HiHi!

I've listened to both songs (four times). I think First Episode at Hienton's lyrics are very deep and well-written, the tones are really nice too. I think it's a good song but I just don't feel any emotion like sadness or anger or whatever... It just leaves me completely cold :(


The same thing for the 'happy' song: I immediately recognized it from the old cartoon Snoopy, that gave me some joy because it was nostalgic. But I just don't got happy or anything in that direction from the song itself.

I do know why you get emotional from it; the notes, the sad voice, the sad lyrics etc. and I think it's just weird that I don't get emotional from it.

Oh, 'twas clear enough from your first post :). Other than some vague notion of wiring of the brain and the nervous system, I have absolutely no idea as to why that is the case. I'll stop with my babble now. Edmund Burke (yes, Burke, that old reactionary tory) made some interesting observations on the beautiful and the sublime in art in his Philosophical Enquiry which is quite a short, empirical work and a joy to read. It is mostly pop-psychology according to modern standards, but has largely succeeded in temporarily palliating my annoyances with regards to art, aesthetic experience and emotional responses. You might want to peruse it.

It sounds like you're very attuned to the "music" of words and language. It could be that your brain has "chosen" to focus on the beauty of words at the expense of the beauty of sounds. Not everyone's brains can be generalists; sounds like your brain is more specialized.

Anyway, look on the bright side: You'll never have to worry about spending a lot of money on music. :D

Thanks, that was interesting. At least you could appreciate them in a sort-of abstract sense.

In the thread goofle11 linked on the first page, I found another article on this and was reading some of the discussion below the article. It was very interesting. In particular, there was one person who said he had the same issue you do, but then completely by accident, one day he listend to a particular song by a band named Phish, and for some reason something "clicked" in him and he started appreicating music afterwards. I posted his comment here. After I read that, I listened to the song he mentioned. It's a very long and weird song with a lot of non-musical elements. In a strange way, I could see how a song like that might "click" to someone who didn't like music. Instead of trying to get yourself to like music by listening to "musical" music, maybe you should try listening to music that *isn't* so musical, and then work backwards, so-to-epeak. The important thing is to be affected by the change in sounds through time; maybe if your brain isn't attuned to normal musical sounds, you should try "abnormal" musical sounds. :)

If you want to try that, myself and other people here can help you find some a-musical music that might help. :)

I can somewhat understand your 'condition'. I love music, love listening to it all the time and have spent most of my life after age 10 with headphones in. But it's this very obsession that I think has rendered me, on occasion, apathetic with certain things.

For instance, if I'm listening to a song where I understand the instrumental stylings, i.e. I'm really making effort to pick out techniques and talk about it scientifically, it tends to eliminate the emotional draw.

It's the same way that certain technical metal doesn't stir emotion in me, but it's impressive, and I'm focused on it's complexity from an objective point of view... whereas certain atmospheric music, for instance, could have one or two chords repeated and drawn out for five minutes, an incredibly simple thing to do, yet inspire great depth of feeling.

Here we go again. I said it because of THIS which was in his first few sentences:

The whole class was just absolutely shocked and I was like: well who does!?

The whole class was just speechless about it, they were all laughing about me and stuff, like I was joking! But seriously guys: I DON'T FEEL EMOTIONS OR PHYSICAL REACTIONS WHILE LISTINING TO MUSIC.

So he was saying "How could anyone even think that you would be emotionally moved by music?" It's one absolute fighting another. If he had said, well I understand not everyone is moved but that's not what he said. He made out as if it was the most stupid suggestion anyone could make, as if it never happened.

Therefore his statement is rubbish. QED.

EDIT: Actually, now that I read it through I realise I took that up wrong. He said HE thought this and everyone else thought he was mad. Um. Apologies. Helps to read things through a few times, also not at 3AM....

I think Specific musical anhedonia is interesting. I never heard of it before. I did meet one or two people irl that said they never listen to music. Not knowing what it was called I thought of it as music apathy. Which I thought but peculiar but fascinating that someone can go without music. I also thought it would free up so much time if they did listen to music for hours on end.

I meet people who have very narrow musical taste which is also interesting. Sometime I think it is better to know really well one genre than be a jack of all trades and a little bit of every other genre. Sometimes I wonder if a person can have musical anhedonia for everything but their favorite genre.

I don't know how much a music fan I am, because there is a lot of music out there that I just don't like at all. If I add up all the likes & dislikes I think I would end up percentage-wise being more of person who dislike music. But then again If I like something I really, really like it.

Im a jack of all trades but a master of none. lol

All i know are alternative bands from the late 80's and early 90's, that's what i specialise in cause those are my preferences, i either tend not to like music outside of that or don't know it but i wouldn't call this M.A i think those are just my preferences.

I actually been trying lately to get out of my comfort zone and try new stuff