How does music effect you?

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I like a wide variety of styles, but only a few artists from each style. I think that I gravitate to the more philosophical artists in each genre, and that I usually like the artists that influenced the artists I like. For example, Coldplay was influenced by Kraftwerk and paid homage to them in one of their songs, and so I checked out Kraftwerk and like them too.
I usually use music to compliment my mood and change it a little bit. If I'm in sort of a rut, I'll listen to Jimmy Buffett since he sings a lot about how he is comfortable with feeling that there is no real point in life and how that even though sh*t happens, it's no big deal, really. If I'm in a mood where it is like I've got everything in place and everything just works, I'll listen to a bit of Pink Floyd. And so on. I've even taken to using last.fm to track the artists I like so that I can just scan the list and find the one that will do me best.
One thing that I don't really like is when artists mess with or sort of ignore the beat. Like Dave Matthews Band. Dave Matthews doesn't really like to sing too closely to the beat, and while this can be really interesting, after about five songs my mind turns to mush. I don't even mind changing the tempo and time signature, but when they ignore or mess with the beat I don't like it.

Man Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine!! Machine!! !! !
Man Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine!! Machine!! !! !
http://www.kraftwerk.com/

Like what boothinator said, I like a number of genres but I only listen to a few from each. only really have about 10-12 cds which I've had for the last 5 years, perhaps with one addition. The small amount of music I listen to keeps me content.

I went through an electronica phase and from that I came upon lamb, portishead, Goldfrapp, Moby and Massive Attack. I went through a pop phase too but I don't have anything from that now. Recently (last 4 years, that's recent for me) I've been listening to an excellent band called george, who come from here in Australia. They're really great although I'm not sure what you'd call their music, maybe soft-rock or pop but very unique. Civet, I think you might like them, as their music is pretty laid back and uplifting. Might be hard to find any mp3s by them though as they're pretty much just here in Australia. I also listen to some video game music, mainly remixes from www.ocremix.org.

I have loved music for as long as I can remember. I would wear my walkman all day if society allowed it. When I was little I memorised the words to every pop song I took a liking to. I went through a phase of worshipping Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson, then moved on to boybands. When I was fourteen I wanted to be Mariah Carey. I always kind of liked music it's not fashionable to like though. And I have always found Simon and Garfunkel strangely comforting for some reason.
More recently I have branched out into folk music so now I like loads of singers noone's heard of and I'm learning to play the accordion. It's great.

hehehe, with the exception of mariah carey you're exactly the same as me! i liked michael jackson and kylie, and bros i would listen to the same few tapes overandoverandover i wanted to be madonna and i love simon and garfunkel, i grew up on them - it was one of those tapes we had in the car, so every long journey to the seaside there'd be simon and garfunkel. i know what you mean about their songs being comforting.

and i know what you mean about liking music that people haven't heard of, i dread people asking me now "what music do you like" because i can't give them an answer, there's no style of music i like, no artists i like, just individual songs - which they often haven't heard of. lately i've been listening to a lot of jazz. but that's a nightmare to explain to people. everybody it seems has prejudices about jazz and even then most jazz i don't like, there's just a few odd tunes here and there.... but for some reason, people can't seem to understand that i'd like certain songs, they have to categorise it into styles and artists and even make assumptions about my personality based on a few songs!

I hate the way people have to categorise everything and put you and your music into little boxes! I don't get it. People who like jazz for example are supposed to be more open-minded to weird stuff, but one of my aquaintances who is in a jazz band was taking the p*ss out of my friend who has gone off to uni to study folk music!
I used to hate being asked what music I like too, 'cos I never knew how to answer and I hate being judged for it, but I don't care as much these days...it is other people's problem. There will never be a 'right' way to answer the question. And if anyone is put off being my friend 'cos of my choice of music, I didn't want them as a friend anyway.

Jazz music is supposed to be for pretentious types, or so I've heard. Guess it makes as much sense as pop music being for undiscerning types, and electronic music for ravers.

I like instrumental - any type - as long as it doesn't have lyrics. Lyrics are too distracting. What is that supposed to mean about a person?

Heh heh heh...I bet you'd both love to be around on Saturday nights when I'm DJing; Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Prince, Kim Wilde, Prince, Kylie Minogue, Prince, Billy Joel, Prince, The Village People, Prince, Wham!, Prince, David Bowie, Prince, Culture Club, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, Blondie...then I take the edge off it with a bit of Prince before doing 90's dance and current club anthems. Then a few tracks from Prince's new album toward the end of the night.

I don't actually listen to most of that stuff at home though (with one, hopefully not too obvious, exception), and it's really hard to pinpoint what I'm into except that I love stuff that has great melody or harmony. Either that or it has something else that gives it a really sensual feel. I find that I listen to a lot of cool jazz these days because the sense of harmony in a lot of the arrangements is just really sexy. I'd love to hear somebody doing that in hard rock music the way that it's been done in vintage R'n'B music, I'm starting to write a lot of songs myself that have those cool chord structures.

So, yeah...that's the way that music has to affect me. It has to be sexy. But I don't find most of the current girly-pop or hip hop stuff which is supposed to be, really is. So it's just an individual thing. I haven't really enlightened you one bit, have I?

I guess you're a Prince fan then huh? Billy Joel rules

Although BJ is very talented I tend to enjoy him in small doses. "Uptown Girl" is a retro banger though.

Well if by instrumental you mean with classical instruments, then that supposedly means you're gay. Of course. Actually, I know a lot of gay people and only one of them is into classical. Most are into pop music, and often really bad pop music. I have no idea why.

I like instrumental music too, cos I find lyrics can be distracting too. Although some people's voices are like a musical instrument in themselves, so it can add something extra. Generally I only listen to the lyrics of a song if I like their voice.

Lol my friend has a theory that all orchestra people are gay! (It came from me telling her about our front desk viola - both of them are gay. So she reckons we all are now - !)