# Maturity & Age vis-à-vis Attitude to Music



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Have your attitudes to and appreciation of music (specifically classical music, but not excluding other musics, if desired) changed from youth and early adulthood to maturity and beyond? If so, how? Why might this be? If they haven't or you are not yet 'that old', might they? How and why?


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## EarthBoundRules (Sep 25, 2011)

Ages 0 - 11
Loved all types of all music

Age 12
Loved all music, rap especially

Ages 13 - 15
Loved classical exclusively

Age 16
Loved rock and classical exclusively

Ages 17+
Love all types of music


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

My tastes have changed. I actually have much more wide-ranging tastes than I did as a schoolboy, when it was pretty much all Classic Rock for me. 

I am no doubt a better listener, more patient, more capable of noticing details, etc. But I also feel I have overcome prejudices (or lack of a better word) about certain instruments and sounds.

E.g., I used to not like organ or choral music because it sounded "churchy." Anything with a fiddle, dobro or country twang was immediately rejected. Now I accept that pretty much any sounds can be used to make music.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

When I was a young adult, I didn't know much about classical (it was all new, both common practice and contemporary), so I devoured it all and made hundreds of mind-blowing discoveries in a short period of time. Now, I know a lot and have discovered a lot and I am far more selective, so new discoveries come more slowly.

As a young man, I, however, had some pretty fixed prejudices against certain kinds of classical music, such as opera, choral, vocal in general, etc., that I have managed to erode, with considerable work, over the years.

So, in résumé, I think I was far more broad-focussed in youth, but highly opinionated, and now, in maturity, my focus is narrower, but my prejudices have decreased. While I'm not discovering new things at the breakneck speed of my youth, I am more willing to slowly (!) broaden my understanding of areas I have had innate prejudices against. In general, my exploration of the new is more directed than accidental.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

age 13-29 pop/rock, gradually shifting from top40 to albums, increasingly focused on new wave, art pop and prog.
age 30-42 classical, starting with the war horses, gradually discovering my own taste, specializing a bit in late romantic, as well as 20th century English
age 43-58 (now):
- continue to further deepen and broaden classical
- re-appreciate pop/rock, especially prog
- scratch the surface of jazz


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## Stavrogin (Apr 20, 2014)

NB "popular" and "rock" are used as synonyms to mean the broad world of non-classically trained composers (incl- also jazz, electronica, experimental)


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

From the age of 14-24 I collected many rock/pop albums on vinyl but I was one that spent not wisely but too well - it really was a classic case of quantity over quality and by the time I was in my mid 20s I'd outgrown many of them and they more or less became their own tombstones. 

During the CD era I bought more carefully while getting into different rock genres but even then some purchases didn't endure after the initial novelty wore off. Since getting into classical I like to think I've exercised far more quality control than before as I can't think of anything I've really got fed up with since starting my collection in the late 90s. Of course, with the internet era it's so easy now for me to research a composer/work/recording before committing myself to buying anything but I still get a mild thrill from buying an album on spec. even though I don't do it anything like as often as before. I would say that classical accounts for about 75% of my total listening these days - maybe more.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

In my late teens, I was more likely to blame myself rather than the music if I didn't appreciate some works by the classic composers. For example, I think the first movement of Mozart's clarinet concerto is laughable garbage, but I would never have allowed myself to believe this way back then. I'm in my early thirties now and I'm much more cynical about these things. I think that some people just like the sound world of Mozart or whoever, the same way I like the sound world of Sessions, but that truly great music is rather rare.

On the other hand, I used to be biased against atonal music, especially dodecaphonic music, but these days I enjoy its sound world and as far as styles or genres go it's my favorite to listen to. There were two things to overcome to get to this point: ideological prejudice and the prejudice of the ear. The former was easy, because I only had to admit I was wrong. As for the latter, my path went through Renaissance music - which taught me to listen more open-mindedly, as well as developed my ability to make sense of polyphony - to Schoenberg, Carter, Sessions, late Bartok, and some others, though not all at the same time. I remember when I listened to Bartok's string quartets for the first time in years, they pleased me immediately, probably because I had already spent some time familiarising myself with some later composers, so the chromaticism didn't come across as something new and ugly anymore. I'm sure there are easier paths to appreciation than via the Renaissance period, but I suspect it had a lot to do with how easily I started liking the polyphonic atonalists.

Even after getting that far, I still had trouble with some less traditional modernism or contemporary music, like Boulez's "Explosante fixe", but recently I've been able to appreciate more of it. I even used to think (probably without even trying to listen to them) that Penderecki's early masterpieces, such as the three (?) pieces used in The Shining, were too avant-garde. Penderecki did creepy so well, kind of a shame he moved on to neo-Romanticism.

To sum up, I've become more cynical but also more appreciative and open-minded. I think music can achieve such greatness that it transcends the need for the listener to be well-disposed toward the style or the sound world, but as far as I can tell, such music is relatively rare on this planet at this stage in history.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

In my younger years I used to favour big, epic symphonies lasting 90 minutes with epic choirs, thunderous percussion and gargantuan brass sections. Now as my tastes have matured I find greater satisfaction in a Mozart sonata or perhaps a Bach cantata.


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## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

Childhood: Pop
Teenage Years: Rock
Adulthood: Classical (not just western), Jazz


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

brotagonist said:


> Have your attitudes to and appreciation of music (specifically classical music, but not excluding other musics, if desired) changed from youth and early adulthood to maturity and beyond?


As far as classical, I don't think my attitude has changed; I've always been open to what's out there. But as far as appreciation, my ears have broadened with time. Or maybe a better word is refined. I started out liking big and noisy; it took a while to appreciate piano and chamber music.

As to why this happened, I think that my life experience has made me open to new things, because now I'm at a point that I'm not concerned with what anyone thinks anymore. And by now I know who I am, so I'm not afraid that the ideology behind some music will turn me into something I'm not.

As far as my attitude to rock music, that is evolving. In my 20s I drew up my nose at rock music and plunged into jazz, so now I'm rediscovering rock. I still don't really _like _it, but I am learning to appreciate it. It seems like the rock music I'm finding myself attracted to is not what any of my friends are into, but again, I really don't care; I'm past the days of letting people impose their tastes on my head and my ears.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I never listened to Bach as a youth. Listened only to the approved masterpieces of Brahms, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

Now for me, Bach's solo keyboard music towers over the rest and I rarely listen to those other composers anymore.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

From my childhood on it was classical, my parents always played recordings or else the Radio was on a classical broadcaster.
I may listen to something else from time to time , but rarely


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2016)

brotagonist said:


> Have your attitudes to and appreciation of music (specifically classical music, but not excluding other musics, if desired) changed from youth and early adulthood to maturity and beyond? If so, how? Why might this be? If they haven't or you are not yet 'that old', might they? How and why?


If I ever reach maturity, I'll be able to let you know. :tiphat:


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Aged 0 - 12: family records included Bolero, Nutcracker, Kenneth McKellar, Jimmy Shand & Bing Crosby. Loved them all.

12-14: mad on pop, especially the Beatles; also The Hollies & The Kinks, Cilla Black, The Crystals, The Supremes, Del Shannon; classical music (Mozart, Bach, Handel) mainly through learning the violin

14 - 21: gave up the violin & lost interest in pop; played my mother's folk song LPs over & over to transcribe the lyrics

22-60: married a man who shared almost all my musical tastes & we built up an LP collection of Celtic & English folk and early and renaissance music, with a little retro-pop thrown in (The Animals).

60-till now: took up the violin again - found this forum - at first tried to educate myself & listened to major composers that I'd never bothered with before, like Mahler. It was a very exciting time but I spent far too much time on my computer. Now I recognise my limitations and am back to baroque, early music and folk. I have given up learning baroque music on my violin so that I can concentrate on learning Scottish fiddle in depth. So many tunes - so little time.

Over a lifetime, I haven't changed all that much. I still love anything of any style with a good tune and/or interesting lyrics. As a child, I'd sing nursery rhymes to myself in my cot. This morning as I lay in bed I mentally rehearsed the lyrics of The Great Selkie of Sule Skerry. Baroque music looms much larger than it did in childhood. Folk Music has lived in my heart forever.

PS - Wouldn't this very interesting thread be better in the main forum?


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I haven't changed "my attitude to and appreciation of music" since childhood. A great, inexhaustible source of pleasure, learning and meditation that is always there for me to enjoy and explore. 

I doubt that this will change moving forward, but then again, who knows?. Life is full of surprises.


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## Lucifer Saudade (May 19, 2015)

I listened to a little bit of everything as a kid, always stayed curious about all sorts of music but mostly explored Rock and Metal as a teen, honing my listening skills. I've since foraged into many other genres, and I see my taste continuously expanding, at a varying rate. Most people stop seeking out new music due to newer, more pressing preoccupations, time constraints or just a general lack of open mindedness/ flexibility/ low tolerance of complexity and the new.... but I suspect also due to sheer laziness when it comes to filtering their new favourite music. For some of us, novelty in new sounds is simply something we're prepared to seek out, short-term discomforts, waste of time and all.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Music I've never liked since youth, and still don't. Heavy Metal, Disco, Easy Listening, Rap, commercial counrty music, punk, Madonna/Janet Jackson and their ilk, even though they didn't come along until I was an adult.

Teenage years I was into progressive rock.

Early 20s I started getting into classical and jazz, and fusion, and Zappa. And acoustic string music. Leo Kottke, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, David Grisman, etc... 

As far as classical goes, baroque and classical era music never really captured my imagination. I liked romantic, and modern French music right off.

Last five years I'm into mostly 20th century classical of all kinds and genres. I no longer listen to a lot of jazz all year long like I did up until a few years ago. 

And I have my favorite songwriter/guitarists I have been listening to for 20 + years. Bruce Cockburn, Richard Thompson, Joni Mitchell, and progressive rock guitarist/pianist/composer/songwriter Mike Keneally, who imo is a genius.

And I am a big fan of all of the great artists that worked with Miles, and Zappa over the years.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Ingélou said:


> PS - Wouldn't this very interesting thread be better in the main forum?


Well, I considered that and opted for here, because:

I am not asking about composers, performers or recordings; I am asking about you and how changes in age have changed your attitudes to (classical) music. It's really about you, not music, but it is debatable about where it fits 

So, to recap what I already said, what seemed to change for me is that, as a youth, I explored all types of music, from rock and folk and country to jazz and world and classical, and I discovered much of this stuff by chance and gander, but I had very strong prejudices about a lot of musical styles and genres that were likely strongly determined by what my friends weren't into (wanting to fit in as a youth); while, as a mature adult, I have narrowed my focus to primarily classical music, but I am now open to pretty much any of it, including ancient churchly musics, contemporary music, opera, choral, etc., but my discoveries come primarily though deliberate and considered exploration (I am following my own interests, rather than the 'fashions' of my milieu).


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

I haven't really changed but it's only been 4 years since I listen to music seriously and 3 years of classical music.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

7-12: knew that I liked music in principle but had not found just the type of music I liked
13-26: heavy metal and nothing else
27-32: heavy metal, neo-folk & experimental, flirting with prog rock and other stuff. I didn't like the diversity of this period.
32-38: classical music and nothing else.

I'm very much an "AND NOTHING ELSE" kind of guy.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

My tastes have slowly and steadily expanded since I was young and knew everything.


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