The Effects Of Music

[sepultallica]

ive seen a few topics on music so i thought id start one. Has anyone ever thought of the psychological effects that music has on humans? Music is a major part of my life and depending on what is blasting, it affects me differently. I saw a report a while back, don’t know if it’s true but, I read that in iraq, the US military was playing some Metallica tracks in an effort to I guess drive them mad. Don’t know if it worked but they should have used something else if that’s where they wanted to achieve. In waco texas, I heard law enforcement tried using music to drive everyone out. I think they chose the wrong music. Should have tried some opera. Mothers will often sing to their infant child. Don’t know why but it apparently puts them to sleep. Best example that I can think of where music affects people is while singing the star spangled banner. The mood at a football or baseball stadium changes dramatically when this song in is played. The mood probably changes out of respect for the US but I think there’s more than that. It’s a wonder why minor scales bring out sadness while the major scales bring out the happiness.

 

Throughout the day, I find myself listening to different bands and music to motivate me mentally. Whether it be at work, in my car, with my girlfriend, at church (just kidding), or while sleeping, I always have something blasting.

 

If I have some last minute monster project at work that needs to be finished in an hour, ill blast something fast like slayer or sepultura. If I feel like strangling my girlfriend cuz she wont shut up, ill play some limp bizquick. If im trying to go to sleep, ill play some metallica or joesatriani, steve vai. If I want to be completely blown away and just swept off my feet, ill play dream theater or meshuggah. When im feeling funky, of course ill play some primus. When I find out that my girlfriend has dumped me again, ill play some type o negative. When im feeling fruity (not that that ever happens) ill play some cheesy 80’s glam rock like queensryche or poison. Maybe even some creed. At all other times, it’s up for grabs.

 

So why is it that music touches us in that weird place. Why is it that music can take our minds off all the chaos around us, and make us thing that we’re in our own little world? How is it able to spark emotions and thoughts that one would not normally experience without… How was it able to drive my parents mad for all those years? I don’t know, but it does.

[1veedo]

I saw an article for scientific american about music one time, though I cant find it.

 

The mozart effect is sort of related though. I cant find any good info on it though. Google gives some crackpot home pages that try to say heavy metal is bad for you and they flame the ‘younger’ population for ‘being effected by it’ etc.

 

Hopefully somebody here knows some things about the OP though because I'm rather interested myself.

[sepultallica]

i was actually going to make this about heavy metal and why people demonize it. surely there are plenty of reasons why one would demonize it but typically, when people do, they label all metal as evil. so not true.

[Martin]

I think listening to various CDs to get thru various times of day and moods and experiences is like a hypochonrdriac who has a lot of pill bottles and a lot of overthecounter herbal remedies and who is heavily into self-medication

 

which is a whole thing that people can get into, and it is OK fine, that is, comparatively harmless

 

but it is extremely passive

 

=============

 

music is something you DO

 

========

I mean actively take part in.

It is not primarily for consumption, the essential activity is making music,

and ideally doing it together

=========

 

being in the audience is something like getting a contact high off of someone else's experience

you get a secondhand feeling, and you get some voyeurism by watching them do it. Voyeurism live, in real time, is best----but there are all sorts of things that help out with the vampire connection of listener to singer like

video, like imagination, like the words and the images and memories they call up. One way or another the passive music consumer will make his connection to the singer's heart.

 

but however it happens you are just WATCHING SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT

and you would probably be getting more out of it if you were doing it yourself

 

always being in the audience fundamentally sucks

 

================

 

doing music (together) is basically community stuff

in a community that actually functions as such there will be some groups in it who sing together

 

if it's the standard 4part harmony that most chorus music is arranged in there is a part in it for everybody----men women old young

 

what community choruses discover they like to sing lives on for decades and centuries.

while the commercial music that appeals to a particular group of passive 15 year olds will be dead

and almost forgotten by the time the next wave of passive 15 year olds comes along.

[sepultallica]

I think listening to various CDs to get thru various times of day and moods and experiences is like a hypochonrdriac who has a lot of pill bottles and a lot of overthecounter herbal remedies and who is heavily into self-medication

 

which is a whole thing that people can get into' date=' and it is OK fine, that is, comparatively harmless

 

but it is extremely passive

 

=============

 

music is something you DO

 

========

I mean actively take part in.

It is not primarily for consumption, the essential activity is making music,

and ideally doing it together

=========

 

being in the audience is something like getting a contact high off of someone else's experience

you get a secondhand feeling, and you get some voyeurism by watching them do it. Voyeurism live, in real time, is best----but there are all sorts of things that help out with the vampire connection of listener to singer like

video, like imagination, like the words and the images and memories they call up. One way or another the passive music consumer will make his connection to the singer's heart.

 

but however it happens you are just WATCHING SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT

and you would probably be getting more out of it if you were doing it yourself

 

always being in the audience fundamentally sucks

 

================

 

doing music (together) is basically community stuff

in a community that actually functions as such there will be some groups in it who sing together

 

if it's the standard 4part harmony that most chorus music is arranged in there is a part in it for everybody----men women old young

 

what community choruses discover they like to sing lives on for decades and centuries.

while the commercial music that appeals to a particular group of passive 15 year olds will be dead

and almost forgotten by the time the next wave of passive 15 year olds comes along.[/quote']

 

i hear what yer sayin. there's some truth there. but i think that like anything in life, you take what you need from it and use it in whatever way is best suited for you.

[Martin]

i hear what yer sayin. there's some truth there. but i think that like anything in life, you take what you need from it and use it in whatever way is best suited for you.

 

now that is a clearsighted and tolerant answer, and it persuades me to

take a more inclusive view of the uses of music

 

I wonder what it would be like if the great pop and rock songs since say 1962 were taken and arranged for chorus

some of those songs have rather good words to them

now each chorus or gleeclub would want to rehearse every week for an hour or two, so it might work out

that secular (non religious) choral groups would take over the churches on Saturday and sing what they actually like to listen to instead of from the hymnbook

 

then they could sweep up, air out the church, and give it back to the regular congregation for Sunday morning. (if anybody remembered to come to service)

 

it might eventually change how people vote

or at least reduce the general level of frustration and belligerence

[Verusamore]

I know one thing music isn't , noise .

A door slamming would give more meaning to music than a Brittany Spears song if you think about it .

 

You can feel music as it responds to your emotional needs , it is a symbiotic affair with who you are inside .

 

If you just happen to be listening to the same music as everyone else without being deep about it then your depth of understanding and expression is the same as your state of affairs to the outside world .

 

I have talked to alot of younger people who don't listen to my music ,it's like they don't want me to be heard around them ( might sound uncool ),I express myself differently and show another level that is hard for them to understand .

 

For example you get someone who listens to heavy metal real loud ( the way they like it ) , they will be as mentioned 'demonized' , since the image is not symbiotic to who they are and someone who does respond to there emotional need as it feels 'threatning' to there nature.

[john5746]

You can feel music as it responds to your emotional needs ' date=' it is a symbiotic affair with who you are inside .

 

If you just happen to be listening to the same music as everyone else without being deep about it then your depth of understanding and expression is the same as your state of affairs to the outside world .

 

I have talked to alot of younger people who don't listen to my music ,it's like they don't want me to be heard around them ( might sound uncool ),I express myself differently and show another level that is hard for them to understand .

 

For example you get someone who listens to heavy metal real loud ( the way they like it ) , they will be as mentioned 'demonized' , since the image is not symbiotic to who they are and someone who does respond to there emotional need as it feels 'threatning' to there nature.[/quote']

 

I am reminded of Whitman's The Learned Astronomer. People can appreciate music without having a deep understanding of it.

 

You are correct in that most young people tend to herd toward things to have a sense of belonging. It is ok for people to experiment and change their opinions as to what music they like. It is ok for them not to like your music - you should listen to what you like, same for them.

 

I don't think any music is demonic or demonizes people. I guess bad words have some effect, but the people associated with the music is the problem IF the person listening to the music uses them as a role model. This is also why a whole section of music will get a bad reputation.

[Verusamore]

I don't think any music is demonic or demonizes people. I guess bad words have some effect, but the people associated with the music is the problem IF the person listening to the music uses them as a role model. This is also why a whole section of music will get a bad reputation.

 

Yeah true , there are more than one way to label music if there is something about it which does not appeal , I think the words which are used to label a type of music is also depending on cultural influences .

 

But the word 'demonized' gives me an interesting concept ,

Christianity is the Anti-heavy metal I would think since the word would be generated from somewhere which uses the word 'demon' as to label something 'bad' .

 

Are heavy metal people opposed to christanity ?

 

Sepultallica , do you oppose christians ?

[Verusamore]

the US military was playing some Metallica tracks in an effort to I guess drive them mad

 

What would the christians think of Metallica ?

Afterall this war was backed by christanity .

 

.... runs to christian forum

[Verusamore]

Christ !!

Posts: 10,660,298

Members: 93,511

Total users online: 512

 

Anyhow

 

You will find this message posted at :

 

http://www.christianforums.com/showthread.php?p=10638870#post10638870

 

I just wanted to research some people to support my judgment .

 

1 st reply :

So basically the guy who said this is obviously educated and found a nicer way of saying that 'metal is bad' .

 

"I prefer something that is a little less discordant"

"it's the sounds that move me most"

"I am not a fan of Heavy Metal music"

 

I would not be surprised if he says 'does not support the war' ,

let alone the soldiers which make up a part of the force wearing crucifixes and listening to heavy metal music .

[1veedo]

It seems that there are more atheist heavy metal bands then anything else:

http://www.telemark.net/atheistmusic/toc.dbm

 

I think the whole idea of lumping music as causing bad behavior is as absurd as saying the same for video games. I can see one's vocabulary being effected by music but that's about it.

 

I'm sure there are studies that say positively abotu people who listen to music as opposed to people who dont.

 

I'd like to see some real, hard, cold, data that says heavy metal is 'bad for our youth.'

 

Until then tell the fundy's on that forum that the burden of proof rests on their shoulders; they hate it when people say that!

[sepultallica]

Are heavy metal people opposed to christanity ?

 

Sepultallica ' date=' do you oppose christians ?[/quote']

 

 

in what sense do you ask? do i hate christians? no

do i knock or degrade them? i hope i dont. i dont mean to if i do.

 

 

i think that the reasons that rockers dislike religon is that they dont want to be told what to do. i guess that would start at an early age. their rebellion is probably what started it all. from the music side of things, i think that bands (and not just heavy metal. rap, country and pop music as well) needed an edge to sell more albums and they found that edge in going against the grain. going against what is acceptable. music is something that allows people to come together for enjoyment. even by oneself. music is in a sense, a release. youre anble to be something youre not, youre able to immerse yourself in something that takes lets you forget about the world. imagine if music was banned. how would all that emotion be released?

 

another interesting part of heavy metal that i dont think ive ever heard anyone speak about is the friendships and communities dedicated to it. an example: i am a businessman. i wear a suit mon-fri. whenever im not working, im crusin north hollywood in my heavy metal shirts and jeans. your typical rocker uniform. with this clothing i get more people to come up to me and say hi. all rockers are united in this aspect. we see another rocker and we give them the nod. you dont see too much rivalry between rockers. i think that qualifies us as a peacful bunch.

 

however, this image is only made worst by such examples of violence where people jump on stage and shoot someone. a legendary guitarist was killed by some punk a few days ago. that doesnt help anything. the guitarists name was dimebag darrell. he was the guitarist for pantera and damageplan. he was the last great guitar hero of the 20th century. sucks.

[alt_f13]

It seems that there are more atheist heavy metal bands then anything else:

http://www.telemark.net/atheistmusic/toc.dbm

 

 

Well, asuming those were all the athiest bands out there, which they obviosly are not, but for the sake of the argument, there are far more bands not on that list than on it, and I am willing to bet that the number of Christian bands far outweigh the number of athiest bands on the planet.

 

Hell, I personally know a few Christian bands and no athiest bands, and I'm neither.

[1veedo]

There probably are actually more Christian heavy metal singers then atheists. It just seems that atheist musicians are more likely to be a rock/pop/metal group then folk, punk, classical, or other.

 

This of course assumes the premise that the site contains almost all atheistic bands. And of course that the majority in the predominate section are "head banging" metal and not just pop, but that seems like a reasonable observation in itself (from what I’ve clicked).

[MadScientist]

We're all robots, when we're born we know nothing about anything, everything we know is given to us by outside sources. Even the things we figure out for ourselves are based upon information given to us in the past from outside sources.

 

We have all been in hypnotic states all our lives. You're in one right now, therefore I'm programming you in some way by giving you these facts.

I can't tell you to run around like a chicken because I can't get you into a deep enough hypnotic state but I can tell you not to think about a purple cat and you will think about a purple cat because you're in a weak hypnotic state.

 

The world around us is constantly suggesting new things for our minds to absorb.

 

Things need to be balanced out though. Children playing violent video games don't become violent unless there's not enough information provided to suggest that they don't become violent. Put another way - if they aren't exposed to enough peaceful data they probably will become violent.

 

It's the same with music, if a vicar listens to some "evil" music s/he's not going to turn into a violent God hating SOB, they've been programmed to be peaceful more than violent.

[Guest at01]

i sdid read a journal on the mozart effect bascially it says tha chidlren who listen to mozart have better scores than htose to beethoven beacuse mozart's melodic lines consitently repeate at a certain frequency that is not seen in beethoven's music, of course this is a very brief biased explanation but that was what i heard

[ecoli]

It's called music therapy. Using music as a theraputic method: http://www.musictherapy.org/

[yangxu]

I remember there is a statistic report saying the children who are exposed to classic musics score better on math tests and other subjects... there might be a lurking variable that controls this, but I do think there is some relation between musical impacts on children and their academic success...