Published on 12, July, 2020
I've always had an interest in music, whether it was going through my dads collection of vinyl records, Italia '90 and the incredible sound of Luciano Pavarotti or recording songs off the radio (one of favourite things was trying to arrange a list of all the songs I had according to which I liked most).
Since getting diagnosed however, I've been questioning how my taste in music fits in with my autism because I love loud rock and pounding dance music.
I relax to the sounds of Muse, Marilyn Manson, Deftones and Foo Fighters. I love the wall of sound generated by bands like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth or Sigur Ros. I still get prickles up my back listening to Prodigy's "Firestarter" or when the beat drops in the middle of Chemical Brothers "Setting Sun".
And I don't get it. One of my autistic traits is that if there is too much noise around me it can become overwhelming and difficult to focus on things. Yet I can still pick out the rhythm section (bass, drums etc) in bands like Interpol, Pixies, Nirvana and ...Trail Of The Dead.
I'm wondering what everyone else feels about music. Do you like loud music or does it have to be quieter and gentler or music from a specific genre? Does anyone have sensory issues when they hear any kind of music?
Thanks!
Yes, I'm also hypersensitive to sound but love music and used to play it really loud when I was young (now worry about ears and use headphones at sensible volume). Like Chemical Brothers too! I put headphones and music on and just sit and stim for hours on end, far, far away . . .
First music concert I ever went to I stood right next to the stage and beside one bank of speakers. Dont think it affected my hearing because I can still hear minute sounds others cant. Sometimes people think Im a bit deaf because I cant pick up what theyre saying to me but its only because theres something else going on in the background thats getting mixed in as well.
DarthJoeyJoJoI don't *think* my hearing was affected, it's still pretty acute although not, I think, as acutely sensitive as it was when I was young - but I have a friend who knows about acoustics etc who tells me I could lose the 'top' end of my hearing if I listen to really loud music for too long. He does know what he's talking about so I'm careful.