gizmodo.com: Once a day, at least, I’ll tear up listening to music. Just a drop or two, or not even a drop, just a pre-cry convulsion, a sudden seizure of feeling. More often than not, I have no specific memories tied to the song in question—sometimes I’m hearing it for the first or second time. If you asked me why the song was affecting me, I might point to a certain guitar tone or vocal inflection, but that would suggest another question, namely: Why is that guitar tone or vocal inflection affecting me?
3 comments:
I have so many fond memories from disappearing into music and just letting it take over. I've got songs on my playlist that remind me of some incredible vacations where I woke up early and drove somewhere. I have other songs that remind me of people, and I definitely have been that person to make playlist for my friends. There are also some songs for me that I had a reaction to since the first time I heard it like songs with incredible instrumentals and songs from some of the greatest singers of our time. These are the songs that I would play over and over for days just to hear one part, or when I saw my friends I would say "you have to hear this" and I would skip to a two second part that they usually wouldn't find nearly as exciting as I do. I even have tons of playlists, some of which are incredibly similar, to pinpoint exact moods. Music is incredibly important to me and it has a deep emotional affect on me.
Music has been such a large part of my life; I am listening to music as I write this comment. I have not given too much thought into why I have such an emotional connection to different music, but I have always been aware of how deeply I can connect to music, with or without lyrics. I am ashamed to say it but I have had similar experiences to the author when trying to single out the why of why it makes me feel something. I am not surprised that it is quite scientific. I love the concept of it being a participatory experience. I think that might be why I prefer to listen with headphones rather than out loud, as headphones, earbuds, and other spatial listening tools can provide a much more immersive experience that a simple phone speaker. Music can be like a character in each person's lives if they let it. I appreciate how this article has different scholars recounting different experiences with music and just how intricate and emotional they can be to different listeners. I think this article helped me to appreciate music even more than I already do, which I did not think was possible.
I love music. And what I love most about music is its ability to transport me into a different mood, a different time, and different energy level… I will listen to a certain song and it can have the power to teleport me way back to a moment many many years ago when I first heard the song. I could be in an awful, depressed state, and the right song might make me feel a bit more understood or bring me back up to pace. I have a playlist for when I’m showering, for putting on makeup, for doing homework, for when I’m driving with no destination in mind, for the moment an airplane leaves ground, etc. It’s no surprise to me that there’s actual science behind the magic of music, how certain notes in succession can either make me more productive or feel happy or sad or heard. As somebody who did poorly in science in highschool, and will vehemently avoid any science class in the coming years, I will revel in the fact that music acts as a cure for me, and pretend that it’s all magic and that there are no real explanations.
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