Monday, June 6, 2011

Musical Compatability

When looking for music compatability between your tastes and those of another person, you probably shouldn't talk in terms of specific bands or artists because there are so many in this world that to compare tastes based on this would rarely produce a match.  Using specifics like these would cause an excess of judgement, making you like less someone who could in fact be an amazing match for you.

Instead talk about what it is in music that you respect.  What general things make you like or not like a song?  For instance, I respect feeling.  When you can tell from the singer's voice that they really care about what they're saying.  When the lyrics are poetic and original enough that you know the singer cared enough to spend the time making them that way.  And it's not just the singing that has feeling; it's all of the music.  Every instrument is played with feeling by a person who has devoted their life to mastering it.  This is why rock is the genre I respect most, and why it's hard for me to respect pop or hip-hop.  Because in those genres, the backbeats are arbitrary and they are played by machines.  Even the lyrics are many times arbitrary.  It's all about the hook, about making something that's dance-y, making something that sells.

No, I respect feeling, an attempt to engage with the human struggle.  I respect meaning.  And effort.

But anyways, you can see how important music can be to a person, so if you care about them, perhaps see why it's important, and you might interract in a much more positive and meaningful fashion.  You may even learn something.

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