What determines the songs that people like?
 

So if we were to examine a particular person's favourite songs list, would we find a certain pattern in terms of chord progression and structure of the different songs listed? If so, do different people's genetics determine what sort of sound they are into, or soley their mood and upbringing?

I have a long list of songs that I like (most of them 80s/90s alternative rock), although don't know if there is a particular reason why I like them or not.

I assume songs with sound tend to be what people like.

Oh, fuck I hate those

*cough* 4'33" *cough*

I like songs with names.

I don't think 4'33" counts as a song because it doesn't have lyrics.

There's a dance though.

I have no data to back this up, but my impression is it's not so much particular chord sequences or things like that that people like. Rather, people are attracted to a certain degree of simplicity or complexity, Some people like songs that repeat a particular chord patter over and over in a fairly predictable fashion - for others, that's a total turnoff and they want the music to surprise them more.

To see if there is a pattern with me, these are a list of songs that I currently like:

• That's When I Reach For My Revolver - Mission of Burma
• She Floated Away - Husker Du
• Good Grief - Foo Fighters
• We Go Down Slowly Rising - Primal Scream
• Driver 8 - R.E.M.
• Waterfall - The Stone Roses
• Come Home - Placebo

The list goes on and on... These are just the sort of song that I like. Would you say there is a pattern in terms of how they sound (you can look up any that you haven't heard), and do they meet the "predictable" standard or the "suprise" standard?

Idk what determines my taste but most of the songs i like tend to be from artist whom i feel are strange individuals with a unique voice. i tend to like imposing singers that screech and annoy you but can also carry a melody. i also like short songs, i don't usually like long songs that take forever to build up.

Idk what determines this preference but i think it's cause i got accustomed to pixies song format, they made very short songs that were very raw and creative and i like bands that use that same type of structure.

I'll check those out when I have time.

My earlier post was a bit of an over-simplification. Of course there are other factors whether someone likes a recording or not. Some people like songs with lots of heavy drumming and growling vocals and Satanic themes etc, and aren't too fussed about melody or the lack of it; others like gentle soothing sounds and don't care for much dynamic range; and so on. My earlier comment was really about TUNES rather than the manner in which they are delivered.

You like The Pixies? We learn something new every day. :D

I am inclined to believe it is genetics and/or how someone's brain is wired. At least for me, it is not upbringing, as I never cared for oldies, country music, or certain variations of rock and metal, which were the types of music I was surrounded by. Not all of those variations did I like either. I've charted my own course since then, and I just like what my brains tells me I like, and I'm pretty honest with myself in that regard.

I think there are a lot of external factors that you (or anyone) might not be consciously aware of such as being accustomed to Western vs Eastern music (Eastern music makes use of microtones while Western music is based around the 12 note chromatic scale of equal temperament), what you grew up enjoying since that's when you develop your understanding your music, and the status of your country (war and things like that) and socioeconomic status, since those last two influence what you look for in music. From what I understand, popular music is simpler during more difficult times and more complex during better times, which is why a lot of modern classical is referred to as post WWII music since that was considered a peaceful period shortly after the war.

Not that it's impossible to overcome any of these things, but they're still some of the many ways that we're conditioned to enjoy the music that we do. They influence what your brain tells you is right.

For me I've often found that my music taste has a lot to do with whether I feel the music is relatable. If not just a matter of whether I can see myself or my life in the music, it might just be the attitude or aspirations reflected in the music. Ofc with music that's pretty subjective on its face, and it's also possible that I'm just projecting that onto music I happen to enjoy for some other reason....

But at the very least I know I've found myself getting turned off by music that I might otherwise like just for a lyric or a genre switch to something I couldn't relate to. That might also explain why at different times in my life I've been into different music, and why music sounds/feels better when it matches my mood.

@Frownland.

It is definitely true that I grew up with Western influences, which is a label in itself, really. And I mean this more as for discussion than as to nitpick, but that seems like an academic theory that has become popular in recent years, because it sounds better than saying, "We have no idea." I doubt it's true in its entirety, if it's true at all. If it were true, you would also have to come up with arguments as to why a person would automatically dislike Eastern movies, art, literature (translated or not), etc., and be able to state how the brain would know the difference based on man-made geographical lines.

What I was getting at was that I was not conditioned to like certain music based simply on being exposed to it over time. I rely on the receptors in my brain, and it's not inherently based on logical distinctions.

Well, the music has pretty distinct characteristics that separate it from Western music as I had explained before (Western uses equal temperament and the chromatic scale, Eastern uses notes between the accepted notes of Western music). That distinction doesn't seep into other areas of Eastern vs Western culture, as film, literature, etc. since those things are different from one another in their own ways, while what I mentioned is strictly under the music parameters. While those differences can be explained through the taste of the public, I feel like musically they are extremely different from one another (although the Internet is erasing that, for the better imo).

My original point is that familiarity drives what you enjoy and what you don't. Different things inspire that sense of familiarity, but they're still there and often times work below the conscious level. Think about it, have you ever thought "I enjoy this track because my father was poor when I was twelve and I can relate to the status of the artist and I enjoy this style of music because it represents my lifestyle." Of course not, because I believe that music appreciation is something primitive and almost instinctual until we start to dig down into it on forums with a bunch of elitist *******s. Something foreign like a raga may not sound as pleasing or recognizable as a good song to you as (I know very little of what you like so bear with me) as Michael Jackson, and the opposite would likely be true if you grew up being exposed to the quarter tone approach that a lot of Eastern artists during your childhood instead of what you already experienced. So while you might not like the more old school things that your parents listened to, you still can find a home in Western sounds through EDM and things like that, much like how a lot of Indian kids don't give a **** about Ravi Shankar, but still enjoy pop and dance music that employs a lot of his techniques while still being very much it's own thing.

Grew up hearing the early Beatles, Beach Boys, tons of sugar coated pop, Motown, Bing Crosby, Johnny Cash, 60s C&W, Rock Opera (Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair), and the stuff that my mom and dad listened to.

"Fly me to the moon, and let me drift among the stars. Let me know what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars."

At around 10 years old Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin hit.

Done deal. I was hooked. No looking back.

I wasn't exposed to the Eastern stuff until a bit later. I think Friends off of Zep III was my first experience into that genre in a minor way.



Getting into McLaughlin's Shakti and later Shawn Lane's explorations brought it to full light.

One of the first Layne songs I've dug tbh. Sounds like Bill Laswell on bass, which is always a good thing. Didn't you hear Within You/Without You before those other examples though? Or were the examples you posted the first time you registered it or something like that?

Also, I was doing a bit of looking tonight and found that the second option on the google search "eastern vs western music" is an opinion article from some fringe far right American organization (read: hick cult) titled "Why Western Music Is Superior to Eastern," wherein they use non musical approaches to determine how the music of the white, rich Americans is so much better than anything those dirty foreigners could come up with.

Songs I distinctly remember from my child hood... Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison... Sad Songs (Say So Much) - Elton John.... Hey Jude - The Beatles.... Standing on the Corner - Dean Martin....

It's certainly true that a lot of micro tones to my ear, just sound out of tune. My ear wants to correct them if played in a straight scale... At the same time there's a lot of eastern music (Balkin/Mongolian/Latin) that I listen to. Arabic Maqams for example, don't pose any challenge.

None of that. I guess, though, if you have signed up for a forum and frequently engage in musical discussions, you're already a bit of an outlier. Cultural influences have no bearing, nor does it make any kind of music superior simply because it's cultural. I know a lot of people have a need to identify with music in that way, but I am the complete opposite, no matter the genre. Things like rich/poor, East vs West...these are all primitive categorizations, and that might be kind of what you're trying to say. However, I schlep all that, and keep an open mind about all music, especially new music; music is the one area where I don't think it's beneficial to apply personal politics to it, unless you're already a political person. Maybe you were born that way? Me? I'm a free radical, which again is genetics.

I like a lot of "Western music", but I need to clarify that by that term I mean music whose roots are in Western Europe and the Americas, NOT "western" as in see 'n' dubya.

I just don't think it's genetic. It's something you pick up, like an accent. Being open minded about all types of music is also something that could have been influenced by your life. If you were in someone else's shoes with your same brain it might not be the same way.

Let me ask you this. Were your parents, or other individuals in your household either musicians, or have a strong draw toward music?

I come from a family of musicians, yes.

Both my parents are music buffs. Dad built speaker cabinets and used all that old school, big-ass equipment. Mom played the **** out of oldies. While both fell into the trap of not liking new music as they got older, they never stopped listening to music, and they'll still buy records on occasion.

Point: The desire for music doesn't exist in a vacuum, IMO.

• My brain is picking and choosing what sounds I like. I'm not controlling it logically, and it's not like learned or conditioned behavior, such as being taught to say please and thank you. Ex: I was never told to get a song stuck in my head all day. It's a natural thing that happens.
• If there is a lack of Eastern influences, it's more about a lack of exposure. "World music" was a thing later on, but on indie stations and whatnot. Never dug any of it.
• I disagree that media content -- music, movies, art, video games, -- aren't related as far as stimulating the brain in the same or similar way(s).
• The East/West thing is too black and white in regard to how music affects the brain (what people like), and it assumes that music is only made a certain way in each location.

You don't have to consciously be aware of it not be ordered to like something for it to be a factor since it works on a subconscious level. While I agree that all of the arts are related, I still think it's a false dichotomy to say that we appreciate it the same way. Lastly, Western and Eastern are not geographical styles these days because of better communication between far distances, but they arose from exactly the phenomena that you mention. At the basic level, there is likely a genetic predisposition to liking music for most people, but what you like is inspired by your experiences.

Im going to side with experience > genetics too. Neither of my parents were heavily into music and my sister only listened to pop R &B and culturally the music most played here is Salsa, Merengue and Reggaeton. As a kid i did like local rap but as i grew older i started to gravitate to the outcast point of view and the outcast kids here were into rock and punk. my mindset and my taste identified more with that americanized rock counter culture and it kinda set the guidelines for my music taste.

Guessing you're a big Pixies fan then :clap:

They're alright.

I want to echo what someone said about music being relatable. I completely agree with the notion of being able to "relate" to a song; the attitude, the character, the personality, the melody. That said, what I relate to has changed over time; as a teen I was into darker/weirder stuff but as I've gotten older I'm gravitating to simple, happy things that lift my mood. I have to be able to "see myself" in the song, singing the song, or dancing to the song... or being in the music video somehow. If that makes any sense.

In my opinion, It's about the first genres that you get impressed

What determines it is a combination of nature and nurture, which is different in each individual's case. And nature and nurture are both typically complex enough in each person's case that it can be difficult to predict whether an individual will like or dislike something, even if you know them fairly well.

Anyway, here's my attempt to generalize what I'm most attracted to:

What I like best, in general, is music with quirks, delivered via material that has at least some roots in the traditional and at least slightly sophisticated melodic and harmonic craftsmanship reflected in pre-rock era pop music. I also have a strong attraction to anything with funky or "grooving" rhythms. The above doesn't mean that the music has to be pop. I just want it to have some roots in the melodic and harmonic craftsmanship that pre-rock pop exemplified. (Think of standards like "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered".) I'm not really that genre-oriented. I'm just quirk-(and groove-)oriented as above. Usually the further afield something moves from some combination of those three factors--quirkiness, melodic and harmonic sophistication with some structural relation to traditional pop music, and funkiness/groove-orientedness, the less interested I am in it. There are exceptions--for example, some ambient music is among my favorite stuff, but that's generally the key to whether I'll like something and just how much I'll like it.