Why doesn't our musical taste change?

by Seeker 13 Replies latest social entertainment

• 

  Seeker

  I would like to pose a question that I do not have the answer to, but has been puzzling me for years. It has nothing to do with JWs, btw.

  Consider:

  What kind of movies did you enjoy when you were a teenager? Now that you are an adult, has your taste in movies changed?

  What kind of books did you enjoy when you were a teenager? Now that you are an adult, has your taste in books changed?

  What kind of food did you enjoy when you were a teenager? Now that you are an adult, has your taste in food changed?

  If you are like most persons I have spoken with, the second question in each pair above would be answered 'Yes,' at least to some degree. Oh, you might still like the occasional action movie, or teen flick, but you probably appreciate more mature, adult, complex films. Your taste in reading has matured. You appreciate more subtle food.

  Now consider:

  What kind of music did you enjoy when you were a teenager? Now that you are an adult, has your taste in music changed?

  If you are like most persons I have spoken with, the answer to that second question is probably 'No,' for the most part.

  When we are teens (or pre-teens), we imprint on pop music, or rap music, or whatever. So many adults I've seen continue to like the same kind of music years later. Note, I'm not talking about still liking the same songs (that's just nostalgia), but the same kind of music.

  We grow bored with the same kind of books and magazines we liked as pre-teens and teens, but not the same music. Not everyone is like that. I notice that peaceloveharmony in one thread noted how her musical taste changed over the years. I also noticed a change in my tastes over the years. I couldn't even begin to name any top-40 pop tune today, though as a teen I followed the pop scene avidly. I moved on with my music, as I moved on with my books, and I moved on with my movies. So I clearly do not understand what it is that keeps people stuck on the same type of music even as they move on in other areas of their entertainment.

  Can anyone explain why music is so often singled out this way for some?
• 

  Prisca

  Music seems to move people in different ways. It evokes various emotions in us, depending upon personal preferences, memories of the time we first heard that melody, even the rhythm, words or style of music.

  Whatever first moved us to like one style of music, can change as we age, or else remain the same. For example, one song that was around at the time we "fell in love" with someone may evoke many pleasant memories. But if the relationship soured, then the same song may produce the totally opposite effect.

  Often our tastes are developed by our environment, and at an early age. My father was a fan of classical music, and for much of my early life, that is all I was able to listen to. Yet because of his appreciation for it, I was able to develop a similar outlook to it. I also learnt to play the violin, which further enhanced my appreciation for classical music. And that love for the classics has stayed with me throughout my life. I can see a score of music and recognise what the different symbols mean. I have grown older, and my circumstances are vastly different to that of when I was a child, yet I still love classical music.

  I still like modern music ie Top 40. Modern popular music still has a catchy beat, or meaningful lyrics, or a tune that we can't get out of our head. I like to know what younger people are listening too, so as to keep in touch with younger relatives and friends. And I enjoy listening to the music too.

  I guess my musical tastes were formed early, and I still like those styles of music. I keep an open mind of course, and I like to learn about different styles, yet I still go back to that which is familiar.
• 

  Introspection

  Actually, my taste not only changes but it includes what I used to listen to, though I wouldn't listen to all of it all the time. I have gone from heavy metal to jazz/rock fusion to new age to ambient/trance/techno. There are some genres some people will not touch at all, but on occasion I will even listen to rap or country. Actually I think the same goes for books and movies too. How many guys do you know that likes romance novels or dramas? I think the basic answer to the question is quite simple. People's taste do not change because they, to an extent, do not change. Most people will stay within a certain range. Even though they may move from one genre to another, there is a limit to where they will go.

  "It is not so much that you use your mind wrongly--you usually don't use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease." -Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
• 

  larc

  Hi all,

  I was imprinted on Rock and Roll and have loved it all my life. My kids were lucky to have a rock and roll dad. I think my taste in music has evolved over time. Like with foods, I like to try new music items as well. In recent years, I have come to appreciate Blue Grass and Cajan/Zydeco music. I wouldn't say that my tastes have changed, but I would say that they have expanded. In general, I like happy and/or hard driving music, from classical to polka. Is there any better music than the 1812 overture or In Heaven There Is No Beer Polka?
• 

  Seeker

  Well, my point is that some people seem stuck at the same music they liked as 13-year-olds, but wouldn't be caught dead watching the same movies or reading the same books from that age.

  Not everyone, of course, but enough to make me wonder what it is about music that causes this that movies and books don't do.

  Now, Introspection, you mentioned that some people really do stay stuck on the same movies and books, but I don't worry about those folks. That provides a simple explanation for why they like the same music: they haven't grown in any ways.

  Prisca mentioned going back to what is familiar for us in music. I agree. So why don't we go back to what was familiar to us at 13 in movies or books? I mean, as an adult, I can enjoy a cartoon for nostalgia's sake, but not on its own level. As a child, of course, I enjoyed them on its own level, but I've grown and changed.

  What is it about music that allows some to plateau in a way that they don't do in other areas?
• 

  Introspection

  Well, one thing that comes to mind is that while books and movies are stories, (if you're talking about fiction or biography) music is more of a direct experience. I guess it touches you. Sound can be very powerful, I use some brainwave entrainment CDs and it can affect your mind deeply.. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that while book and movies can be just viewed as information, we tend to listen to music for the emotional influence. If you look at it this way, it makes sense that teens would like music that drives the hormones etc, as you said it's about whether you have grown in a way, emotionally I suppose.

  "It is not so much that you use your mind wrongly--you usually don't use it at all. It uses you. This is the disease." -Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
• 

  crossroads

  Seeker first let me tell you I really liked your slant on
  things on the "American bashing thread"

  Now I love music and i'm sort of lost on what your getting at.
  As for me I sort of go around in an ever growing circle.
  Like Dylan I went from folk and country to rock and roll
  back to folk than rock, jazz---R&B---to blues---onto rap
  finding things I enjoy in each. Thus returning off and on
  to each with Claptons Guitar and Dylan's Lyrics as the
  cornerstones.

  Hey it's friday night and I here the whistle's blowing and
  the beat thumbing and I have a dime to spend on
  Donna Summer and the "BAD GIRLS" so really if the
  song is good it is good even if it's DISCO.
• 

  Seeker

  Crossroads,

  Thanks for your kind words.

  As for why you don't see what I'm getting at with regard to the music idea, it's probably because it doesn't apply to you! You haven't been stuck on the same old music, but have moved on to newer and varied styles. You've done what I've done.
• 

  Kristen

  What kind of music did you enjoy when you were a teenager? Now that you are an adult, has your taste in music changed?

  Hi Seeker,
  An interesting question. My taste in music has changed greatly from when I was a teenager. I used to be into top 40 and dance music and now I can't stand the stuff put out now. I love classic rock, Folk, Jazz, and some "Alternative" now. Anything that sounds "canned" loses my interest really quick. I do still like the particular songs that I grew up with though, those 80's new wave hits just get me every time. :)

  Kristen
• 

  Seeker

  Kristen,

  I could have written that paragraph, for it sums up my view of music perfectly. Sadly, it seems I can't find anyone whose musical tastes haven't changed, to explain why that is.

  Maybe this is a self-selecting board, and only free thinkers show up. :)