Why Do You Listen To Music?

[71 dB]

I think at the root of it all, you're unhappy because it's a choice you have made for yourself. I've seen the most happy people come from the shittiest circumstances and still bounce back and land on their feet. If you believe that you're not worth anything, then that's how other people will see you as well. I cannot change who you are nor can anyone else, it's up to you to find your happiness. Jeffrey gave some excellent advice and his point about living in the moment is spot-on, but also let me add that I think it's important for anyone to find what is important in their life and cut out everything that isn't necessary. One way to find happiness is letting go of negative thoughts and people who bring you down. This is cutting out the unnecessary in your life. Once you do this, I think, eventually, you will be a lot happier, but you must remember that everything you do really boils down to you. People can help in a small way, but if you're not happy alone, then you certainly won't be happier with someone else, because, ultimately, what will happen is your own self-doubt will rear it's ugly head and you're back to square one. Stop being so hard on yourself and live your life. That's my suggestion.

Maybe you think I am unhappier than I am. I lost my job (which I hated because of extremely nasty boss) in 2016 and around that time my mother got cancer. In 2017 my apartment was under pipe repair which was a very exhausting experience. In May 2018 my mother passes away as the cancer which was supposed to be treatable suddenly turns very bad confusing even the doctors. Meanwhile the US has elected an orange clown into the white house and I start to follow American politics to undertand what happened. As people here have pointed out, this increases my worries of the World. In fall 2017 I register to Head-fi forum to tell about my knowledge of crossfeed to find acceptance, but it went totally wrong when it led to endless toxic fighting. Retrospectively I wish I had never registered there, but how was I supposed to know? Well, at this point I have learned empirically that internet discussion boards tend to have toxic tendencies, no matter how friendly they look (how nasty can a board about headphones be? Well, extremely nasty!). These things are not easy to control. They just happen. I am a human being and I do make mistakes in life.

There is some good stuff too of course. My sister's "career" as the poet is taking off well. January/February this year I finally got into music theory after decades of struggle when seeing some videos by Jake Lizzio in Youtube and realizing I was missing the context layer in my thinking. Big thanks to Jake Lizzio! Also, there hasn't been any health problems. That's a plus I guess. I realized this after meeting my friend the other day and hearing about his problems. I don't have back pain. I don't suffer from acid dyspepsia. I am doing great!

I have my tools to fight depression and feeling better, music being one of them so I am not maybe as unhappy as you think and maybe I have overdramatized my situation. It's not like I'm in Yemen waiting to be bombed by Saudi-Arabia or something...

What happens if people stop worrying about the problems in the World? Do we stop fighting climate change? It would be cool to not worry about anything, but can our planet survive that? How do I know what it necessory in my life and what is not?

[Cato]

Plato viewed all the arts with suspicion, poetry and drama because they are more obviously influential on the character and mores actually with more suspicion than music (which was almost invariably tied to words in that time and culture) and his position in the Republic is downright totalitarian. All art has to be state-controlled because it needs to be in service of the virtue of the guardians who would otherwise in danger of being corrupted by lascivious and seductive music

And that concept remains alive among some people in various ways, e.g. that buying some Internet ads will somehow turn people into mindless zombies wanting to do evil deeds.  There is a bizarre critic named E. Michael Jones (I detailed his views over a decade ago here, but cannot find my review: possibly archived or lost, when GMG changed servers) who blamed Wagner's Tristan chord and Chromaticism in general for the atmosphere of free love in Vienna which thereby brought about Mathilde Schoenberg's affair with Richard Gerstl. 

Does music affect people?  Yes.  Can one predict and specify precisely how it will affect people?  By no means.

[Florestan]

It would be cool to not worry about anything, but can our planet survive that?

For God's sake man, screw the planet! Live, and be concerned first and foremost with, your own life!

How do I know what it necessory in my life and what is not?

Whatever makes your life healthy, simple, worthwile and cheerful is necessary. Whatever it doesn't you can discard without any regret.

[Florestan]

I listen to it, and sometimes enjoy it.  But it is not nearly as important as what I get from the kind of songs I described previously.  Plus, as a professional songwriter, I also listen to songs in order to study their construction, how the lyric was put together, and other aspects of the craft.  None of that is relevant with lieder.

I see, thanks.

[Madiel]

To play with my emotions.

Or really, to have others play with them. But with my consent.

Of course, with music I already know, there are times where it's a question of deliberately picking particular music to have the desired emotional effect. The great benefit of having a large music library is that increases the chance of finding the right music for the job.  And it has a lot fewer side-effects than pharmaceuticals...

[Introverted]

For relaxation and to pass the time in a somewhat meaningful way...

[Ken B]

What is the most important music you've experienced? Personally speaking, I couldn't imagine my life without classical music. This isn't to say that jazz and rock weren't important factors in my life, but when I finally understood classical on an intellectual/emotional level, there really was no looking back for me.

Ditto.

[Ken B]

And that concept remains alive among some people in various ways, e.g. that buying some Internet ads will somehow turn people into mindless zombies wanting to do evil deeds.  There is a bizarre critic named E. Michael Jones (I detailed his views over a decade ago here, but cannot find my review: possibly archived or lost, when GMG changed servers) who blamed Wagner's Tristan chord and Chromaticism in general for the atmosphere of free love in Vienna which thereby brought about Mathilde Schoenberg's affair with Richard Gerstl. 

Does music affect people?  Yes.  Can one predict and specify precisely how it will affect people?  By no means.

Not enough people understand the role chromatic harmony played in starting WWI. The Archduke died from a diminished seventh.

[71 dB]

For God's sake man, screw the planet! Live, and be concerned first and foremost with, your own life!

Whatever makes your life healthy, simple, worthwile and cheerful is necessary. Whatever it doesn't you can discard without any regret.

[Florestan]

Seems like you missed my point, so let me rephrase in the plainest English I am capable of.

The only result of your constant complaining about, and hand-wringing over, American politics is that your depression and malaise are greatly compounded. How is your leading a miserable life going to help the planet in any way, pray tell? Yoi do realize that incessant whining on internet forums does nothing for its improvement, don't you? The first step towards a better planet is to put your own life in balance and order. Only then will you able to think clearly and act consciously.

[Mirror Image]

Seems like you missed my point, so let me rephrase in the plainest English I am capable of.

The only result of your constant complaining about, and hand-wringing over, American politics is that your depression and malaise are greatly compounded. How is your leading a miserable life going to help the planet in any way, pray tell? Yoi do realize that incessant whining on internet forums does nothing for its improvement, don't you? The first step towards a better planet is to put your own life in balance and order. Only then will you able to think clearly and act consciously.

Amen to that, Andrei! Well said and exactly my whole point in my response to 71 dB.

[Mirror Image]

Songs: From the Country/Bluegrass tradition and what is generally called Americana; but also the Great American Songbook, i.e. Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, Arlen, etc.

I am, and have been, fascinated by the craft of songwriting, so guys like John Prine, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and hundreds of others, are what I listen to most of the time.

Very nice, indeed. Good to read your inspirations. Ellington is quite an inspiration to me, but not so much the others you mentioned, but we're different people with different ideas about music and, obviously, what inspires us.

[71 dB]

Seems like you missed my point, so let me rephrase in the plainest English I am capable of.

The only result of your constant complaining about, and hand-wringing over, American politics is that your depression and malaise are greatly compounded. How is your leading a miserable life going to help the planet in any way, pray tell? Yoi do realize that incessant whining on internet forums does nothing for its improvement, don't you? The first step towards a better planet is to put your own life in balance and order. Only then will you able to think clearly and act consciously.

Ben Shapiro whines about how single payer healthcare would make his wife a slave.  Maybe he should put his own life in balance and order?
Commenting on American politics is not whining.
I vote in Finnish elections.
Balancing your life is difficult as hell. Who says I or you can do it?
Saving the planet is a collective effort of all people and all nations.
I'm fine thanks to music and some other things.

[Florestan]

Amen to that, Andrei! Well said and exactly my whole point in my response to 71 dB.

Thanks, John, but as you can see we're wasting our time. I give up.

[Mirror Image]

Ben Shapiro whines about how single payer healthcare would make his wife a slave.  Maybe he should put his own life in balance and order?
Commenting on American politics is not whining.
I vote in Finnish elections.
Balancing your life is difficult as hell. Who says I or you can do it?
Saving the planet is a collective effort of all people and all nations.
I'm fine thanks to music and some other things.

You do realize that everyone is insignificant in the grand scheme of life? We are nothing, 71 dB. We're nothing more than mere specs within the vastness that is infinite space. With this in mind, one should be happy to live as long as they can, but you cannot be happy if all you do is worry about things that are out of your control. As I mentioned earlier, you're the only one who is holding yourself back. It's up to you to find your own solace. A person could categorize me as a hermit of sorts as I don't really get any real pleasure from being around a lot of people and prefer to escape then deal with things that I simply don't have to worry about. People are always going to have problems, but you're the one who chooses to be unhappy and miserable. If you have a support system as you say, then confide in them and ask for their help in figuring out what you can do to make yourself happier. I find your interest in American politics interesting, not because your from another country, but because they do not affect you. I mean do you awake from a nightmare screaming "Aghh...Trump!!!"? Look, you really need to stop being so down on yourself, because it's not the way to live your life. Things will get better. Sometimes it just takes some time. Put your worries aside and focus on bettering yourself.

[Ken B]

Ben Shapiro whines about how single payer healthcare would make his wife a slave.  Maybe he should put his own life in balance and order?
Commenting on American politics is not whining.
I vote in Finnish elections.
Balancing your life is difficult as hell. Who says I or you can do it?
Saving the planet is a collective effort of all people and all nations.
I'm fine thanks to music and some other things.

Commenting isn't whining, but whining is.
You asked for advice, and you got some good advice: stop letting the news media dictate your mood or your worries.
You don't have to take the advice but after asking for it it's churlish to snap at it.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks, John, but as you can see we're wasting our time. I give up.

I'm not opposed to helping someone who needs it and offering some suggestions, but if the person doesn't actually make the effort to better themselves, then there's no one to blame but themselves. I'm reminded of this Mahler quote, "I'm hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way."

[Madiel]

He didn't ask for your help, though. Both of you decided to offer it, and now you're miffed it wasn't accepted, but the whole point was the help provided by MUSIC.

[Ken B]

I bet there are not many here who have attended concerts featuring Havergal Brian's 'Gothic Symphony' (x2) and seen the Monkees live in concert. 

Not and live to tell about it! 

[Karl Henning]

Not enough people understand the role chromatic harmony played in starting WWI. The Archduke died from a diminished seventh.

They have stents for that, now.