What make us like music?

[Nimos]

This is probably a way to big issue to really cover in one post.

But as everyone knows there is a lot of different types of music out there, but what makes one prefer one type of music over something else and even despise other types, even within the same genre?

I don't really have a specific music taste, if I should say it myself, meaning I can listen to everything from classical music, no stress music to loud heavy and everything in between.

However I don't like all types of heavy or every type of classical music.

But how does that work? Because I can understand it with food, certain flavors, textures, smells etc. can really turn us off, to the point where we wont eat or barely touch something.

But music is just vibrations in the air, which have a rhythm or beat, but besides our ears just picking up the sound, something in the brain must react to something in specific songs and not others, which I guess we have no control over?

So looking at number of views on some songs on youtube:

Baby shark - 9.275.944.857 views

Obviously this is bad, yet children (assumingly) love it.

Luis Fonsi - Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee - 7.525.362.572 views

The last one is one of the most played songs, if not the most played one on youtube, besides Baby shark.

Clearly something in these songs is right and speaks to people. Does anyone know, something about this? Because to me, its must be a combination of the rhythm and obviously the singer(s), but why our brain prefer these songs over some other random song, I don't really get? Because clearly Baby shark is not good when it comes to the text or performed by, lets be honest good singers, its pretty awful...... Better listen to it one more time to be sure, Baby shark dododoh...

 

[Secret Chief]

This is probably a way to big issue to really cover in one post.

But as everyone knows there is a lot of different types of music out there, but what makes one prefer one type of music over something else and even despise other types, even within the same genre?

I don't really have a specific music taste, if I should say it myself, meaning I can listen to everything from classical music, no stress music to loud heavy and everything in between.

However I don't like all types of heavy or every type of classical music.

But how does that work? Because I can understand it with food, certain flavors, textures, smells etc. can really turn us off, to the point where we wont eat or barely touch something.

But music is just vibrations in the air, which have a rhythm or beat, but besides our ears just picking up the sound, something in the brain must react to something in specific songs and not others, which I guess we have no control over?

So looking at number of views on some songs on youtube:

Baby shark - 9.275.944.857 views

Obviously this is bad, yet children (assumingly) love it.

Luis Fonsi - Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee - 7.525.362.572 views

The last one is one of the most played songs, if not the most played one on youtube, besides Baby shark.

Clearly something in these songs is right and speaks to people. Does anyone know, something about this? Because to me, its must be a combination of the rhythm and obviously the singer(s), but why our brain prefer these songs over some other random song, I don't really get? Because clearly Baby shark is not good when it comes to the text or performed by, lets be honest good singers, its pretty awful...... Better listen to it one more time to be sure, Baby shark dododoh...

It certainly is a big topic.
Apparently some people even like Depeche Mode.

 

[Nimos]

It certainly is a big topic.
Apparently some people even like Depeche Mode.

DM!!!!

 

[Secret Chief]

DM!!!!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Not any explanation, but to add to the confusing complexity: I loved various forms of popular music for nigh on 40 years (mainly metal and prog). Then about 5 years ago, I suddenly (almost like a switch had been pulled) went off the great majority of it and totally got into a type of music I'd never had much time for (classical). How weird is that? Certain tastes of mine had waxed and waned over the years but never anything so abrupt as this. Played havoc with my CD collection.

 

[Nimos]

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Not any explanation, but to add to the confusing complexity: I loved various forms of popular music for nigh on 40 years (mainly metal and prog). Then about 5 years ago, I suddenly (almost like a switch had been pulled) went off the great majority of it and totally got into a type of music I'd never had much time for (classical). How weird is that? Certain tastes of mine had waxed and waned over the years but never anything so abrupt as this. Played havoc with my CD collection.

Its fine, I like DM mainly because of their instruments (sound, really not a music geek ), its not like all the other stuff out there, obviously not all their songs are good, but the majority I like. I can't stand soft love songs, not sure if they have a special name in English or not. In Denmark we refer to them as "Cream music", usually some guy, singing about how he lost love or how hard he have it or something like that and its the same **** all the time

I do in general prefer weird songs or more rocky stuff or heavy music like these, especially the later years, have gotten really tired of the main pop music, most Rap, hiphop I don't like either.
I love Volbeat as well, they are on par with DM

Dizzy mizz Lizzy is an old Danish band, probably unknown around the world. But they make (made) some damn good one as well.

I wouldn't sit down and listen to classical as I would these, I really have to be in the mood for that.

 

[Secret Chief]

heavy music like

 

[Nimos]

That is pretty heavy

Honestly I was on the edge of the seat waiting for that girl in white to stand up and knock the one in the red dress to the floor. :O or at least a perfect ending, if she had stood up and just smashed the violin into the floor and kicked over all the stands or something, that would have been epic

 

[Secret Chief]

That is pretty heavy

Honestly I was on the edge of the seat waiting for that girl in white to stand up and knock the one in the red dress to the floor. :O or at least a perfect ending, if she had stood up and just smashed the violin into the floor and kicked over all the stands or something, that would have been epic

I need to check her albums out. (Janine Jansen).

 

[Viker]

As a kid I listened to pretty much everything. Nothing has changed in 50+ years. When I was 7 you could have heard Michael Martin Murphy or Alice Cooper coming from my room. Maybe you'd hear Beethoven or KISS blaring loudly.

I actually was a strange child now that I look back.

I did seem to favor metal and punk as a teenager. But even I knew who Depeche Mode was, and Joy Division, and even Bauhaus.

Yeah, I was a strange and different child.

 

[Nimos]

As a kid I listened to pretty much everything. Nothing has changed in 50+ years. When I was 7 you could have heard Michael Martin Murphy or Alice Cooper coming from my room. Maybe you'd hear Beethoven or KISS blaring loudly.

I actually was a strange child now that I look back.

I did seem to favor metal and punk as a teenager. But even I knew who Depeche Mode was, and Joy Division, and even Bauhaus.

Yeah, I was a strange and different child.

Besides the songs I posted above, I can switch completely and listen to something like these, if Im in the mood for some chill music. My music taste is all over the place

 

[exchemist]

It certainly is a big topic.
Apparently some people even like Depeche Mode.

Especially a well-known internet troll called Dennis Markuze, who has been known to grace us with his presence for brief intervals, before being serially banned by the mods . Depeche Mode videos are among his hallmarks. Details here: Dennis Markuze - RationalWiki

 

[exchemist]

This is probably a way to big issue to really cover in one post.

But as everyone knows there is a lot of different types of music out there, but what makes one prefer one type of music over something else and even despise other types, even within the same genre?

I don't really have a specific music taste, if I should say it myself, meaning I can listen to everything from classical music, no stress music to loud heavy and everything in between.

However I don't like all types of heavy or every type of classical music.

But how does that work? Because I can understand it with food, certain flavors, textures, smells etc. can really turn us off, to the point where we wont eat or barely touch something.

But music is just vibrations in the air, which have a rhythm or beat, but besides our ears just picking up the sound, something in the brain must react to something in specific songs and not others, which I guess we have no control over?

So looking at number of views on some songs on youtube:

Baby shark - 9.275.944.857 views


Obviously this is bad, yet children (assumingly) love it.

Luis Fonsi - Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee - 7.525.362.572 views


The last one is one of the most played songs, if not the most played one on youtube, besides Baby shark.

Clearly something in these songs is right and speaks to people. Does anyone know, something about this? Because to me, its must be a combination of the rhythm and obviously the singer(s), but why our brain prefer these songs over some other random song, I don't really get? Because clearly Baby shark is not good when it comes to the text or performed by, lets be honest good singers, its pretty awful...... Better listen to it one more time to be sure, Baby shark dododoh...

I don't think anyone has a good handle on why human beings like music. It seems to be the most abstract form of art, unconnected with imagery from the real world, yet it is mood-altering.

If anyone here has read a convincing explanation for why we like it, I'd be most interested to read it.

 

[Secret Chief]

I don't think anyone has a good handle on why human beings like music. It seems to be the most abstract form of art, unconnected with imagery from the real world, yet it is mood-altering.

If anyone here has read a convincing explanation for why we like it, I'd be most interested to read it.

There's the neuroscience take:

Why Do We Love Music? | Dana Foundation

"And just as one might expect from our reward prediction model, the reward response is greatest neither when the outcome is exactly as expected (which is boring), nor when the outcome is completely unpredictable (confusing), but when it hits the “sweet spot” of being somehow better than expected. This concept, though still lacking full definition, is one that musicians find intuitive: the best music, typically, neither formulaically follows conventions nor is too complex to follow, but has the virtue of moderation in its ability to surprise the listener with novelty within a predictable framework."

 

[Viker]

Especially a well-known internet troll called Dennis Markuze, who has been known to grace us with his presence for brief intervals, before being serially banned by the mods . Depeche Mode videos are among his hallmarks. Details here: Dennis Markuze - RationalWiki

O Damm. I remember this guy from the now defunct Myspace Religion & Philosophy forums. He got ban hammered at least 20 times.

He tried to enlist the few Satanists there to help him "ultra-destroy" atheists. Because he actually liked us. We laughed at him.

 

[Nimos]

I don't think anyone has a good handle on why human beings like music. It seems to be the most abstract form of art, unconnected with imagery from the real world, yet it is mood-altering.

If anyone here has read a convincing explanation for why we like it, I'd be most interested to read it.

Its really strange, because we know that its extremely ancient from when we could beat on things with a stick I assume. Obviously it have evolved a lot. Singing and dancing would make sense, if we were like birds and it purpose was sort of like a mating thing, but I don't think any other animal makes music like humans do, just for the pleasure of listening to it or as entertainment. I would assume that most animals find it a bit annoying or scary to be honest.

I do think it follows along the same lines as a painting, like why do we like a certain painting and not another, but its strange how or why it even affects us in the first place. Because its not like we walk down the street and the sound of car horns and the city noise, makes us want to record it so we can listen to it at home. But some people hitting some drums and singing in a certain way and we think it is excellent

 

[Viker]

Thinking about it. The development of our musical interests starts early and is influenced by our environment and upbringing. My mom and big sister listened to just about anything. And as a teenager I was ready for a soundtrack for some righteous rebellion. But the seed was sewn. And I still have eclectic interests.

 

[Nimos]

There's the neuroscience take:

Why Do We Love Music? | Dana Foundation

"And just as one might expect from our reward prediction model, the reward response is greatest neither when the outcome is exactly as expected (which is boring), nor when the outcome is completely unpredictable (confusing), but when it hits the “sweet spot” of being somehow better than expected. This concept, though still lacking full definition, is one that musicians find intuitive: the best music, typically, neither formulaically follows conventions nor is too complex to follow, but has the virtue of moderation in its ability to surprise the listener with novelty within a predictable framework."

Interesting, read it quickly. There are some things that I don't really think they addresses.

Because clearly some songs like classic music are easy to follow, yet lots of people don't like listening to it. Same with heavy song, clearly not everyone like that, but I think everyone would agree that there are rhythm in them, yet some perceive them as noise and terrible while others think they are awesome. And I guess this applies even more to people that actually know something about music compared to the average person.

I do agree that if music gets to complicated (noisy) I think everyone agrees that its bad.

Also I wonder if there is a difference between people, lets say a priest or scientist and that of a construction worker or taxi driver? or if its completely random, so Einstein could have been headbanging at concerts or whether he would have gone for classical music?

 

[Secret Chief]

Interesting, read it quickly. There are some things that I don't really think they addresses.

Because clearly some songs like classic music are easy to follow, yet lots of people don't like listening to it. Same with heavy song, clearly not everyone like that, but I think everyone would agree that there are rhythm in them, yet some perceive them as noise and terrible while others think they are awesome. And I guess this applies even more to people that actually know something about music compared to the average person.

I do agree that if music gets to complicated (noisy) I think everyone agrees that its bad.

Also I wonder if there is a difference between people, lets say a priest or scientist and that of a construction worker or taxi driver? or if its completely random, so Einstein could have been headbanging at concerts or whether he would have gone for classical music?

I suppose the musicologist and psychologist perspectives would be different again. Cultural differences are certainly a factor. As to notions such a predictability and consonance, personally I'm attracted to music with quite a lot of unpredictability as well as dissonance. Clearly, other individuals would not find enjoyment in such music.

 

[exchemist]

There's the neuroscience take:

Why Do We Love Music? | Dana Foundation

"And just as one might expect from our reward prediction model, the reward response is greatest neither when the outcome is exactly as expected (which is boring), nor when the outcome is completely unpredictable (confusing), but when it hits the “sweet spot” of being somehow better than expected. This concept, though still lacking full definition, is one that musicians find intuitive: the best music, typically, neither formulaically follows conventions nor is too complex to follow, but has the virtue of moderation in its ability to surprise the listener with novelty within a predictable framework."

That's a good article. Thanks.

Interesting that the short term memory of pitch required to appreciate music is also needed for language. I wonder if that is the key to the mystery. The part you quote about avoiding the obvious, while not just being confusing, is easy to understand and certainly fits my experience. One of the delights of Bach is that you think you know where he might be going, but he always goes somewhere a bit different, often in a way that creates tension and then resolves it.

If I listen to the theme to this:

I find the unpredictable direction, and the strange intervals, give it great expressive tension. A good performance can move me to tears.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I like Kabuki music (not the only one). A nice answer here: Why Do We Love Music? | Dana Foundation