What do you look for in music? (Philosophical)

[TritoneAddiction]

So recently Benedict made a thread about the importance of storytelling in music. And the video he presented made me reflect on my own values regarding music. Is musical storytelling something that's important to me? Or are other aspects higher on the list? Memorability? Depth? Lyrics? Character? Some sort of message? Uniqueness? Technical/theoretical skills? Image? Do any of these matter? Or is it something else that moves me?

So what do you look for in music? Are there certain qualities/aspects you're drawn to? It could be anything from broader philosophical questions relating to art, to more specific smaller things. After all how one experience music is highly subjective.

[wowhow]

I like all music, textures, and effects. I like to think about the production method, the motive of the person creating it, the context it is presented in. When I create something I'm usually focused on how I feel when I'm putting the sounds together. That being said, I think I hear music/sound differently depending on the context and my mood at that moment. Thank you for this topic TritoneAddiction and Benedict. I want to try story-building in music as well. I also want to try to make music for other people. Music that doesn't necessarily feel right to me but might ring a bell for another person. Although ideally, it would feel right for me and for the other person listening to what I have put together.

[orthodox]

I like the impression it makes on me, the interest it draws. It could be an interesting (surprising, most of the time) rhythm, melody, bass line, chord progression, sound. The short-term movement. The impact. Like when watching action movies, I don't care much about the whole script, it's more about the action of characters, quality face beating and shooting. Though, that also applies to a slow-paced and chillout music.
And the second thing is the absence of what I perceive as flaws, I cannot define that.

[Proboscis]

Girls, fast cars, tequila and late-nite burger/taco joints. That's 90% of my musical 'stories'.

I wonder if that groove that's inherent to my tunes gets a tick from the Maestro of Story, to validate my worth as a composer....

[orthodox]

I wonder if that groove that's inherent to my tunes gets a tick from the Maestro of Story, to validate my worth as a composer....

[Timmy Crowne]

It’s all about atmosphere for me. Listen to “Blue in Green” or “Flameco Sketches” from Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. The sparse instrumentation, minimal note choices, the brushed texture the drummer is playing, the sound of the room, the noise. This stuff is as important to me as the chords and melody.

[bxbrkrz]

What did I look for in music? (Philosophical)

The anticipation.
Deciding what to pick up. Looking at the covers. Making sure all systems are go. CDs. No scratches. Vinyls. No dust.

Then.
Music.

[selig]

I have always believed all music, even instrumental, is story telling. Most of what we do as humans is storytelling too, IMO.
I don't see that as mutually exclusive from what I look for in music. I use storytelling when I make music, and I look for things when I listen - two different activities!
Sometimes the story is as simple as "start quiet, end loud" - that's a story! In contrast, a pure random sounding song means nothing to me, no connection (random isn't human!). I want to go on a journey, even if it's as simple as the example above.

What I look for in music is a connection - any connection. Even a negative connection will draw me in to figure out why it affected me at all, let alone negatively. Anyone who can successfully "touch" me through their music gets my attention and my respect - I don't even have to personally "like" the music, I just want to feel the connection.

[PhillipOrdonez]

I want music to make me want to move my body. That's it.

Stories can be told in that framework, but they don't need to. What matters to me is a groove and that everything supporting the groove fits within my own acquired taste.

[orthodox]

I want music to make me want to move my body. That's it.

[Benedict]

I have always believed all music, even instrumental, is story telling. Most of what we do as humans is storytelling too, IMO.
I don't see that as mutually exclusive from what I look for in music. I use storytelling when I make music, and I look for things when I listen - two different activities!
Sometimes the story is as simple as "start quiet, end loud" - that's a story! In contrast, a pure random sounding song means nothing to me, no connection (random isn't human!). I want to go on a journey, even if it's as simple as the example above.

What I look for in music is a connection - any connection. Even a negative connection will draw me in to figure out why it affected me at all, let alone negatively. Anyone who can successfully "touch" me through their music gets my attention and my respect - I don't even have to personally "like" the music, I just want to feel the connection.

Yes, yes, yes.