Appreciate All Kinds of Music

If you'd like to expand your appreciation and love of the wonderful world of music, there are many different kinds of music to be discovered. It's worth opening your mind to these many possibilities, as you may just find you like various styles and can broaden your music repertoire.

Steps

Preparing yourself

  1. Open your mind up. This is the most important thing to appreciating music as well as the meanings that certain music conveys. If you mope around with a closed mind and reject anything out of your comfortable bubble, you can't expand your appreciation for music to new horizons! Accept anything and everything that's out of the box; music is creativity and you've just got to let it all in.
  2. Know that appreciating and liking are two completely different things. Listen to all sorts of music, even if some of it might not be your absolute favorite. You don't have to like the music, just listen to it and try to understand and accept it as music. Listen to a little bit of everything, from Bach to Billie Holiday to Less Than Jake to Liquid Tension Experiment to Michael Buble to Slayer to Amaranthe to Black Veil Brides to Mythos. There are so many genres and artist out there, so don't restrict yourself to just a few!

Broaden your music experiences

  1. Research underground music or listen to garage rock/pirate radio stations. These types of music are usually unique and tend to expose you to different.ideas and styles. Research music like ska, two-tone, and experimental. All of those less popular genres will help you to better your understanding of different music.
  2. Don't limit yourself to "pop" music. Go for some opera, classical, jazz, electronic, dubstep, reggae, post-hardcore, and heavy metal, too. Open your mind up to new options an ideas, no matter what genre you listen to, its still music and the artists put a lot of time into it. Understand that different people have different tastes and styles and just embrace the variety as the beautiful thing it is! Also, look up music from different countries.
  3. Find the new music. Go on YouTube to discover different types and bands\soloists in these areas:
    • Emo: My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Elliot Minor
    • Pop: Miley Cyrus, Sugababes and The Pussycat Dolls
    • R&B: Lemar, Akon and Estelle
    • Alternative music: The Kooks, Noah, The Whale and Vampire Weekend
    • Indie: One night only, Arctic Monkeys, The Courteeners and Little Man Tate
    • Pop punk: Paramore, Scouting for Girls and Blink 182
    • Screamo: Enter Shakira and Bring Me the Horizon
    • Heavy metal: Linkin Park and Slipknot.
    Once you've found the type you like listen to them quite a lot to get used to it. Download some of the songs to an iPod for in-depth listening.

Coming to grips with new music

  1. Listen to the message. Most songs are written for a reason. There is usually a message being sent. If you don't understand it upon first listening to a song, look up the lyrics. Listen to the melody, tune, and mood of the song; this can really help you understand the meaning. There's more to music than just the lyrics and the lyrics are not the only thing that the artist uses to share a message. In many cases, just understanding the lyrics isn't enough to understand the emotion in the song; for example, 'The Scientist' (a popular song by Coldplay) wouldn't be as sad in the style of 'Empire' by Bring Me The Horizon. Looking at just the lyrics is is hard to do in classical music, as there are not necessarily any lyrics. For that, you have to try a little harder when you listen.
  2. Don't criticize the first time you listen. Just sit back and let it wash over you. If you start complaining or griping, you have no hope of appreciating it. Be open-minded- its something that can't be stressed enough when learning to appreciate music. If you won't let real essence the music reach you, you won't be able to appreciate it for what it is!
  3. Do your best to expose yourself to new kinds of music. Go out and buy a random used CD or listen to a different radio station each day. Listen to screamo, symphonic metal, gothic music, crunk, classical, or something else you hadn't given a chance before. Visit music sites for discovering new artists to find new bands.

Tips

  • Some music stores allow you to preview a CD with a quick scan of the album, such as Barnes & Noble and f.y.e. This is also true of most online retailers. Many sites feature free samples, like YouTube videos, Pandora, or the band's website. Try it before you buy it!
  • Go to your local library and borrow some music that you normally wouldn't listen to. That way, if you don't like it, you didn't lose any money!
  • Apple Computer's iTunes may offer songs for free download. These pieces can be from any style, from medieval classical to punk to hip-hop. Over a year, you can get a very sizable eclectic music selection just from iTunes' free music.
  • Have patience. Some songs don't sound good until a way in, and some don't get good at all. Don't be discouraged.
  • Consider pairing up with a listening buddy. Your buddy may be able to point out something you miss. Keep in mind that you won't always like the same music.
  • Learn an instrument. Even if you're not good at playing music, you will probably have fun making music with your instrument.

Warnings

  • Keep it down. The guy a block over probably isn't as interested as you are in hearing opera or the latest techno remix.
  • Just make sure you're not changing yourself because other people think it's cool, for being yourself is cool enough.
  • It's a hobby, not a chore. Don't feel like you have to go listen to the new track you got right now. Music can be better appreciated if you actually want to listen to it.
  • Be aware of your surroundings. Headbanging at the office usually isn't acceptable.

Things You'll Need

  • Music

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Sources and Citations

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