This came to me at the gym.
First, someone, a couple actually, brought and played some classical music in the weight room.
[Our gym is under-going a $5M remodel as they convert a functional gym into a new-looking non-functional gym. This means our weight room has been on the basketball court for about 6 months now. They used to hold aerobics classes in the basketball court – which needed a sound system with a couple of Sansui? speakers. So, for awhile anyway, people who pump iron at our gym get their own sound system that plays loud CDs]
No one said anything about their classical music selection – but, although kind of interesting in a ‘whoa, this is weird’ sort of way, it just didn’t help to psych us up to Arnold-like intensity and focus. When they brought music again in subsequent weeks, it was, BTW, not classical.
The second incident occurred, again at the gym, when someone was blasting ‘uplifting’ heavy metal. I did not recognize the band, but whereas some heavy metal is angry, and most rap is angry, this was more of ‘you can do it’ with a beat and a lot of guitars.
This was great!
But then someone complained because he was doing Pilates in the same room [part of the stupid remodel again] and he said it was hard to relax with all this loud headbanging music. And apparently he went to the gym to relax after a hard day.
Do you see what happened?
Your favorite music is very dependent on what your mood or activity is at the time when you are doing your actual listening.
When we are traveling to or through New Mexico, we both like to listen to a few hours of Mariachi music. It is great. But we only listen to it at these times.
When pumping iron, heavy metal or techo-rap is great to help psych oneself up before attempting to do something that most times would seem really, really stupid. I like this music, but it is not like think it is great – but at the gym I think it is the best music ever. [And way better than the top 40 crap they usually play, which is way better than the crap they play now with commercials]
When doing Yoga, New Age, calming music is great to center oneself by. But it is not like we play a lot [though we do play some] of New Age at any other time.
People love Christmas music, but usually they love it most around Christmas.
Now, we all know that young men think everything goes just perfect with the testosterone-fueled music of the day [rock & roll, heavy metal, and now rap]. Weddings? Yep. Funerals? Yep. Studying? Yep.
Putting your new baby to sleep? Y… Nope. All of a sudden, you’re singing ‘Chim chiminey Chim chim cher-ee! ‘ and ‘When I wish upon a star’ and your baby is laughing and this is the Best Music Ever.
I think most people, who lead real lives, have lots of ‘favorite’ kinds of music. It depends on the setting. All music requires an appropriate setting – or, sorry, its going to suck.
Most older people say they do not like Rap, but have you watched Jet Li in ‘Romeo Must Die’? One of my favorite movies of his – and it has a Rap music soundtrack. Works awesomely well. Similarly for Eminem ‘8 Mile’, one of my favorite movies of all genres.
All of you whose favorite music is Classical [or New Age, or Folk, or Opera, etc.], your favorite music would suck for these movies [and for the weight room]. And you know it. 🙂
[Don’t be bummed. This is really awesome. It means we all have lots more favorite kinds of music than we may of thought we had.]
