The transcendence of music

JGuy Grungeman · 08-20-2016, 10:50 AM

I had a mom who loved 70's-80'd rock and and pop and disco, a dad who loved southern rock and country and jazz, and a grandmother who loved classical. No wonder I like Meat Loaf.

Blank. · 08-20-2016, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGuy Grungeman

I had a mom who loved 70's-80'd rock and and pop and disco, a dad who loved southern rock and country and jazz, and a grandmother who loved classical. No wonder I like Meat Loaf.

I'm just taking away from this is that you're gay. And not as in lame.

JGuy Grungeman · 08-20-2016, 11:11 AM

No I'm not.

Blank. · 08-20-2016, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGuy Grungeman

No I'm not.

Only closet gays deny it.

innerspaceboy · 08-20-2016, 11:36 AM

Since the age of the ancients, music aesthetics has been a fantastic enigma of civilization, and the transcendence you describe is one of its most enduring emotive phenomena.

I can speak only for my myself and of my own personal experience, but I’ve a habitual propensity for hyper-analysis of music and the arts and enjoy the activity thoroughly. In fact, I revel in the meta more than in the music, itself - I thrive on critical reception, historical perspective, and contextual understanding. It isn’t so much the work of art as it is the artist, their direct environment, their culture, and their societal circumstance which interests me. This adds a rich dimension of understanding to the composition which I fear is ignored by the casual listener.

But to address transcendence, I’ve most certainly experienced moments where a piece circumvented my cerebral modus operandi and affected me in some other, less tangible or objective fashion. I recall experiencing a particular elation listening to Spiritualized’s Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space LP for the very first time - dilation of the pupils, a sudden release of dopamine and serotonin, pilomotor reflex… (or perhaps it was just Voight-Kampff.)

I’ll make no claim that one methodology is superior to the other, as there are evident benefits to each respectively. But I will say that those rare moments of transcendence are quite extraordinary, even for a mathematically-minded listener such as myself.

I’m really loving the thread - keep it up!

JGuy Grungeman · 08-20-2016, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

Since the age of the ancients, music aesthetics has been a fantastic enigma of civilization, and the transcendence you describe is one of its most enduring emotive phenomena.

And thus begins the young boy's journey...

AFX · 05-08-2025, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winston

I know I'm new here and this is my first thread to create, so don't be too hard on me. I've been experiencing this lately and I'm going to try to express it in this post. Here goes.

Lately I've been consumed by music on a different level of feeling, almost sensing or perceiving it in a different manner. It's not something that has never happened to me but it's been a regular occurrence lately in my life. Allow me to attempt to explain, as I'm trying to improve my ability to translate thought into writing.

I've gone through periods where I was really consumed by the technical facets or elements of a musical piece. In this type of mindset I would dissect a song, structurally breaking it down, listening for technique and prowess - time signature, dynamics, harmony, chord usage and structure, modulation, use of modes and scales etc. There is no doubt all these technical components are crucial to music and they should be analyzed and appreciated.

However, as of late, I've found myself hearing music on a different level. Rather than analyzing and dissecting a song I will just listen to it, soak it in and hear it as it is in its complete form. Simply just feeling it more and thinking about it less. I have found great pleasure in this and music has been affecting me in a different way than usual. It's become more profound, more powerful, more moving. I've found much more enjoyment in simplicity and in the raw emotion and creative force of music. To hear it as it is, to bask in the sound and the emotion. I have found music to be truly transcendent, having the ability to take me out of time and space into a place that I can't quite explain. That is the true beauty of music, to me.

Interested to hear what you guys think.

I think music really needs to be felt, and art in general is best understood when it is experienced in a way that is not overly intellectual initially. Like I don't want to read about a painting before I see it. But after I experience it, I'm interested in what the artist intended to say.

Even when performing music, I always prefer to rely on my muscle memory and then my focus is on complete uninhibited self-expression. The moment I start thinking about the notes themselves or the overall harmonic structure, I feel the spell being broken and the music is not being transmitted organically anymore, but rather from an intellectual perspective. And then that obviously affects how it is experienced by the listener. It is really obvious when you're listening to someone just playing the notes, who maybe has a superior understanding of the underlying music and excellent technique, but is really not saying anything at all.

08-20-2016, 10:50 AM	#61 (permalink)
JGuy Grungeman Primo Celebate Sexiness Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 2,662	I had a mom who loved 70's-80'd rock and and pop and disco, a dad who loved southern rock and country and jazz, and a grandmother who loved classical. No wonder I like Meat Loaf. __________________ I'm a pretty nice troll if you ask me.

08-20-2016, 11:11 AM	#63 (permalink)
JGuy Grungeman Primo Celebate Sexiness Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 2,662	No I'm not. __________________ I'm a pretty nice troll if you ask me.