This Is What It Sound Like - Susan Rogers - 4 stars

[Robin P]

This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You - Susan Rogers tagged Psychology 21 times - read 1/1 - 4*

I found this book interesting and fast enough to read in 1 day, even though I am pretty much an ignoramus about music. The author has had an amazing career, working with Prince and other musicians, then studying brain science. She shows that everyone has preferred styles of music that speak to us and none is "better" than another. She explains various elements of music, such as melody and rhythm, but also other factors like how much we enjoy familiarity vs novelty. I was interested in the fact that some people see abstract patterns in their minds when listening to music, others imagine themselves playing or singing, or picture the band. About 20%, including me, sees pictures of the "story" of the song. As a child, I had no interest in listening to my parents' classical records because there were no words. I still tend not to appreciate more abstract music. I do like some instrumentals but they tend to have fairly simple melodies and rhythms and I see images of dancing, skipping, or maybe some kind of setting. There was a really interesting section comparing how music is developing today with how art developed after photography. Photographs made ultra-realistic painting unnecessary, so artists expressed feelings and patterns in other ways. Digital music makes hours of recording and adjusting instruments, voices and tracks unnecessary, so musicians are expanding their use of sounds, "samples", etc. Growing up in the vinyl era, much new music sounds cold and mechanical to me. But often one era's experimentation in art or music becomes just normal over time.

[Theresa]

I just put this on the TBR as it sounds fascinating. I am one of those who pay little attention to lyrics as being words, just hearing them as you would another instrument. I don't really 'see' anything when I hear music - I suspect I fit the abstract definition. This could be quite illuminating. I have always thought it a bit odd that I never remember lyrics or really clearly different the words in opera for example given how word based I am.

[Robin P]

Interesting, before I go to an opera, I like to get the CD from the library with the libretto words listed. Usually the give the original language and a translation. I can read the French or German and even figure out a lot of the Italian that way. I don't haveto know every word but I like to have a sense of what the aria is about besides just the emotion. (Usually there aren't that many different words anyway, unless it is a patter song, like about Don Giovanni's many conquests!)

I learned a ton of French from listening to records by Charles Aznavour, Gilbert Becaud and other singers. Back then you couldn't just look up the lyrics, so I had to figure them out.

It is only in the last 20 years or so that I have enjoyed instrumental music and it tends to be international music, like rumba flamenco (The Gypsy Kings) or jazzy pop (Paris Combo or Alison Brown Quartet). Something "catchy". I was trying to explain it to my daughter and I called it "deedle deedle music". She herself wasn't that interested in words, she liked upbeat lively rhythms.

My husband has sung in choirs his whole life and appreciates the complexities of them. I have sat through so many of his concerts that seemed boring to me because the lyrics, if you can understand them, are often the same phrase fifty times in a row. I do like the one choir that does popular music and show tunes, I just have plebeian tastes!