Music is an art that has spread its roots throughout humanity. It has touched most of humanity. It is a part of our daily lives. The commercial on TV is also musical. This is due to the fact that music has an impact on its listeners. This is due to the fact that the ear receptors can also help us create images in our minds. Music is composed of tunes mixed together and with the lyrics embedded in them they paint different illusions in the listener’s minds. But is this imagery enough to define a person? Or is it enough to define their taste?
Harry Connick was reported to have said:
“No matter what genre of music you play when you rack up a couple years of experience, you have your own point of view no matter who it is that is coming in front of you whether it is a pop artist or a country artist. Whoever.”
Kinds of Music:
Music is of many kinds. It ranges from pop and country to rock and metal. But the question that arises is whether or not listening to a specific genre has any significance. Every human differs from one another. One might argue that identical twins do not differ, the fact is they do. Though that might as well be a debate for another day. It still stands true. But in case of taste in music, it differs from person to person, soul to soul, occasion to occasion.
Influence of Music on Listener:
When music enters ones’ ear, he perceives it according to the beat of the specific genre. For example, pop music is usually for upbeat teens, while country music in general is filled with love and harmony. It depends upon the mood of a person. Usually aggressive people prefer to listen to hard rock or heavy metal, it helps them relax. Since music is said to change the mood of a person it is a form of distraction, from unreliable surroundings, from depressing people, from the cruel world in totality.
King Krule was reported to have said that:
“A lot of people who have been perceiving my music have been trying to formulate a genre for it, and I think it is just a natural thing; it does not need to be categorized. It does not need to be sections, if you will”.
Music as a Salvation:
Some college students listen to hip hop music while they study in order to keep themselves active and attentive to their studies but if they were to play light music, they would fall asleep instantly. Similarly, if the mood is heavy, some country music can help lift spirits. Basically, everyone has their own preference, so rather than genre of music defining a person, it is rather the mood of the person that the genre defines. And the mood of a person changes according to the situation he is living in. Simply put, it is not genre of the music that defines a person rather it is the mood or the situation of the person that the genre defines.
It was Taylor Swift who said that:
“For me, great music does not just have to fall into one category or one genre and I love appreciating all kinds of music”.
Conclusion:
In the end, it is merely foolish to define a human by the genre of music he listens to. Music simply is not enough to define a whole person. Humanity is way more complicated than that. Music plays a drastic role in everyday lives. And good music has also become a rarity. It is best not to judge someone or make any assumptions about them based on the genre of music they listen to. It would be the same as judging a book by its cover, which might not be such a great idea.
Plus, it is as Keith Urban points out:
“I think the industry is oblivious to the fact that most people listen to all kinds of stuff. I personally do not know of any person who listens to only one genre of music. It is vanity because no one does.”