music taste explained

[ctc]

....more or less.

Lots of good points; many of which apply to more than just music:

http://www.cracked.com/article_20065_5-ways-your-taste-in-music-scientifically-programmed.html

Don C.

[Blue Meanie]

"programmed" seems to be a bit ominous when it comes to tastes in music. Music tastes change as time goes by. There is a bit of truth when it comes to the "programmed" part of it. When I was younger, probably early teens I was a Beatle fanatic. Couldn't get enough of them. Basically it's what I played in the house. But through time and through family and friends my tastes have changed/broadened over time. I know when I was younger I wouldn't have wanted to listen to opera. My dad was big into Caruso, Mario Lanza, and other operas. It's only now at the age of 43 have I come to appreciate what my dad loved so much back then. Which is odd because opera is just a sideways move from classical music...and I've loved classical music since my Beatles Fanatic days. Side 2 of Yellow Submarine, the George Martin score for the movie, was the thing that did it for me with Classical music. It made me go out and find out about classical composers. IMHO tastes in music are just progressions of what you listen to. Wanting to find out why and how that genre of music progressed or came to be is what expands your taste in music. That is completely up to the individual.

[ctc]

>"programmed" seems to be a bit ominous when it comes to tastes in music.

HAW! That's true, isn't it? I hadn't thought of that....

>Music tastes change as time goes by. There is a bit of truth when it comes to the "programmed" part of it.

Sometimes; although tastes seem to stall out around the "curmudgeon" stage of life. One thing I liked about the article is that it presented reasons for that.

>IMHO tastes in music are just progressions of what you listen to.

They can be; although I find when it comes to entertainment a lot of folks are surprisingly unadventurous. But there is a progression; where you're at now influences where you go, and eventually you can end up WAY far away from the start. Which for entertainment I think is a good thing; let's you get more kicks from a wider variety of stuff.

>That is completely up to the individual.

This is where I think it gets tricky. Exposure has a lot to do with your tastes. If you've never heard it, you can't like it. And like the article says, I find folks stall out in their appreciation of new stuff at some point. "BAH! Justin Bieber! HORRIBLE! Back in MY day we had REAL music! Like the Osmonds!" Yeah, I agree with their #1 point too; that "pop" has become increasingly standardized. Although I don't think the 50's were the bastion of novelty the article implied. Once rock and roll hit EVERYTHING went that route. I DO agree that the 60's were a time of variety though; crooners, folk, psychedelia, the beginnings of techno and metal.... there was a LOT going on.

For myself, I find I still like things I used to, but the stuff I like has broadened considerably, and continues to do so as I get older. That might have something to do with my upbringing though: I grew up surrounded by people who loved new things, so I got a taste of music (and movies, books, etc) from WELL before my time, and a variety of eras from hardcore fans. So there was a sense of validation for older stuff; and since they also appreciated new there wasn't a subconscious dismissal of whatever came down the pike. (My grandma was a big Judas Priest fan....) But that also plays to my point about exposure; I had a great opportunity because there was so much available to me early on.

I also listened to the Beatles obsessively as a kid, so maybe that has something to do with things too. Weird.

Don C.

[HumanWolfman]

I tend to like music I understand, meaning identify with. I also tend to like music that has social meaning also, music that talks about what is going on in the world I live in.

[Figuremod73]

'60s-'80s seem to be the best years, IMO. I favor the '80s because thats the era I grew up in and the top 100 seemed new and exciting (to me). I think the music from the early eighties is much different from the later part. Some of the later eighties is actually kinda bland.

Looking back, the '60s seemed experimental and fascinating. Lots of different styles. The quality acts seem endless. The war years seemed like some of the best from the era. The Byrds are one of my favorites from the period and has become one of my all time favorite bands, period.

I'm always willing to give a '70s group or individual songs a listen. Many I like, especially the types of instruments that were used that are rather unique to the period.

I feel much of what is new and current is rather bland. I really dont even want to give it a chance. I'm convinced its terrible.

[ctc]

>I think the music from the early eighties is much different from the later part.

Oh, definitely. By the mid-80's they'd perfected the formulas, so you get tons of the same old same old. Look at all the generic hair metal from that era. Or those weird British maudlin proto-emo groups.

>I'm always willing to give a '70s group or individual songs a listen.

The 70's make me kinda nervous though. Like most things, musical innovation is cyclical: there are high periods, and low. The 70's was a mix; there were a variety of trends from that era (country, folk, acid rock, disco and punk all had their days in the sun) but there was SO MUCH repetition within those trends. So, disco ws radically different from any of the folksey stuff that preceeded it, but SO MUCH of it was the same.

>I really dont even want to give it a chance. I'm convinced its terrible.

HAW! Funny thing is, there's SO MUCH out there right now; so many bands, genres, styles, themes.... it's a definite up time musically. If you're willing to put in some time. Mainstream stuff is pretty horrible. Warmed over 80's Madonna and Cyndi Lauper with a touch of boy band. 'Course, mainstream stuff is USUALLY pretty horrible, since it's aimed at the lowest common denominator.

Don C.

[enyawd72]

I simply like GOOD music, whatever the artist or genre. Here's a list of my top 20 favorites in no particular order.

The Black Hole- John Barry
Amos Moses- Jerry Reed
Cream- Prince
Like A Prayer- Madonna
Ragdoll- Aerosmith
Sundown- Gordon Lightfoot
The Wolf Man- Danny Elfman
Total Recall- Jerry Goldsmith
Ordinary World- Duran Duran
Brooklyn Roads- Neil Diamond
Enter Sandman- Metallica
Creeque Alley- The Mamas & The Papas
Catch A Wave- The Beach Boys
Pied Piper- Crispian St. Peters
Tragedy- The Bee Gees
Real, Real, Real- Jesus Jones
Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve
Never My Love- The Association
Elvis Presley- A Little Less Conversation
Holly Jolly Christmas- Burl Ives
Rocky Mountain High- John Denver

Can't get any broader or more ecclectic than that...

[Hector]

That article fails to point out cultural, economic, educational, and even racial differences.

While not 100% set in stone...musical tastes varies tremendously based on the environment you grew up in...and like it or not, race as well.

That's why the norm is that black kids gravitates more towards hip hop, white kids to rock, brown kids to banda (narcocorridos to be more specific)...and so on.

I myself are not very fond of today's banda (I appreciate old school banda, but hate today's narcocorridos)...and love rock n' roll...I also appreciate soul music.

In Mexico, banda (which itself is a dialect of polka) is tremendously popular amongst the poor and working class...however...the higher economic/education status they achieve...young kids' then tend to instead prefer pop rock bands like Maná (traditional rock ballads) and Cafe Tacuba (experimental Mexican grunge)...or love ballads from Luis Miguel...as well as foreign rock music and hip hop. Someone like Madonna can be hugely popular among some Mexicans, but others don't even know who the heck she is, lol.

Banda music onto itself is a happy inoffensive genre of music, but once the lyrics focuses on violence...then it mutates to narcocorridos, it's what the poor kids and deliquents gravitate too...just like rap/hip hop in American inner cities. Narcocorridos is the equivalent of gangster rap.

Banda is of course not the only type of Mexican music, there are a bunch of different genres, rancheras, boleros, norteñas, danzón, nortec, tejano...but banda (especially narcocorridos) seems to dominate today.

In Caribbean countries...people were influenced by hip hop, but wanted their own identity...so they mixed hip hop with traditional regional music like salsa...and reggaeton was born.

Here's what the poor and working class in Mexico listens too...narcocorridos...which focuses on drug and gun talk...heavy on the violence...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3fchtc74DI&feature=player_embedded

Gerardo Ortiz, the lead of that banda...was himself attacked last year, he survived, but his driver and his representative were killed...

http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2011/03/narco-corrido-singer-gerardo-ortiz.html

Sometimes these narcocorridos based bandas compete with one another...and start siding with a particular drug cartel...the end result...many of these musicians have been killed.

Yeah, music is a very powerful and influential thing...musical tastes vastly varies based on many factors...and sometimes senseless factors.

[Hector]

The curious thing is that Mexican youths follow narcocorridos...and their Mexican-American counterparts follow hip hop...lol.

[wayne foundation 07]

I simply like GOOD music, whatever the artist or genre. Here's a list of my top 20 favorites in no particular order.

The Black Hole- John Barry
Amos Moses- Jerry Reed
Cream- Prince
Like A Prayer- Madonna
Ragdoll- Aerosmith
Sundown- Gordon Lightfoot
The Wolf Man- Danny Elfman
Total Recall- Jerry Goldsmith
Ordinary World- Duran Duran
Brooklyn Roads- Neil Diamond
Enter Sandman- Metallica
Creeque Alley- The Mamas & The Papas
Catch A Wave- The Beach Boys
Pied Piper- Crispian St. Peters
Tragedy- The Bee Gees
Real, Real, Real- Jesus Jones
Bittersweet Symphony- The Verve
Never My Love- The Association
Elvis Presley- A Little Less Conversation
Holly Jolly Christmas- Burl Ives
Rocky Mountain High- John Denver

Can't get any broader or more ecclectic than that...

Amos Moses ! Right on!

[Figuremod73]

I'm I far off by thinking more educated people would like foreign music? I think it would be hard to enjoy music with lyrics if you cant even understand what they mean.

[Hector]

I'm specifically talking about Mexico because I have first-hand experience on that particular subject...I can't speak for other countries.

Many...especially colleges kids in Mexico...are bilingual. English is the world's language, lol.

However...I first got introduced to rock by my half brother in Mexico...while he's college educated, he's really not an English speaker...but he's a huge Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Queen, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Doors, and etc fan, lol. He finds the translation...and just loves the sound and vibe of the entire experience, lol.

[Figuremod73]

I think Shakira is probably a good example of that in this country.

[Hector]

Good point...

[ctc]

>I think it would be hard to enjoy music with lyrics if you cant even understand what they mean

I don't think that matters as much as you'd expect. Think how many pop songs in English make no sense.... in English!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WNrx2jq184

>That article fails to point out cultural, economic, educational, and even racial differences.

True; and that lends itself to further discussion. Part of that comes from what you're exposed to during your formative years, and what sort of context that intro comes under. (Which they do discuss in the article.) Part of that comes from external influence as well; a lot of our personal opinions are essentially dictated to us by our environment, experience and upbringing.

Don C.