Musical Preference

[Lieutenant Lollipop]

We've all had our fair share of discussions about music with your peers. You'll have the annoying prick who believes System Of A Down displays originality, the rebellious, Satan-abiding girl who's into generic rock bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica and refuses to listen to any other genre, or the quiet thinker whose musical elitism is easily more eye-catching than a waterhead in a wheelchair.

Regardless of these fewer stereotypes, I'd like to ask you what really is good music? Do you try to objectively evaluate the band with pre-ordained standards? I don't believe in such a thing as "taste", for that matter; it's pretentious bullshit and an overrated argument to use in a decent discussion, I believe.

What makes, say, Soundgarden better than Alice In Chains? Or how is System Of A Down vastly inferior to a band like Nine Inch Nails?

Discuss.

[Kaixx]

I like System of a Down. I like some Iron Maiden and Metallica (one or two songs here and there). I am not an indie/underground whore, I do not hate music simply for it being mainstream. Yes, I do listen to indie/underground music a lot but I don't get why some people claim to hate mainstream music for the sake of it being mainstream.

Pretty much I can like any genre. I evaluate bands by how much I enjoy them even if their lyrics are horrible.

[Mai Hateshiganai Almateria]

I agree with the user above, in that I like all kinds of music, and I dont believe that one genre can be considered good for anyone, if music is good, then it should have a wide fan base or can be enjoyable by all audiences.
Good music makes you feel something, it cant be generic. Music with a beat that is totaly generic is the only thing I can not stand. Its absolutely boring, I cannot sit still and listen to some song that has no meaning to me.
Unique songs were made by a unique person with their own ideas and talents, and not copied from what they have seen to be good for an audience in the past.
Just how the world listening to a new song, that new song must be able to touch more than one person, one age group or one genre whore. Good music does the exact opposite of this bad example, it is able to touch everyone.

[Flemmes Felares]

Music can be defined as harmonious sounds; therefore, as long as it is harmonious, it is music. What determines if it is good; however, is simple. What is good is determined by the ones that listens. You may not believe in taste, but you can't deny it is the single determining factor in what's good when there are so many variations in what people say is good.

I don't have any standard to what is good. I just listen. I listen to everything that appeals to me, but I do tend to avid music with discernable lyrics since they make me drowsy for some reason.... >.<

[Ian the Korean]

Music can be defined as harmonious sounds; therefore, as long as it is harmonious, it is music. What determines if it is good; however, is simple. What is good is determined by the ones that listens. You may not believe in taste, but you can't deny it is the single determining factor in what's good when there are so many variations in what people say is good.

I don't have any standard to what is good. I just listen. I listen to everything that appeals to me, but I do tend to avid music with discernable lyrics since they make me drowsy for some reason.... >.<

What no it doesn't have to be harmonious to be music.


Good music would be music produced by someone who actually has a ****ing clue what they're doing with the instrument they're using, and is technically correct in their composition and style; though that doesn't mean it's listenable or enjoyable.

[Flemmes Felares]

What no it doesn't have to be harmonious to be music.

I know. ^_^ I only said, "can be."

[Gamma]

This is an impertinent question and means nothing. You either like it or you don't. You can either discuss the technical merits of it or you can't.

This is like asking why you wear what kind of clothes you wear and then saying that "taste" has nothing to do with it. It has everything to do with it. The music you like fits your personality, style and unique perspective.

[Luke]

Music to me is anything with the specified intentions of being music.

Good music? That's an interesting question for someone to pose. To be honest, it's not really one that I'm qualified to answer. Why, you ask? Because I've only listened to a small handful of the myriad of different styles of music out there. I'm always seeking new things - my musical patterns are a little like this: I'll find something new I like, listen to it for a couple of days, get bored of it and go and try some other genre of music that I haven't listened to yet.

I think it boils down to something as simple as good music being whatever each individual person enjoys most, i.e. it is a subjective thing rather than something set in stone.

[JinKaze]

Iron Maiden aren't in any way a generic rock band, that's silly.

I like what I like, that's all there is to it. But yes, I do look for the merits in these things that I like because that's how I am - it gives me something to think about, and it strengthens my understanding of the music, which in turn allows me to appreciate it even more.

A better question would be, what makes truly bad music? I say stuff made for any sole purpose that has nothing to do with the actual music.

[Kouketsu]

Welp, I originally wrote up a long post in response to this and then Firefox had to crash, so **** it.

I can't answer most of these questions. I don't know why it is or when it happened, but it's like the overwhelming majority of what I listen to sounds good to me. If it's danceable, I will dance to it. If it calls for headbanging, I will headbang. If there are solos, I will air-guitar and get into it. If it is just a mish-mash of nonsensical discord, I will probably still enjoy it after a few listens-through. I don't think this is a bad thing, though, because it's rare that I meet somebody and get into a music discussion and don't find something in common with their tastes.

Music is just music. And with most songs, you love it or leave it .

[Clintonio]

Whatever my past experiences with sound input associated with positive or negative mental stimuli are in my life have caused certain audio patterns to sound particularly satisfying or not satisfying to my mind.

And thus, I like those songs more or less than others, be it for lyrics or music or both. It's up to my history, present and preferences, overall.

[Paroxysm]

i listen to all sorts of music. i'm down with lots of stuff. all kinds of metal and jazz and classical and electronic, 80's and 70's classics. i love music.

[marthalovesu]

I thought music was suppose to be subjective, not objective.
But it depends though. Sometimes, I prefer rythm over lyrics. I can like any genre. But there are what we call " I prefer this better than that". As long as you`re a music lover ,you can pretty much cope up with any genre, since it music.

But let me just clarify, MUSIC IS DIFFERENT FROM NOISE.

[Kurapika]

Everyone has different preferences on music. Your never going to find a right answer. You have to decide yourself.

[im ena]

Taste is relevant when speaking about the kind of music you listen to. It has little to do with evaluating the originality, quality etc. of music. But I won't say that I know of a way of doing these things, so I guess we'll have to be satisified with listening to what we like.

[^_Elysium_^]

I only like music my friends like. And I don't wear band shirts to support the bands, I wear them to fit in with my friends.

Music is conformity.

Be a rebel and jam out to white noise.

[JDxD]

The main point is:

When it comes to music, taste is one of the most important things when judging music. Whatever you say about music and what you think is good is biased by your own taste.

I think to have this kind of discussion properly you need to post it on a musicians thread and not an anime site.

[Ian the Korean]

I thought music was suppose to be subjective, not objective.
But it depends though. Sometimes, I prefer rythm over lyrics. I can like any genre. But there are what we call " I prefer this better than that". As long as you`re a music lover ,you can pretty much cope up with any genre, since it music.

But let me just clarify, MUSIC IS DIFFERENT FROM NOISE.


Nah, it's definitely possible to objectively listen to a composition and determine whether it is good or bad; it might require you to analyze it in the perspective of when the piece was made, what was used to make it, how well it achieves musicality within the context of it's genre (or time period depending on the age of the piece), etc. There's a whole lot of ways one could objectively judge music.

Also, noise is a genre of music, and white and pink noise are incredibly useful tools for a musician under the right circumstances.

[marthalovesu]

Nah, it's definitely possible to objectively listen to a composition and determine whether it is good or bad; it might require you to analyze it in the perspective of when the piece was made, what was used to make it, how well it achieves musicality within the context of it's genre (or time period depending on the age of the piece), etc. There's a whole lot of ways one could objectively judge music.

Also, noise is a genre of music, and white and pink noise are incredibly useful tools for a musician under the right circumstances.

Yes, but as the other thread said, if music affects your emotions or the other way around. It so happens that music affects my emotions. If so, I listen to any song and music speaks to me. So that`s why I said music is subjective.
But the thing you just said that noise is also a genre, yes, it can be objective in some ways.

[Ian the Korean]

Yes, but as the other thread said, if music affects your emotions or the other way around. It so happens that music affects my emotions. If so, I listen to any song and music speaks to me. So that`s why I said music is subjective.
But the thing you just said that noise is also a genre, yes, it can be objective in some ways.

What? This has nothing to do with the post you quoted. Listen. I'm saying, if you take a song, transpose it into actual musical notation in the form of a sheet of lined paper, then analyze it; you can judge it's quality in that regard. The emotional aspect can be important but it is entirely possible, and it can be useful, to analyze music in such a way, divorced from what it actually sounds like. Knowing the inner workings of a song, and then listening to it, you can find out specifically what bits and pieces of composition they used that affected you. Maybe that doesn't sound like much to you, but then duplicating that effect means being able to recreate that emotional evocation.

[im ena]

What? This has nothing to do with the post you quoted. Listen. I'm saying, if you take a song, transpose it into actual musical notation in the form of a sheet of lined paper, then analyze it; you can judge it's quality in that regard. The emotional aspect can be important but it is entirely possible, and it can be useful, to analyze music in such a way, divorced from what it actually sounds like. Knowing the inner workings of a song, and then listening to it, you can find out specifically what bits and pieces of composition they used that affected you. Maybe that doesn't sound like much to you, but then duplicating that effect means being able to recreate that emotional evocation.

I agree, but to the layman this isn't really an option, which is why subjectivity is such a buzz word I guess.

[Architecture]

I only like music my friends like. And I don't wear band shirts to support the bands, I wear them to fit in with my friends.

Music is conformity.

Be a rebel and jam out to white noise.

I did that in 05-06. was big into industrial noise stuff like Brighter Death Now, Whitehouse, Merzbow, Torturecide, etc. Then I realized I could make that stuff in my sleep, i lost interest.

[alavo16]

I've always been into alot of different music. I listen to anything thats sounds good.

[Tovarishchi]

I throw away any sort of preconceptions before listening to music.

Firstly I listen to the background/rythm section, I see whether every note is spot on, if the sound levels are comfortable, I try to feel out the beat, does it make me move? what kind of movement is it? Then I listen to it again this time for the melody, looking for how it meshes with the background. Is it well thought out? Does it enhance the song? does it mesh well with the other parts? Then I listen for oddities in timing or beats, and see how well that meshes with the emerging style. I then gauge the band as a whole, is everyone doing their part? Is anyone being shoved into the back?

I guess I'd have to say I pick the song apart, and then re-assemble it to become familiar with it just as a mechanic would a machine, this way I can know the inner workings better. Then I judge it.

I listen to anythign that can make me move, grab me emotionally, or get my mind flowing with rythm.

[Architecture]

this is my new musical prefrence

http://www.rathergood.com/bagger288

[Mr. Pokemon]

If it is Metal, Punk, Goth, Emo, or Dance/Techno/Trance/Industrial, I will listen to it. I love the music I listen to, and it is a good part of my agenda to listen to music. Every now and then I listen to rap, but mostly it's Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, or Nas.