Music and Memories
Like every other art form, music is interpreted differently by different people. I have found that it also tends to act like an index of the mind, linking back to many memories. For me, many songs will consistently bring up a specific memory, either a "time freeze" of the specific moment when I heard the song for the first time, memories from a time when the song was played often, or a pivotal event in which the song was involved. Many of the memories are significant, others are quite small in their importance but exist nonetheless. Some are vague while other are rich in detail.
I have decided to record many of these songs and their associated memories in written form. Be aware that the contents consists of personal experiences and extra background information may be necessary to fully understand some of it.
I also have several "rules" which govern my own tastes in music. These seem to vary significantly from many others whom I know who place more value on the person (artist) and their story (lyrics) than the ordering of frequencies and amplitudes upon which I place value.
- I don't care about the artist or their lyrics, meaning I do not listen to music just because a trendy/popular artist made it or because said artist is trying to tell a story with his lyrics. I become very annoyed when I play music and people complain because they have "never heard of it".
- I don't need/want the artists to tell me a story. I need them to produce a soundtrack to go along with the story and pictures I produce in my own mind. Hence the gravitation toward trance and chill and away from rap.
- I tune out the "meaning" of lyrics. They become mere sounds. Hence my shock upon coming to college and listening to my drunk friends utter the lyrics to Eminem songs that I had listened to for years. I never really bothered to listen to the words on most of those...
- I don't care about stereotypes which associate music with various cultural groups, lifestyles, etc. Nor do I understand the people who think they must limit themselves in such ways. If the sound is right I will listen to it.
- I need something that will stimulate the mind, with a giant sound stage and bandwidth of many thousands of hertz. Deep ground-shaking bass down to 30 Hz and twiddling atmospheric treble up to 15,000 Hz. Hence the reason I do not own iPod earbuds or care to listen to the garbage 128k AAC files for which Apple actually charges money.
Created July 2010 by Corey Johnson, yeroc.us
Last Modified: August 03, 2011. 23:02:10 pm