jollyboy
Well-known member
I occasionally find myself thinking quite abstract thoughts about the nature of music. Music is so very important to so many people and yet, as I understand it, there is no accepted scientific theory explaining why human beings respond to it.
Why should a particular sequence of tonal frequencies affect someone's emotional state?
How come the same sequence of tonal frequencies that can cause me deep joy or deep sorrow has absolutely no affect on someone else? Why is it so personal? Is it nature or nurture?
What is the point of music? Why do we need it? What evolutionary purpose does it serve?
I suspect that it has something to do with socialization. People gather together to make music, or to listen to a performance. Also, I tend to like someone more if I know that they have similar taste in music to me. I feel a connection with them - even if we have little else in common.
I suppose I ought to make this more uke relevant I was thinking about how some people really like to focus on rhythm and others on melody. Some people like to fast strum - almost like they're using the uke as a percussion instrument. Others like to play fingerstyle - letting individual notes ring out. I know that there are plenty of people who like 'a bit of everything' (and keep a stable of different instruments to allow for different play styles) but there seem to be quite a few 'specialists' out there too. I wonder where those preferences spring from.
Is age a factor? It seems that people often have a predilection for the music that they grew up listening to. On the other hand you get teenagers joining the George Formby Society and I suspect that fans of Renaissance music weren't about when it was first conceived
Anyway I was just wondering if other people ever think about this stuff. I mean, music is kind of a weird phenomenon - I think it would be hard to explain it to a Martian (assuming that they're not all into Venusian drum and bass ) I think it would be especially hard to explain Justin Bieber
I suspect I might get a few "Hey man don't overthink it - just feel the music..." type responses. Which is fine - and that's pretty much what I do do most of the time. But every now and then I like to poke my head down the rabbit hole, which is what this thread is all about. I'm interested to hear if other people ever occasionally slip down there too.
Why should a particular sequence of tonal frequencies affect someone's emotional state?
How come the same sequence of tonal frequencies that can cause me deep joy or deep sorrow has absolutely no affect on someone else? Why is it so personal? Is it nature or nurture?
What is the point of music? Why do we need it? What evolutionary purpose does it serve?
I suspect that it has something to do with socialization. People gather together to make music, or to listen to a performance. Also, I tend to like someone more if I know that they have similar taste in music to me. I feel a connection with them - even if we have little else in common.
I suppose I ought to make this more uke relevant I was thinking about how some people really like to focus on rhythm and others on melody. Some people like to fast strum - almost like they're using the uke as a percussion instrument. Others like to play fingerstyle - letting individual notes ring out. I know that there are plenty of people who like 'a bit of everything' (and keep a stable of different instruments to allow for different play styles) but there seem to be quite a few 'specialists' out there too. I wonder where those preferences spring from.
Is age a factor? It seems that people often have a predilection for the music that they grew up listening to. On the other hand you get teenagers joining the George Formby Society and I suspect that fans of Renaissance music weren't about when it was first conceived
Anyway I was just wondering if other people ever think about this stuff. I mean, music is kind of a weird phenomenon - I think it would be hard to explain it to a Martian (assuming that they're not all into Venusian drum and bass ) I think it would be especially hard to explain Justin Bieber
I suspect I might get a few "Hey man don't overthink it - just feel the music..." type responses. Which is fine - and that's pretty much what I do do most of the time. But every now and then I like to poke my head down the rabbit hole, which is what this thread is all about. I'm interested to hear if other people ever occasionally slip down there too.