The Types and How They React to Music

[iQuoththeraven]

As an INTP, I find that classical music can be very intellectually stimulating should you listen to the more complex pieces such as Gaspard De La Nuit and Dante's symphony.
I find that it helps me think, and that the complexity of it stimulates a deeper train of thought. In situations like these, my thought process begins to match that of the classical piece, and they will either flow more easily, or they will become chaotic and scattered.

Other times I imagine that I am the composer and can easily envision the emotions that surge through him. And occasionally, to such an extent that I can feel them myself, whether it be in waves of excitement or complete and utter despair.

Upon listening to a classical piece, I imagine this reaction would be common amongst other thinking types- particularly those with feeling being one of their suppressed traits and those having Ne or Ni as one of their more developed traits.

What do you guys think?

 

[baccheion]

Classical music usually makes me depressed. I prefer listening to original scores (movie soundtracks), EDM, etc. I guess it's like Pop Classical.

 

[Tannhauser]

I like baroque pieces, particularly because they are often complex with a lot of contrasting sounds. Vivaldi's "summer" concerto for example, or Bach's Toccata. I dislike more melodic stuff like Mozart.

I don't think it makes me think though. I like to stop my thinking when I listen to music.

 

[Ex-User (13503)]

Sounds about right, honestly.

INFJ: Music must match mood, ideally rhythm, time signatures, and lyrical content. Find the right song and it's on repeat for hours. Artist and genre don't matter at all. Thinking and focus aren't issues until I've been listening so long that I've used up all of my monoamine precursors. I tend to imagine the music somehow emanating from my body, whether some sort of aura or something directed/focused. When driving to the right tune I become one with the vehicle and feel like a missile.

Right now, I couldn't listen to most classical, because mood is pretty upright and cognition is fast. This is close though. The repetitive aspect doesn't bother me at all in my current state.

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lC1lRz5Z_s

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

Having had the radio in my room tuned to classical for the last couple weeks, I can say I feel oddly bored by it. Like, it's nice to have on in the background while I do/watch/listen to something else, but I don't think I could ever actively listen to it.

I can't tell any of it apart. For all I know, this station has been playing the same 10 pieces on repeat and I would be none the wiser.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

It's really versatile in representing emotions and ideas which is pretty neat if you're all about exploring the boundaries of music. Of all the classical music I've entertained Gustav Holst's Mars, The Bringer of War was the first piece to strike a chord with me but overall I guess I'm partial to waltz because of the rhythm. In terms of having a medley of instruments though I prefer jazz for now.

I haven't noticed increased concentration, rather I have to already be in the mood for it, which is rare. I included a waltz piece I like, the mentioned piece by Holst, and lastly an example of jazz.

Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov - On The Hills Of Manchuria

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfhp1-69Y8U

Gustav Holst - Mars, The Bringer of War

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0bcRCCg01I

Alice Coltrane - Isis And Osiris

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37rgEhQw3k

Bach's Toccata.

I love this haunting rendition of it using a glass harp:

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um6UqoJl6Vo

 

[Sinny91]

Having had the radio in my room tuned to classical for the last couple weeks, I can say I feel oddly bored by it. Like, it's nice to have on in the background while I do/watch/listen to something else, but I don't think I could ever actively listen to it.

I can't tell any of it apart. For all I know, this station has been playing the same 10 pieces on repeat and I would be none the wiser.

This.

I do enjoy having classical playing in the background, when I'm emotionally enjoying some pretentious calm..

But at most other times, I need a bit of metal, rock, dub, RnB, or reggae to suit my mood.

If it's not background noise, it's something I most assuredly know the words to, and something I can headbang or jive to

 

[Rixus]

I can listen to classical music and appreciate it intellectually, but I don't. I may stop and listen when I hear it.

Generally, I have 3 music moods.
1 - top 50 rock downloads. You may enter. (it's a normal day)
2 - Evanescence - go away (I'm feeling an emotion of some description.)
3 - Linkin Park - it's risky. If it's safe I'll come out so don't enter. (I'm feeling unusually chirpy, or want to reminisce about some old times. Doesn't happen much these days.)
Anything else, I am looking for a certain song because something is really on my mind. Go away a lot. Or I just heard something random and it's a normal day.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Sinny91]

Lol!

 

[Pressure's Spring]

I agree that classical music is a more difficult genre to discriminate; however, the genre contains within it, in my mind, a greater emotional range/diversity, depth, and control of sound, in contrast to R&B derivatives. For example, certain classical pieces can maintain the steadiest calm & gentleness while simultaneously and masterfully discharging a great intensity. It can be adventurous and overwhelming, uplifting and expansive, while expressing a great understanding of how to pace appropriately; to carefully build up & alternate between tension and relaxation with fluidity, and one should be very careful while treading the delicate waters of emotion, to avoid making sudden movements here, to remain too fixated there, and so forth.

Admittedly, it is a genre I am much less acquainted with, in terms of structures, history, and differences, yet, I cannot help but notice it is one of the most fulfilling (at-least, this applies to specific songs I re-call or that have been regretfully lost to the radio.)

 

[Ex-User (11125)]

i find most classical music boring and uninspired
prefer expressionist classical and contemporary classical music more
number one love is ofcourse alfred schnittke...noone else can do angry music like that <3

 

[The Gopher]

The music has to match the story I'm telling/visualizing or mood. However my mood is generally reflected in the story being told.

 

[Rixus]

That I do understand, Gopher. When I'm writing, I have certain scenes I've written or have mentally visualised that some songs just are the background music too. And once a scene has one, whether I hear that song it plays out in my head until it is written.

Example - whether I hear "Hello", this is what I see:
The armies of Death are ransacking the coastal city. The Oracle (the oldest and wisest of mages) is looking around at her people getting ripped to pieces and knows they need to get out of the city to The Fortress off the coast. She begins strolling down the battlements during the intro as rock is smashed around. The whole thing kind of in slow motion, she walks through the streets. Oni are smashing things up, winged hellhounds are burning houses and people, the undead are hacking and munching away. There's various demons and giant wolves and lord knows what else just ransacking. She can barely walk; leaning on her staff as she slowly limps her way across town. She doesn't flinch as anything that attacks just bounces off her barriers. As during the second verse, she reaches the harbour and stands looking out to see. She begins to chant some spell that clearly hurts. She drops to one knee as she finishes the spell and we see a path of ice freeze in the sea. The only one who could have cast this spell, and it drains her life. During the outro we see the colour drain from her eyes. Now as the songs ends, and we go back to full sound and speed while the leaders start calling the retreat.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[hogarth]

Having had the radio in my room tuned to classical for the last couple weeks, I can say I feel oddly bored by it. Like, it's nice to have on in the background while I do/watch/listen to something else, but I don't think I could ever actively listen to it.

I can't tell any of it apart. For all I know, this station has been playing the same 10 pieces on repeat and I would be none the wiser.

Your comments are interesting. I tend to think the opposite about classical music as background noise: it is really, really annoying in the background. It's too complex and active to listen to while focusing on something else: that complexity just turns to a disjointed, mentally abusive racket if you aren't paying close attention.

But if you focus on classical music, its complexity is the most stimulating, real thing - it's like you become the music. That's why I think of classical music and some other types as being immersive experiences, like reading a book or watching a movie.

 

[PmjPmj]

Uncultured, unfeeling swine that I am, I tend to listen exclusively to electronic music. As a rule of thumb, I avoid the shit out of anything with lyrics (basic or background vocals aside) because I take umbrage with artists assaulting me with their pathetic sob stories.

Ugh.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

But if you focus on classical music, its complexity is the most stimulating, real thing - it's like you become the music. That's why I think of classical music and some other types as being immersive experiences, like reading a book or watching a movie.

Indeed, ever since understanding what a concept album was it became a thing of mine to seek them out in whatever genre I was into at the time and experience the whole thing front to back. As someone who wouldn't be considered very emotional, I found listening to post-metal extremely moving. I figured typology isn't very accurate if it fails to account for thinking types to feel deeply instead of openly, or perhaps I'm really an introverted feeling type.

Uncultured, unfeeling swine that I am, I tend to listen exclusively to electronic music. As a rule of thumb, I avoid the shit out of anything with lyrics (basic or background vocals aside) because I take umbrage with artists assaulting me with their pathetic sob stories.

Ugh.

Electronic is pretty broad, do you mind giving some examples? Or do you just like most of it?

 

[QuickTwist]

I like music that gives an aura of pain. Often times I can find myself tapping my foot to the beat of the song and generally just getting really engrossed in the song passively. I am not an upbeat person so you won't see me happy when listening to music. The closest I get to happy when listening to music is simply just really feeling the rhythm of the song. I pretty much never get a "thrill" out of listening to music. I do not get surprised very often.

Then again, right now I am incredibly depressed so that could have an influence on how I am thinking about things right now.

Feeling this song as a satire about now:

Spoiler

https://youtu.be/sAVqv6FJju4

 

[PmjPmj]

Electronic is pretty broad, do you mind giving some examples? Or do you just like most of it?

Mainly stuff flying under the Above & Beyond banner, although that has become rather emo of late. Super8 & Tab are great, as is Sunny Lax. Some Tritonal. Shit, loads I guess.

I also like psychedelic trance (most sub-genres) and some early to mid 00s dance stuff.

The Prodigy / Pendulum. Stuff like that. I'll post some links when I can. For now, have this upbeat number:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akaOK4AgFso

EDIT: let it build, obv.

 

[WhatWasThat]

Above all else I just like listening to a wide variety of music. Listening to the same genre of music all the time bores me and I honestly don't understand how people can just stick to one narrow genre of music (usually whatever they grew up with). I am constantly searching for new stuff too. Just off the top of my head I listen to:

Rock (new, indie, psychedelic, classic)
Jazz (anything from 20s/30s to modern)
Electronic (mostly Psytrance, IDM, DnB, Psychill, ambient)
Blues
Classical (mostly romantic era stuff but a bit of everything)
Folk
Metal (mostly Thrash, Death, Black or Viking), Punk
Reggae
Punk
Hip-Hop

Music touches my "soul" in a way nothing else in life does honestly, but at the same time I'm not really someone who will sing along and dance around to it either. It has made me tear up and get shivers down my spine, something that doesn't happen even when loved ones have died or things happen in the "real world". Maybe I am just broken.

I would say my music tastes tend to generally lean towards the darker, melancholic, sadder, or angrier side for sure though. Even with classical music most of my favorites are in a minor key or use "minor" sounding modes in them. I play guitar as well and my favorite chords are maj7 chords, which are chords that are technically major chords but because of how they are constructed they also contain a separate minor chord in them as well, which makes them sound very wistful/melancholic.

Random song from my huge library of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Tn8w1w2_Y