Art is music and music is ART. Music is also Medicine for the Brain.
The power of sound can be powerful. Sound and healing have a long association. Tibetan religious rituals make a special place for sound. Their bells which are like metal cups that come in many shapes and sizes are used specifically for healing. The theory is that the sound of the bells, particularly their resonance when played , has the the power to affect the body's energy and to heal it.
Medical research suggests that music stimulates the release of various chemicals in the body, including endorphins. The therapeutic use of music is well established and even used in hospitals. Music therapy is a tool of great power even in many neurological disorders, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's because of its unique capacity to organize or reorganize cerebral function when it has been damaged. Music therapy is also used to help those with mental illnesses, the elderly and children with special learning needs.
Tremendous destruction is also a potential of sound which must be recognized . From the work environment to the dance floor, over exposure to loud music (noise) is a common cause of deafness. Music's power to affect emotions can lead to abusing its power.
Sound does more than simply please or offend according to the person's taste. Sound, like light is composed of frequencies. Over the ages, researchers and scientists have not only measured the frequencies of sound but have also tried to relate them to the frequencies of light or even a cosmic order.
Individual variations and responses play a significant part in the effects of sound. Sound from one frequency range are not necessarily more powerful in a particular way than those from another. They are powerful in different ways. The sound has varying effects on the individual at different times. Aesthetic taste may relate to variations in an individual's energetic state or requirements.
In outlining this I wanted to make a point in that depending on one's mood sound/music can effect one's mood in a variety of ways. When listening to classical music an individual may become pensive and not alert to other's around him. At other times sound may make one want to jump and shout with joy.
What types of music do YOU listen to that affects your mood in a positive way?
What types of music do YOU listen to that affects your mood in a negative way?
What types of music do YOU listen to when depressed or happy?
Lets discuss!
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Comments: 141
I too love Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Beethoven and can read or write when listening. At other times when my mood is melancholy I may resort to listening to old rock ballads or oldie moldies from the late 60's and 70's. I grew up with a Mother who listened to music all day while doing her house cleaning. She loved all types of music and especially the 60's as she was just a teenager then. I probably like old Ricky Nelson, Elvis and many others because of her. Feeling great can bring out the disco, techno or rock. Other days it may be New Age or World Music and yet others I will listen to Italian or Spanish music.
It really is a mood thing for me and listen for hours on a daily basis! I love music and I can not live without it either! ;)
I truly can not live without music!
I enjoy salsa when I'm feeling (or want to feel) very upbeat and carefree; Josh Groban is my choice when I want to relax and reflect.
Happy, I'll listen to anything. But for bad or sad moods, it depends. I was working on a project years ago that was very difficult. Everyday at lunch, I listened to Pantera. It helped me vent. Sad, I'll listen to moody stuff that's thick and doesn't point me in any particular direction. It helps me get into my head.
I also like heavy music in the morning. It's like coffee. Metallica's version of Breadfan always gets me going.
Being happy for me and listening to music signifies listening to it "LOUD." Being sad, I want to listen to music that reminds me of my younger years like in High School or College.
In the mornings I can listen to anything unless I have had no sleep in which case I don't want to hear anything but the chirping birds outside of my window which too is music to my ears.
I've never cared too much for Pantera although I have friends who love them, but Metallica is awesome and prefer their old stuff to their newer.
I wonder what some of your other favorite bands are Joseph??
Rock . . . and some classical.
"What types of music do YOU listen to that affects your mood in a negative way?"
None.
"What types of music do YOU listen to when depressed, happy or sad?"
huh? A variety . . . Rock (Scorpions, Def Leppard, Metallica, AC/DC), Classical (Tchaivoski, Rimsky-Korsikov, Beethoven, Strauss and, of course, Mozart).
Hey Joseph! Is Cliff Burton related to Tim Burton (Nightmare before Christmas)?
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
I love Billy Holliday and another pretty famous black woman who too is awesome. I love Jazz but not too much fusion as it tend to get too noisy for me.
All in all there is so much music out there to discover that I go crazy when I walk into a music store! I can't seem to walk out with less than 8-10 cds each time and I even have some new ones that I haven't even listened to yet and I bought them 3 or so months ago!
In my third question I meant to say happy or sad. I am going to change that because it is rather confusing. Sorry about that. I tend to be redundant at times. Comes with my lack of writing experience.
It appears that your music doesn't really change when you're happy or sad. That is interesting.
I do like some movie soundtracks and one of my all time favorites is the "Midnight Express" one by Giorgio Moroder and also the "Apocalypse Now" one for its 60's music which remind me of my Dad's tours in Viet Nam. And I also love the "Annie" and "Mary Poppins" sound tracks along with many others.
I love classical as it has been ingrained in my brain since before I was born as my Mom used to listen to it all of the time before and after.
T.V. on as background sounds can be and are bothersome especially if you are not in front of it watching it.
I agree with you with all of your other favorite genres.
Thanks for stopping by!
When I'm in a good mood or want to get going on some housework I put off - I play fast, loud favorites from the late 60s and 70s - I love Gloria in Spanish - I lived in Houston at the time and it just jolts me into a happy mood.
I tend to like music where the lyrics are poetic, echo my sentiments or make me think - guess it is my way of getting poetry without reading any (at least until I joined gather)
As far as the genre I like everything - Highway to Hell was a favorite to play on the way to work in the morning. I even like some good oompapa music, because it reminds me of the festivals I went to when I was a kid-it's soothing somehow:), never got into rap, but have heard a couple that I like.
I really like harp music and have always been fascinated by the results of the studies for the healing quality for harrp music. There are hospitals that use it in the operating room and a few places that even bring in live harp players to help the patients recuperate - in Europe.
It was interesting to me that I loved turkish music which had - to me - unknown - insturments in it and of course I couldn't understand but a few words. I could always tell by the sound whether it was happy or sad and loved the pensive sound - playing out loud driving thru the mountains there.
Actually, I don't listen to as much music that I prefer since the BF is into the blues - I often like, but find that it drags me down if I listen to too much of it.
I love piano and violin - never tire of that - for everyday I like the eagles and similar groups - sometimes I listen to the Spanish station on the car radio, much to the surprise of the BF, since I don't speak Spanish.
New age is cool and oh, the French crooners....
Esther - your recital of bands to Joseph - yep - everone of them with the exception of Motorhead:)
I love all types of music and even Persian because I dated a couple of men who were persian who turned me on to Dariush who used to be famous while the Shah was in power. His music is so good and sad almost crying for the past of what Iran used to be back then.
I love Italian music because of a boyfriend that I had while in college. The singers name is Lucio Battisti. He is awesome!
I love Morroccan music and New Age as in the Fresh Aire Cds and Manhattan Streamroller. Klaus Netzle from Germany and an Indian man do some fabulous music with a sythesizer if you like that sort of thing.
I'll have to write about my experience in a Greek bar, dancing with no less than 8 men to the "Zorba the Greek" song while drinking shot after shot of Metaxa 5 stars!
My list goes on and on...
Nope Motorhead is too hard for me. ;(
They are on line at http://lamezcla.bisbee.net/
There is no doubt that the music that really perks me up is classic rock. You want me motivated? Pipe in Seger's "Old Time Rock N Roll".
There's really nothing I listen to that affects me negatively but if I'm already feeling blue then I'll turn on some old country classics so the tears in my beer will have some company while I walk the floor and lament on someone's cheating heart.
There is one song that stops me in my tracks every single time. It is Dan Fegelberg's 'Same Old Lang Syne' because it comprises in my imagination what a chance meeting with Lisa would be like. Lisa is the mother of my daughter. I have not seen Lisa since 1993 and have not made love to her since 1987 but she is still deeply imbedded in me.
It's also tough listening to John Cougar's Scarecrow Album since that was the concert we attended immediately before slipping in the sand under the Old Orchard Beach Boardwalk to conceive my daughter. Too many memories Esther, I'll move on.
Although my extensive music library is made up of a variety of all mainstream music (rock, pop, country, jazz, blues, reggae, gospel, classical, worship,blue-grass, soundtracks, etc) the majority remains classic rock and classic country. The one medium absent from my collection is Rap. Since, in my personal opinion Rap is not music. My favorite musical poet is Bob Dylan and I presently lack just three of his published albums which I continue to search for………..
'….as I turned to make my way back home, the snow turned into rain……..'
When I am driving I love to listen to Classic Rock, it just make feel alive, when I am writting I love to listen to Country and blues.
I too go from genre to genre depending on mood and depending on what I am doing. Some music is wonderful when painting or drawing but the same music might not be what I would want to listen at a dinner party. You know what I mean.
I like the statement you made about music being the heartbeat of the olanet. That is an awesome comment and will definitely use it in the future. Thanks!
Thanks for the recommendation!
I live my life by my music as it surrounds me every minute of every waking day. I even sometimes go to sleep with my earphones on and that music is usually not the music which would put most to sleep instead it can be rock in its purest sense and listened to loud. Yea right, I'm supposed to be able to sleep by that. Who am I kidding but it does tend to relax me. One that I particularly like for that reason is Roxy Music's "Flesh and Blood" album which I first heard when living in London and going to college there. It still remains one of my all time favorites because the lead singer is Bryan Ferry and I love his voice; thus my moniker "Flesh and Blood." I highly recommend this one.
You certainly have some memories of your ex-wife. She still seems to be under your skin Robert. Maybe you should try to see her again to at least see if there still is a reason to be carrying a torch for her. Good luck on that! I would do if I felt as you do about someone...
I too love classic rock as it reminds me of high school...yea!!
This weekend there is a festival starting today where "Loverboy," "Pat Benatar," "Blue Oyster Cult," "The Guess Who," "Seven Mary Three," "Everclear," "America," "Jerry Jeff Walker," "Ray Wylie Hubbard," and many others will be playing for three days at the Wildflower Festival here in Dallas. I am supposed to be going starting this evening and I know it will be a blast!
I hope to take a lot of pictures to share with all in the next few days! ;)
Oh and "Presence" I can listen to from one end to the other over and over it is so cool!!
I can just imagine you dancing around with the broomstick! ;) You are too funny!!
Lets PARTAY!!
Personally, I enjoy all kinds of music with the exception of extremes... especially that which only qualifies as music because some have chosen to call it 'music'. The hardcore rap crap is a classic example, but I've also heard some fusion jazz that sounds like a bunch of 2-year olds beating up on instruments.
As a writer, music influences me tremendously. Some things I've posted here have been strongly influenced by music. For me, when I am writing, the music must not influence me with words, so it must be instrumental and sans lyrics. This is one HUGE reason why I have such a collection of movie soundtracks and probably why some have likened my writing to 'watching a movie'. (Maybe I should focus on screenplays?)
I can also speak of how music can be used to keep us in a 'depressed' state. it took me some time to admit it to myself, but once I shed the music that was keeping me there, it was easier to recover from my self-imposed exile.
I like classical pre 1825, most jazz, blues, country before 1960, and a bunch of stuff that's harder to classify.
I didn't listen to rock music much between about 1975 and 1990. When I started driving our daughter around and let her control the radio I was amazed how little things had changed. I kept having moments like "that sounds just like the Who" or "geez, that was lifted directly from Hendrix." I wasn't shocked by the similarity except that popular music in the 20th century didn't usually stay the same that long. Between 1940 and 1970 there were at least 4 waves in pop music. First there was sanitized jazz mixed with a little of the real stuff. Then came the era of Perry Como, male quartets, and Doris Day. After that, the first wave of rock and roll. Then the British Invasion. Then, in a perverse parallel to the Perry Como era, disco. Compare that with pop music between 1980 and today. The only new things are hip hop and techno.
What's going on?
if im trying to study or write a paper i listen to classical or ambient, to get me thinking
if im happy i listen to something pop sounding
if im mad, i listen to rock or something screamy!
haha and sometimes i just listening to them all for no apprent reason!
I tend to try and listen to up beat songs and I have a zillion cd's.
The song that always cheers me is "I will" by the Beatles:
Who knows how long I've loved you
You know I love you still
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to, I will
For if I ever saw you
I didn't catch your name
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same
Love you forever and forever
Love you with all my heart
Love you whenever we're together
Love you when we're apart
And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it loud so I can hear you
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
Oh, you know I will
I will
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm
Da da da da da da da
When I was in the nursing home in 2006 my hubby would visit me in the am and pm and leave my ipod for in between and it really did help to listen to music, close my eyes and forget where I was for a few hours. When I had the shingles it was especially important as I wasn't allowed out of my room and the staff had to wear protection products so they wouldn't spread it to the other patients.
I think music makes the world more bearable and the one thing that I can do is play songs and music in my head...for all my life I tape recorded conversations too.
I'm not talking about the tinny-sounding Lone Ranger version either. I'd have the stereo cranked up and enjoy it in full hair-standing-on-end fidelity............
I am not into extremes either as I consider most rap noise as much as jazz fusion. "Oh my blood head" is all I can think of when I am around people who insist on listening to these.
I would be most interested in knowing what kind of music kept you down in a depressed mood? Could it possibly have been the memories that the music brought you as opposed to the music itself??
I also love "Babe, I'm going to leave you" and "Communication Breakdown."
But the list could seriously go on and on as I just love the way they sounded then as much as I do now! ;)
Those were the days of great, great music!!
Thanks for the tip. ;)
I know about the four waves of music and am grateful for the influences of the first two on the Rock and Roll movement and the British Invasion. We have since gone through cycles in popular music and shoot offs or imitations of old greats from the 40's, 50's, and 60's. I loved disco for its moving beat as a lover of dancing and loved doing my rock dance along with some fox trots to some disco. I absolutely abhor rap but do enjoy techno and some jazz and the blues of course. I enjoy old 50's, and 60's country because my Mom the music listener in the house influenced me originally. I had my first record player when I was five years old and my Mom would buy me all of the popular music of the 60's forward. So by the time I was 12 I knew what music really was and how diverse music was along with my diverse tastes in music.
The Alternative Rock and Grunge music movement was all done in rebellion to the music of the 80's which was primarily disco. I still listen to disco but would have to say that I really appreciate the Alternative Rock of the 90's. I don't know that I have seen too much of a change in music since the mid to late 90's and as such have sought out New Age and World Music which can be amazing depending on one's personal tastes of course. I also enjoy old Spanish ballads, Andres Segovia and his magic guitar, Reggaeton, Persian and Italian music.
Whats going on now I don't quite know. The teens and young people that I know (my nieces and nephews and their friends) are all listening to that hip hop stuff that is so obscene in their lyrics that I believe that they only listen to, to shock their parents and possibly the rest of us.
Without my music I would surely go mad!! ;(
Your article just so happened to be read by me when everything was so fresh in my mind about my experience(s) with my Mom of the prior days and as such left me very vulnerable and sad. Your article left me in tears as I read it and related it to my personal ongoing situation with my Mom who I adore.
I am sorry that I made you sad but I know that we are not alone in our struggle as we have each other and any other number of people who too must go through what we do.
(((hugs to you)))
Special request hon, you really must repost those poems that you wrote by the artists that you liked and that I had special requests for. Could you do a Bad Company one for me and of course repost the Led Zeppelin one. I know a lot of people will appreciate them more this time around. ;)
I do listen to music that makes me melancholy at times but perhaps I am already melancholy when I do so. Usually if I am so sad I won't turn on music preferring to listen to dead silence or the chirping of the birds outside.
As always Marianne my love to you too!!
Isn't music grand??!!
"Bolero" by Ravel is also one of my favorites, too.
(But it takes forever to reach the crescendo, doesn't it??)
NickleBack and Puddle of Mudd are the same band to me.
Black Label Society makes me feel energized and bullet proof.
Humble Pie makes me mellow and nostalgic.
Benatar's first album reminds me of a girl 'cause we left the player on "repeat"
When I write or read, I like to listen to instrumental music like jazz or classical. Be bop guitar lines stimulate creativity for me. A cello solo does too but in a more subdued manner. I can't have anything with words on if I'm trying to think.
I like to listen to rock when I drive. Unless I'm going fast and there's a lot of turns. Then I need it mellow.
There are some songs I associate with certain times and people. Those songs can get me down.
The sunny, shallow, sugary sound of the Beach Boys enrages me. So does Huey Lewis and Eddie Money.
"Cold Play, Hinder, Savage Garden, and Super Tramp are proven to reduce your sperm ""count.: - NOW where did you ever find that plethora of information from??
"NickleBack and Puddle of Mudd are the same band to me." - Really?? I don't think they're that similar...
"Black Label Society makes me feel energized and bullet proof." - I too feel the energy unfortunately do not feel bullet proof. Too many nuts in Dallas that will shoot you at the drop of a hat Black Label Society or White Label Society.
"Humble Pie makes me mellow and nostalgic." - Humble Pie just makes me feel old! ;(
Benatar's first album reminds me of a girl 'cause we left the player on "repeat" - I hear you. Had the same experience but with a boyfriend who was 6 years older when I was in high school and he was a D.J. and while we got busy he put Traffic's "Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys" on and I will never forget that night!!
I don't like music with words either when I am reading or writing either. I do sometimes have the television on mute with music playing which gives one an entirely different perspective on viewing the tube.
I love to listen to Alternative Rock/Classic Rock/Disco when driving as it gets my adrenalin going when I can jam out going wherever in my fair city!! If I am driving a road trip the sky is the limit unless I am on a bad road or going along some of the coastal roads in California like Highway 1 then I really must concentrate so the volume is really down in order to concentrate. Going through the mountains of Tennessee also get me like this.
Almost everything that I listen to reminds me of someone, something, a year, where I lived, what school I went to, what country we were in, and so many other reasons. I would have to say that probably 90% of my music is remembered in this manner. And yes it can make one melancholy for some of those good times of the past; at least for me it does.
A Californian who doesn't like the Beach Boys?? I don't like them now nor ever.
I do love Eddie Money because my Mom loves "Two Tickets to Paradise.!" And when we hear it together we sing it together. Its a lot of fun to have such a cool Mom as I do. Huey Lewis - I can take or leave although I did meet him and his band as they were coming out of the airport behind me. I turned and looked at the guy directly behind me and my eyes bugged out and I smiled and he smiled, I turned around and I said "YOU," and he said "YES, and you too!" He asked me my name and introduced me to his band, I got some autograph and I got a hug from Huey and then I left on my merry way. He was definitely very cool!
I too hate the rap crap with a passion!
Thanks for liking my purple or hot pink font colors. ;)
What do you listen to??
I would have loved to have heard what types of music that you enjoy as a fellow creator in Interiors such as myself??
Also would love to see what you look like sometime. I can only imagine you being of German ancestry and your height and of the men that I knew in Germany that I could relate you to. (The imagination is a wonderful thing isn't it??)