Getting older, tastes changing
 

I know for a fact, that if 20-something years old me had been asked whether I thought my musical tastes would "quiet down" as I got older, I would have scoffed at the idea.

But here I am, 36 years old and with a CD collection full of things the past version of me would have found unbearably boring.

More or less since I crossed the 30 year threshold, I've been getting progressively more interested in quieter music, like singer-songwriter material (think Tori Amos, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega), classical and a bunch of fairly down to earth pop/electronic artists.

Not that I don't still listen to all sorts of metal and whatever, but increasingly, I find myself appreciating quieter music.

So what do you guys think? Are your tastes likely to change as you get older or do you feel like you're exempt from this tendency?

Or if you're already an old fart, do you remember how your tastes changed over the years?

It's not even those questions in specific. This topic just interests me in general.

Getting older is simply about refining your tastes until you can enjoy listening to whatever the **** you want without the thought of your peer group's judgement entering your mind.

That's one thing for sure. It's pointless to stay in that teenage mindset of wanting to be cool or rebellious in your music choices, or just wanting to fit in.

Even more than that it's being able to find the utmost joy in any sound that catches your ear without any ounce of interference.

I feel like I've reached that point. Just listening to new music and let my judgment of it come from inside.

Ironically, the only voices of disapproval I have to ignore to enjoy my music are on this forum of open minded* music geeks :laughing:




*: in theory at least

That's because stagnation is boring and so is being openminded.

I think trying to be open minded is the most interesting thing about life, in a way.

But what I really ought to say is that I don't understand what the hell you're getting at :laughing:

As you age novelty becomes less novel so you have to smoke a little weed to relubricate the novelty appreciation neurons in your noggin. Weed recreates that 20 year old perspective on new music (unless you smoke it all the time)

It’s not fair to dismiss a record unless you put a little buzz on if you’re old

My tastes have expanded as I've gotten older, but they haven't quieted down. I like both quiet and loud music. If anything, loud music has been a bigger portion of what I listen to in my 30s and 40s. I certainly listen to a lot more dissonant music than I did in my 20s.

I never liked grindcore before my late 20s and now I don't even want to touch power metal which used to be a staple for me.