've been feeling indifferent towards a lot of emotional music I used to enjoy, that used to "take me places" and I think I know my problem. Being too analytic, for example, all guitars and drums and pianos make me think of the instrument instead ofemotion. Anyone else had this problem? It seriously feels similar to ED, I just can't listen to music as well as I used to. May be a mental problem, I might be too calculating and analytic to enjoy music now.

We only come back to music that can "take you places", otherwise it's just sounds of tools, not songs. Proof: How I said before (probably everyone knows what I'm talking about) some songs take a while to get used to, eventually becoming your favorite. I think this is because at first listen, you're just hearing the musical instruments, analyzing the sound. You still haven't attached it to any life experiences or created your own experience in your mind: "feel" for it, this is why music critics always compare albums to things like "The strings sounded extraterrestrial" or "The music moves like a rickety boat in the a vast ocean", it "took them" there to that place.

What am I doing wrong?

Mr. Charlie · 01-03-2014, 09:03 PM

Interesting. I've never experienced that and hope I never will - it sounds awful.

Maybe you're right, maybe you're thinking too much. Music is about feeling in my experience. Forget the mind, live through your heart. See if that helps.

poppiee · 01-04-2014, 02:57 AM

I think you're right, but it's not easy. It's like 3 am right now and It's way easier to feel the music now, oddly. It's calm and it leads to believe my problem comes from too much distractions to enjoy good music. I wish I could be in this mode at will all the time...

edit: I'm revisiting an album called "In the aeroplane over the sea" and the difference between now and hours ago is noticeably changed. I'm more "feeling" and less "analyze every sound". I was indifferent towards the album, it was like a puddle of imagination and now I feel a lot more emotion from it. Just thought I should document that, it may solve my problem.

01-03-2014, 08:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
poppiee Groupie Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 6	Different ways of listening to music? I don't see anybody talk about this but like erectile dysfunction, I'm sure it hits some people... You just don't feel anything when listening to music. After thinking about it for a while, I conclude some songs resonate with you emotionally immediately (this is most common in mainstream music, as it's the most broadly played and accessible music), others take a while to get used to (deep meaning albums) and others make you feel indifferent (how I feel about literally all music right now). I was wondering why I've been feeling indifferent towards a lot of emotional music I used to enjoy, that used to "take me places" and I think I know my problem. Being too analytic, for example, all guitars and drums and pianos make me think of the instrument instead ofemotion. Anyone else had this problem? It seriously feels similar to ED, I just can't listen to music as well as I used to. May be a mental problem, I might be too calculating and analytic to enjoy music now. We only come back to music that can "take you places", otherwise it's just sounds of tools, not songs. Proof: How I said before (probably everyone knows what I'm talking about) some songs take a while to get used to, eventually becoming your favorite. I think this is because at first listen, you're just hearing the musical instruments, analyzing the sound. You still haven't attached it to any life experiences or created your own experience in your mind: "feel" for it, this is why music critics always compare albums to things like "The strings sounded extraterrestrial" or "The music moves like a rickety boat in the a vast ocean", it "took them" there to that place. What am I doing wrong?

01-04-2014, 02:57 AM	#3 (permalink)
poppiee Groupie Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 6	I think you're right, but it's not easy. It's like 3 am right now and It's way easier to feel the music now, oddly. It's calm and it leads to believe my problem comes from too much distractions to enjoy good music. I wish I could be in this mode at will all the time... edit: I'm revisiting an album called "In the aeroplane over the sea" and the difference between now and hours ago is noticeably changed. I'm more "feeling" and less "analyze every sound". I was indifferent towards the album, it was like a puddle of imagination and now I feel a lot more emotion from it. Just thought I should document that, it may solve my problem. Last edited by poppiee; 01-04-2014 at 03:05 AM.

01-03-2014, 09:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mr. Charlie Shoo Thoughts Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: These Mountains Posts: 2,308	Interesting. I've never experienced that and hope I never will - it sounds awful. Maybe you're right, maybe you're thinking too much. Music is about feeling in my experience. Forget the mind, live through your heart. See if that helps.