Why we love music Reading

‘Why we love music’

John Powell

SUMMARY 

We constantly try to make sense of our musical experiences through a backlog of expectations. Repetition helps you inhabit the music better. Listening is much more focused and active than hearing. You absorb music everywhere you go.

We love music because it is stimulating at giving pleasure. Its the anticipation that keeps us interested. Music is an aural 'emotional painting' and can strongly effect your mood through the release of different hormones. Especially when you get predictions right or hear your favourite songs.

There is 'no gist' of music, no summary, just an experience of music (what I am trying to capture in this project through visualisations). Listening to music you 'hear patterns that repeat in time' rather than 'visual patterns spread out in space'.

People with openness to experiences are more likely to feel intense experiences (that definitely me). People have strong opinions on music through subjective dissonance and consonance. As you develop you 'claim your own musical space' and your choices form your identity.


QUOTES

p2

Reflective and complex (classical, jazz, folk and blues)

Intense and rebellious (rock, alternative and heavy metal)

Upbeat and conventional (pop, country, western, sound tracks and religious)

Energetic and rhythmic (rap, soul and electronic)

p4

‘we form strong and loyal links to the music we listen to during our late teens and early adulthood’

p5

‘the distinction between “cool” and “uncool” music becomes less of an issue as we get older, but is so important to a lot of teenagers that it has been used to manipulate their behaviour’

p6

‘if a piece doesn’t fall into the ‘Oh yes, I like this sort of stuff’ category, then we don’t give it much attention. The result of tall this is that we end up gathering an ever-increasing number of similar musical pieces into our ‘like categories’

p7

‘we deliberately choose music that amplifies the emotional state we are in, and other times we choose music that does the opposite’

p14

‘you’ll have to listen to stuff you don’t initially like a few times before the new prototype takes root, but I promise it will be worth it, because you’ll be increasing the amount of musical pleasure available to you for the rest of your life’