Published on 12, July, 2020
Is it an autistic thing to have a hugely varied taste in music, or do our tastes just diversify more as we get older? My own taste in music is very varied from heavy metal through 80's and 90's music to Trance music. For me it's not so much about the genre of the music but whether or not I like a particular song or the music to that song. Personally I like quite upbeat songs as opposed to the slower tracks, regardless of what type of music it is. What is other people's experience? What do you listen to? Do you tend to only listen to one category of music or do you prefer variety?
Novelty seeking is positively related to Impulsive sensation seeking from Zuckerman's Alternative five model of personality and with psychoticism in Eysenck's model.[4] When novelty seeking is defined as a decision process (i.e. in terms of the tradeoff between foregoing a familiar choice option in favor of deciding to explore a novel choice option), dopamine is directly shown to increase novelty seeking behavior.[5] Specifically, blockade of the dopamine transporter, causing a rise in extracelluar dopamine levels, increases the propensity of monkeys to select novel over familiar choice options.
Autism would be a corrolated factor, due to increased novelty seeking -- that is seeking out sounds sensations that are pleasurable, and avoiding those that are seen as harmful, which would activate the 'disgust' mechanism.
Intelligence in combination with temporement (high in opennes and exploration) could be a factor in why some people listen to a variety of music. It requires you to overcome your own internal biases and be open to something foreign - the same behaviour required when taking on opposing viewpoints.
When we speak of music, we must differentiate between the music itself, from the packaged and marketed product. As I get older I have started to move away from listening to "commercialised" music, to music that is more honest (spontanous) in its approach.
Such as,
I am wanting to learn more about the intricasies of how music is structured and arranged. More specifically, I want to better understand the characteristics of each instrument. Would someone know of where I can learn this information? Resources like this, https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Academy/Instrumentology
Yes, I have heard that Spotify might be free.
My goth phase brought some great finds: Engellstaub, before they became wishy-washy New agey, early Lacrimosa, Artica, Ikon. Then there was the Cure, All About Eve, while The Mission are still going strong.
If it were "Your heart shall go on" by Celine Dion, we could have Aulophobia- Fear of flutes.
However, others that come to mind are emetophobia and whineydroneyphobia
:-)
I'm not sure but I'm sure someone can manage to think of an inventive made up name for this phobia? All answers are most welcome :-)
Good call - me too!
Common sense would be one name for that phobia :-)
Another one I've toyed with over the years is anachrophobia - not to be confused with fear of spiders but the fear of things being in the wrong time period (Elvis, Johnny Cash, Cliff Richard...Brill Cream!)
I have a special fear of "Mistletoe & Wine" by Cliff Richard. I have to vacate the premises when I detect it. Is there a special phobia name for this?
I've always loved bass, I'm just awestruck by its power especially if it's well reproduced at a decent sound pressure level. Often then the awe comes from appreciation of the engineering and physics going on. When I get the house to myself I sometimes have a few glasses of wine & 1980s evening and see how many of the house walls I can get to vibrate :-)
Someone else mentioned spotify and my husband uses it too. It seems to be a good way to download music. I don't use it myself though so I'm not sure if it's free or not.
Oh wow! I also had a goth/metal phase at some point in the late 90's, I still like metal although I wouldn't now listen to some of the heavier stuff that I used to like, Marilyn Manson; Cradle of Filth; Emperor; Rob Zombie, to name but a few. What's the music to your 90's goth craze? I used to like Florence and the Machine but my eldest overplayed that 'you got the love' track so much that I can't stand it now!
My box of tricks has a rich and varied music selection, really needs more added to it, it feels a bit static right now. Not sure about what could be the cheapest but most legit way to download more stuff. I don't really want to make put a monthly subscription.
I have 60's stuff, a handful of 70's tracks, then a collection to echo my 90's goth craze, and I will never, fully outgrow that. Florence and her machine, at least Ceremonials, got added to the mix, more recently some Grimes, Anna May is alsó a New Talent I have discovered recently.
I agree, there has to be a strong hook line or melody to keep things interesting.
I hope that you’re assessment doesn’t drag on for too much longer and that you get a diagnosis soon. The assessment process at some centres does seem to take a really long time which must be quite anxiety inducing!? I do know what you mean about it being difficult to shift your brain once it gets stuck on something, mine does this too!
Thank you
Which reminds me - this website is *fab* for exploring genres:
http://everynoise.com/
I don't think I have specific songs, I tend to go for a playlist rather than a song - and my playlists are organised by artist apart from one I call "uplifting pop". The closest thing I've had to a specific song is "By your side" by Jonas Blue.
Kitsune said:I think sometimes the most random things can cause us to cry
...Greetings, another one of my "just passing" Posts, as this Thread appears. What I quote there is Me allover, it is so very annoying... (!)
...But about Music, a little amusing tale for anyone. I do like Brass Band Music. But one day, I walked in front of a Square, with a Uniform-wearing Brass Band, as they were warming up. Then they started playing. It must have been at least Nine Brass Instruments (Trumpets, Tubas, Trombones), together with Violins and whatnot. Then they started playing - all of them upon the same opening Note. I was, quite honestly deafened, panicked, and ran away like a startled Horse!
To close, I Myself like Rock Music (But not Heavy Metal), and Classical Music (But not slow or Choral). I would say that It is certainly nothing at all to do with Autism, or else so very many different types of Music would not exist in the first place.
Well I had my first appointment recently just short of four hours long, and now I am just waiting for them to speak to my relative as they were unable to attend my assesment on that particular day I had it. Then once that has been done I will receive a call to arrange the next steps.
It's quite scary waiting because I feel I have an ASC but I'm not a professional so I may not?
I've been going on and on and on about it since I had my assesment and my wife has had enough of hearing about it but once some thing is in my head I find it hard to shift it away. Thankfully she knows what I'm like, I can dwell on things and worry alot unfortunately.
I really like how you have different playlists for different ‘therapeutic’ purposes Why didn’t I think of that? I may have to try it.
Yes absolutely. As Roswell said ‘you need a bit of a hook in the music, something that grabs you’. I think there’s definitely something in the rhythm that draws us into a track. I also think that a lot of autistic people use certain tracks to stimulate their thoughts.
Yeah, thinking about it, I would also take the lyrics to a song literally. It honestly hadn’t even occurred to me that there might be some other meaning
I think sometimes the most random things can cause us to cry whether it be lyrics or words or something that we see. Most of the time I don’t really feel but then suddenly something can really move me and make me feel so intensely! I ended up crying earlier because my daughter and her best friend (they’re 5) were singing the song from frozen together on a microphone at a birthday party!
What I think seems like an interesting theme across all genres is that no-one is saying "I like this for the lyrics"...
I like the beat, I love the physicality of the bass, the melody etc. etc. it's all the non-verbal components of music that we seems to love - which are exactly the parts of communication that we struggle with... aren't they?
We don't get the 'rhythm' of a conversation, so don't know when it's our 'turn' to speak
We don't pick up that tone of voice may convey a different message to the words themselves
We take words at their literal meaning and are confused, so song lyrics are no different - "She was just 17, you know what I mean?" Yes, you mean she was 17 years old? Wait... that's NOT what you mean? Oh, in that case WTF are you trying to say!?
That being said, with the songs that 'punch me in the gut' and cause me to weep involuntarily, it IS the lyrics - it's somehow like the music acts like a 'carrier wave' for the words and means they pierce my NA shell and hit me square in the 'empathy centre' that I try so hard to protect 'cos it gets so easily overloaded...
I use playlists on Spotify (other streaming music services are available) - if I play a track that I like I'll it and add to a playlist that it works for e.g. 'Shutdown stoppers' or 'Chillout' or 'Decompress' or whatever...
That way it's easy to just launch a playlist with minimal thought about choosing a track etc. Feel like I'm going into shutdown? "Alexa, play 'shutdown stoppers playlist' on Spotify..."
At work and too much sensory input? Put the headphones on and fire up 'Anti overload' or 'Distraction' playlist...