Hearing music differently as I get older

Ba66y · 01-21-2022, 05:33 AM

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I have had a good first day or so reading the forum and getting to see some of the stuff on here. I think I am going to really enjoy using it.

This is more a question for the young(ish) members. Let me explain...

I am in my early 30's and just of lately my music consumption has gone through the roof! I am listening to albums over and over and over again and really getting to know them. I am listening to artists I've never heard of before, genres I've never listened to before and really (and I mean REALLY) digging it! This is compared to the eary part of my life, my teens and my early 20's, jumping from one thing to the next and hearing the music, but not listening to it.

For example, when I used to go on spotify I felt like I had to complete it! Every time I had something on I always felt "yeah this is o.k., but there MUST be something better than this!" and would spend my time clicking through spotify but never listening to anything.

So I suppose my question is would anyone say that thier appreciation, understanding and appetite for music change as they left their youth behind?

Trollheart · 01-21-2022, 06:24 AM

Hey Ba66y and welcome!

I'm much older (58) and have been here on and off for ten years or so, but I always loved and got into the music I enjoyed. Which is to say, I found an artist I liked and stuck with them, usually not ranging much further afield, either in artist or genre. First proper bands I was into: ELO, Supertramp, Genesis, Rory Gallagher. After getting into Genesis I found I loved progressive rock and began collecting what I could in that genre - Rush, Van der Graaf Generator, Yes, ELP etc - found some of that I wasn't crazy about, then moved onto more, at the time, recent prog bands - Arena, Asia, It Bites and so on, while also getting into the likes of Springsteen, Seger et al.

My music tastes were more or less set by say 1980 - 1990: mostly prog rock, bit of metal (Iron Maiden/Saxon/Motorhead kind of thing) and some basic what I would call "standard rock" such as Bon Jovi, Chris Rea, Dire Straits and so forth. I also got into the likes of the Eagles and some country music (Nanci Griffith/Dwight Yoakam/Steve Earle). But yeah, mostly my music tastes were constrained to these loose genres. Nevertheless, I listened to everything on these albums. I knew all the lyrics, knew (insofar as I could) what they meant, knew a bit about the bands. I wrote some crappy reviews on a crappy website. Music was never just something to pass the time for me, at least the music I loved. I was and am very into it.

Then I joined up here. My CD collection at this point was almost worn out with playing and re-playing the same albums. Music Banter pointed me in new directions, and while I wouldn't say the guys here convinced me to change that much, I did try new things. Some I didn't like, some I did. So my genre boundaries did expand a little. However to answer your original question, no: music was and never has been just something to be consumed, not for me. Music is something I couldn't live without and I really appreciate it.

If you want to expand your musical appreciation though, this is the place to do it. A basic idea of what you're currently into, and what if anything you want to try out, and people here will definitely give you ideas.

Ba66y · 01-21-2022, 06:59 AM

Hi thanks for getting in touch!

Yeah the forum is great, im finding this out for myself already!

I will be sure to give the artists you mentioned above a try!

adidasss · 01-21-2022, 07:00 AM

Hi Ba66y, welcome to the forum.

I don't think the way that I experience music has changed over time, but my listening habits have, mostly because I simply don't have as much time as I did before to listen to and discover new music. I try to listen to new albums ever week but very few new things are grabbing my attention lately.

I always had to be hooked on something, at least a song or two, to pay closer attention to an album. So in that respect nothing has changed, but maybe the way my brain perceives music, after having listened to so much of it, has changed. Maybe when I was younger I was more excited about music simply because I hadn't experienced much music and then when it became more widely available I went crazy.

rubber soul · 01-21-2022, 09:17 AM

I'm slightly older than Trollheart and I've noticed my own tastes becoming more eclectic as I have gotten older. I started out liking mostly bands from the sixties (Beatles, Stones, Byrds, etc.), Then I got into the New Wave of the late seventies (Costello, Blondie, etc.) As time wore on I began to explore genres outside of standard rock n roll (blues, jazz, folk) and now I even have an appreciation for a genre I once hated, classic country.

So, yeah, your tastes will mature as you get older, but you never really forget your first love, musically speaking.

Dr_Rez · 01-22-2022, 11:04 AM

I mean you are also literally hearing it different. Your hearing gets significantly worse.

Ba66y · 01-23-2022, 03:44 PM

Thanks for getting in touch everyone. Least I know I’m not going crazy now!

Trollheart · 01-24-2022, 01:10 PM

Oh believe me, if you're here, you're well on the way to the crazyhouse!

Raime · 01-24-2022, 06:53 PM

My listening habits really haven't changed much, just what I listen to. I try not to stay in the same place for too long, but there are longer stretches of certain genres that I get pretty attached to. Though I will say that I have been revisiting some stuff I used to listen to as a kid like Ministry and Depeche Mode and found that (especially for the latter) I still really like them, and listening to them after everything I've listened to since has changed how I hear it all.

FETCHER. · 01-26-2022, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubber soul

I'm slightly older than Trollheart…

How is it possible to be older than trollheart? Only joking TH

Tbh my own taste in music has changed dramatically from my early 20’s from electronica to now in my 30’s listening to metal so

01-21-2022, 05:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
Ba66y Groupie Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Great Britain Posts: 6	Hearing music differently as I get older Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and I have had a good first day or so reading the forum and getting to see some of the stuff on here. I think I am going to really enjoy using it. This is more a question for the young(ish) members. Let me explain... I am in my early 30's and just of lately my music consumption has gone through the roof! I am listening to albums over and over and over again and really getting to know them. I am listening to artists I've never heard of before, genres I've never listened to before and really (and I mean REALLY) digging it! This is compared to the eary part of my life, my teens and my early 20's, jumping from one thing to the next and hearing the music, but not listening to it. For example, when I used to go on spotify I felt like I had to complete it! Every time I had something on I always felt "yeah this is o.k., but there MUST be something better than this!" and would spend my time clicking through spotify but never listening to anything. So I suppose my question is would anyone say that thier appreciation, understanding and appetite for music change as they left their youth behind?

01-21-2022, 06:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Hey Ba66y and welcome! I'm much older (58) and have been here on and off for ten years or so, but I always loved and got into the music I enjoyed. Which is to say, I found an artist I liked and stuck with them, usually not ranging much further afield, either in artist or genre. First proper bands I was into: ELO, Supertramp, Genesis, Rory Gallagher. After getting into Genesis I found I loved progressive rock and began collecting what I could in that genre - Rush, Van der Graaf Generator, Yes, ELP etc - found some of that I wasn't crazy about, then moved onto more, at the time, recent prog bands - Arena, Asia, It Bites and so on, while also getting into the likes of Springsteen, Seger et al. My music tastes were more or less set by say 1980 - 1990: mostly prog rock, bit of metal (Iron Maiden/Saxon/Motorhead kind of thing) and some basic what I would call "standard rock" such as Bon Jovi, Chris Rea, Dire Straits and so forth. I also got into the likes of the Eagles and some country music (Nanci Griffith/Dwight Yoakam/Steve Earle). But yeah, mostly my music tastes were constrained to these loose genres. Nevertheless, I listened to everything on these albums. I knew all the lyrics, knew (insofar as I could) what they meant, knew a bit about the bands. I wrote some crappy reviews on a crappy website. Music was never just something to pass the time for me, at least the music I loved. I was and am very into it. Then I joined up here. My CD collection at this point was almost worn out with playing and re-playing the same albums. Music Banter pointed me in new directions, and while I wouldn't say the guys here convinced me to change that much, I did try new things. Some I didn't like, some I did. So my genre boundaries did expand a little. However to answer your original question, no: music was and never has been just something to be consumed, not for me. Music is something I couldn't live without and I really appreciate it. If you want to expand your musical appreciation though, this is the place to do it. A basic idea of what you're currently into, and what if anything you want to try out, and people here will definitely give you ideas. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-21-2022, 07:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
adidasss Slavic gay sauce Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Abu Dhabi Posts: 7,993	Hi Ba66y, welcome to the forum. I don't think the way that I experience music has changed over time, but my listening habits have, mostly because I simply don't have as much time as I did before to listen to and discover new music. I try to listen to new albums ever week but very few new things are grabbing my attention lately. I always had to be hooked on something, at least a song or two, to pay closer attention to an album. So in that respect nothing has changed, but maybe the way my brain perceives music, after having listened to so much of it, has changed. Maybe when I was younger I was more excited about music simply because I hadn't experienced much music and then when it became more widely available I went crazy. __________________ “Think of what a paradise this world would be if men were kind and wise.” - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle. Last.fm

01-22-2022, 11:04 AM	#6 (permalink)
Dr_Rez Registered Jimmy Rustler Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA Posts: 5,360	I mean you are also literally hearing it different. Your hearing gets significantly worse. __________________ Best chance of losing virginity is in prison crew Always Checks Credentials Crew nba > nfl crew Shave one of my legs to pretend its a girl in my bed crew

01-24-2022, 01:10 PM	#8 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Oh believe me, if you're here, you're well on the way to the crazyhouse! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-21-2022, 06:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ba66y Groupie Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Great Britain Posts: 6	Hi thanks for getting in touch! Yeah the forum is great, im finding this out for myself already! I will be sure to give the artists you mentioned above a try!

01-23-2022, 03:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
Ba66y Groupie Join Date: Jan 2022 Location: Great Britain Posts: 6	Thanks for getting in touch everyone. Least I know I’m not going crazy now!