Why do I like......

[T-Bay]

.....what I like?

 

Just reading the Jaco thread has got me pondering one of the questions I often spend time thinking about - why does some music appeal over other styles/ bands/ songs? It’s a subject I have wondered about for years. When I hear some songs I get an almost drug like rush and others do nothing or even make me feel quite negative (I’m looking at you Coldplay). What is it about some combinations of sounds and voices have that ability when others don’t? I don’t suppose it’s something that can be answered but it fascinates me.

[Bilbo]

It's a complex relationship between tension and release. Things you like have the correct mix of melody, Harmony and rhythm that is complex enough to be interesting but accessible enough to be not overly demanding. If it is too complex it will prove too intense but if it is not complex enough,  it will sound boring. The really interesting thing, though, is the fact that it is changing for each of us all of the time so stuff you like today will bore you in a few years time and vice versa.

[KingPrawn]

I’ve always thought it’s about triggers. For Muso types, it can be a simple phrasing or harmony which , triggers an emotional response. I think it can cross all types of music. I guess the majority here are in influenced by European scales etc. What I find interesting is how other cultures are equally touched by their scales/ modes. The deep traditions of music. 

[progben]

Being a thrash kid growing up, a lot of it is rhythmic for me. I love when drums switch from fast snare/hihat patterns to half time. Lyrics rarely carry any weight for me and the beauty of the vocal is often exclusively in its timing and delivery.

I also really love cross rhythm/polymeter etc which is used widely in a lot of styles of music and goes a long way to explaining why my love of Meshuggah, Rush, and contemporary pop coexist. I agree with KingPrawn that its based on a set of ever-evolving triggers, a lot of which were set up when we were young & due to our exposure to or interest in different songs.

 

[ivansc]

I like stuff that is aimed at my butt more than my brain. Says it all for me.

[BassTractor]

36 minutes ago, ivansc said:

I like stuff that is aimed at my butt more than my brain. Says it all for me.

Calling Discreet! Calling Discreet! Can Discreet come to the backdoor please?

[Coilte]

I think it has a lot to do with the music you were exposed to when growing up. Granted, your musical tastes are always evolving, but IMO what we listen to as children and later as young teenagers will always be there in the background.  

[ivansc]

*sigh* @ basstractor.... So predictable.

 

[T-Bay]

7 hours ago, Coilte said:

I think it has a lot to do with the music you were exposed to when growing up. Granted, your musical tastes are always evolving, but IMO what we listen to as children and later as young teenagers will always be there in the background.  

Thankfully I am living proof that is not true in all cases. My father was a hopeless romantic and loved anything trashy -think Bonnie Tyler, Rene and Renata etc etc. I like a wide range of music but on the whole my tastes couldn’t be further from those if I tried. I distinctly remember hearing the sex pistols when I was 8 or 9 and thinking that it was amazing compared to the crap I heard at home.