From Hary Walsh Sent Wed, Aug 25th 1999, 11:21
From Hary Walsh Sent Wed, Aug 25th 1999, 11:21
Often I get the impression that people need to be able to rationalise and justify their taste in music. I'm not specifically speaking about the idm list here, but in general. I once read of an experiment performed to deduce conscious versus unconscious control in a human being. A man who was drinking a perfectly nice cup of tea is hypnotised and told to go to the sink and empty the contents of his cup down the sink. This man is a guest in the house and has just expressed his appreciation of the cup of tea. The hypnotist clicks his finger or whatever, and the subject carries out the implanted suggestion. When asked why the tea was rejected, the subject starts to create all kinds of rationalisations and justifications for the act. Contradicting previously held opinions and reaching a rational explanation that keeps his logical world view intact. I get the felling that a lot of us here have poured our cups of tea out. We spend a lot of time nitpicking and trainspotting which are all valid uses of our time but they are by nature ancilliary interests. An opinion on music is something that is going to develop from listening to music, but underneath this there is a raw appreciation of music that transends opinions, historic figures and record levels. You either like a piece or you don't. Music theory is to help you reproduce and categorise a piece, not to help you enjoy it. Hmm you say.. "But you are not enjoying it on as many levels as I am...." Now, some people *enjoy* these entangled debates, others don't. We can all ignore each other and respect this fundamental divide. I know of several people who have stopped reading this list because of an inability to ignore this difference of beahviour. Ah well.... apologies for my inability to make a coherent point.... -- hjw