Listening History – 2
Oct. 17, 2024
Continuing from previous article, this is my music history since I became a high school student.
I had only listened to orchestral music up until then, but I suddenly started listening to hard rock because of new friends in high school. They were crazy about rock guitar. And I think they were attracted not only by the musicality but also by the guitar players “standing out” and having “great technique”. In an orchestra, I didn’t even know the names of the players except for the conductor, so it was a very different world.
But for some reason, I listened to Deep Purple songs many times. There were many other famous bands, but I think the reason I especially liked Deep Purple was because they were an instrument-based band. (Singer Ian Gillan’s voice was so inhuman that it sounded like an instrument.) And their musicality, the presence of the bass and drums, the difference in speed and sense of speed. It was completely different from the music I had listened to up until then. Anyway, my world of music expanded.
That was the start of me listening to a lot of different music, but the one that strongly impressed me was the Beatles. They had released completely different music on each album. And it was completely different from ohter bands. I thought they were revolutionaries in music, on the same level as Beethoven.
And The Beatles also inspired me to listen to songs with vocals. Outside of classical music, most songs have vocals. So that meant I started listening to regular music. For that kind of music, I was looking for fun, so I liked the cheerful and innocent songs of the 60’s like “Under the boardwalk”. Those were the days when I was listening to the music I liked in my room.
As I graduated university, got involved in my work, got married and had children, my favorite place became the living room. Because that’s my home. Vocals are a bit distracting when listening to music while eating or talking. Also, I’ve moved away from orchestral music, because I can’t really appreciate it unless I listen carefully. So, the music I listen to most now is quiet music like fusion, jazz, bossa nova, and string quartets.
Maybe when I retire from work and my children get married and move out, I’ll have some free time again. Then I’ll go back to orchestral music.