Why Do You Like It? The Science and Culture of Musical Taste

What attracts us to music and why does it have such a powerful impact on us? How are a person's musical preferences related to their psychological traits and the structure of their brain? Why do some songs fill us with joy while others plunge us into despair? What is a musical genotype and what is yours? Answers to these and many other questions about music can be found in the pages of this book, written with maximum scientific depth, yet understandable not only to professional musicians or scholars but also to ordinary music lovers. Nolan Gasser – composer, pianist, musicologist, creator of the 'Music Genome Project' for the streaming service Pandora – incorporates precise and natural sciences, psychology, cultural studies, and sociology in his innovative research on the origins of musical taste. To explore the 'musical genotype' of each of us, the author immerses readers in the world of their favorite genres: pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, electronic, ethnic music, and classical, analyzing a wide range of works – from Taylor Swift, Led Zeppelin, and Kendrick Lamar to Bill Evans and Beethoven. This book will teach you to follow the musical discourse of a piece, better understand and analyze different genres, help you become a more advanced and passionate listener, provide tools for refining and expanding your musical preferences, and develop your musical taste. You will never be able to listen to music the way you did before – your enjoyment of music will grow exponentially.