Did you ever hear a song on a radio or in a movie and you said you really loved it, but your friends looked at you like you had three eyes? Then a little later you wondered why the song was so special to you? Why do you have your specific taste in music? Is there even a reason?
There can be many reasons, some very basic and almost subconscious like associating it to a happy event you experienced when you were four years old or something more exotic but in the moment. In reality though, it doesn’t make much difference as long as you got a feeling from it. Of course those feelings can be happy, sad, somber, scared, or enlightened to mention a few.
If you’re like me (God forbid) you might want to know more about why the music makes you feel the way you do.
Just last week I was teaching an adult student one of the standard slow rock classics that I knew he would like. After playing it with a great backup, I commented that along with the obvious beauty of the melody there was a short phrase that went right through me and pushed it over the top. My student responded enthusiastically that he knew what I was talking about.
Sometimes a melody can be weak but coupling it with an advanced chord sequence will bring the song to life. Other times the words are the most important factor, or a great bass line, or a funky beat that you focus on. Some arrangements to me are pure works of art. When the melody, the chords, the chord structures, the rhythms, the instrumentation (the combination of tone colors), the counter lines, and the caliber of the arranger and performers all come together, we can achieve a masterpiece. That being said, I might love a piece and you might hate it. That is OK. Maybe you can’t analyze it like I can but that’s OK too. You know what you like and far be it for me to tell you you’re wrong. Stick to your guns!…….You are right in your taste in music.
