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Topic: Why? (Read 10914 times) previous topic - next topic

Why?

1. Why do we enjoy music more when we have grown familiar with it?
2. Given the above, is this why those insane jingles used for advertisements stick in the mind so permanently?
3. If 1. is true, how can critics or other people enjoy a new piece on its premiere performance?
4. At school 30 years ago I remember reading in a book of musical appreciation that listening to a piece too often causes you to "go off" it. Why is this? (I might say that it doesn't seem to affect my wife, who is quite happy to set the CD player to repeat one track ad infinitum and declares herself happy - drives me nuts).

Any views out there?

Re: Why?

Reply #1 –
As to number 4, might your wife's actions be intentional?

Re: Why?

Reply #2 –
The jingles for advertisments are like two lines long, and each line goes into the next, a song never finishes on an advertisment, the next commercial just starts... hence the repeating over and over in the head.

Re: Why?

Reply #3 –
My guess is:

People like what is familiar to them, but they do
not like to be bored by cliches.

People who listen to music "passively" do not
notice the cliches as much as people who listen to
music "actively". Thus, passive listeners are happy
with the pleasant feeling of "familiarity," without
the unpleasantness of boredom caused by more "active"
listening.

A truly "new" piece of music can be appreciated by
active listeners for it's lack of cliches. But it
must still have enough familiar bits in it, so that
it sounds pleasing. As time goes by, this "new" piece
becomes more familiar and therefore pleasant to more
and more people.

Just my guess . . .

Re: Why?

Reply #4 –
1. I think it depends on what sort of music you listen to. eg. all the pop music thats being played today will be forgotten in 3 months. its ear candy and sounds nice at first but gets old very quickly.

Then theres the good stuff. For alot of the people here it might be classical, baroque and all the others that I cant remember. I have respect for those types of music, but I listen to bands like Tool, Soundgarden and Radiohead, who are pretty interesting for modern bands.
I bought Tools album "Lateralus" nearly 1 year ago, and I still listen to that all the time. Their music has a depth I havent found in any other band. The opening track "The Grudge" has a forceful 5/8 rhythm, at first I thought it was pretty awful, it took at least a month to get used to it. Then I thought about the lyrics and realized the music fit quite well.
The song "Lateralus" IS the most perfectly constructed piece of music I have ever heard, I've been saying that for nearly a year now, nothing else has sounded so right...

I'd reccomend them to everyone, please try them. I'm sure you'll be surpirsed.

2. Five, Four, Nine, Five, One-Four Double Seven.
Beecham motors for automotive heaven.

my reasoning for its staying power is that its basic sugar loaded pop music. its just short enough not to get annoying.

3. I dont think this is possible, only for picking the next top 10 hit, which will only last for 3 months anyway... a waste of time if you ask me.

4. back to Q1. Some songs get old quickly, my mother plays The Pachelbel Canon all the time... I really hate it now. Its like the classical version of a pop song.
But then theres some songs that get better over time, wether you understand the meaning, discover a new meaning. Or simply get used to something unusual.

Please give Tool a listen, especially Lateralus. :)