Now I remember………it was Music that I wanted to write about yesterday. I could go into a lengthy article about music but I’ve not the time and probably not the ability. I was just thinking recently in why people like music and why they have particular tastes and preferences in music. So what is it about music that is so inviting and pleasant to us? It was said years ago when Rock ‘n Roll started and later when we first heard ‘Heavy Rock’ that people were attracted to the beat because it was symbolic of our time in the womb when we could hear our mothers’ heartbeat. We were in a safe environment and the association is not hard to accept or believe. Maybe that is so. To understand that we have to go back to the roots of music’s creation. That means thousands of years. The first music was most probably born when somebody was tapping a stick on a rock or other hard surface, accidentally at first but then deliberately as a means of relaxation. It is easy to see where that would have led. The basis of any music is in its bass rhythm. These days much popular music has a strong bass and that is what initially attracts us. Of course it would be silly to say that is the only attraction but where it is strong it is certainly noticeable! Our tastes in music varies considerably from person to person and that is what makes ‘our’ music so special to us. If somebody doesn’t like our taste in music we sometimes cannot appreciate why. When I was very young my experience of music came through the radio and was limited to whatever music station my parents were listening to. So I grew up liking the music of the thirties, forties and early fifties and also classical music. As I grew up my tastes changed somewhat and I began to listen to the music of the late fifties, the sixties and seventies and became ‘one tracked’, forsaking all other music for heavy rock, ballads and pop. I have matured somewhat over the years in my appreciation of music. Nowadays I like all music but do have preferences. As long as what I am listening to can be called music and not just noise I will enjoy it. My tastes are very varied and cover all genres. Presently when driving I am tuned into Classic FM and it is most enjoyable. Sometimes I will listen to Rock FM or another similar station and find that equally enjoyable. It’s a question of what mood I am in. I don’t reject any music out of hand and will listen until I am bored with it! The same applies when I am playing my guitar, I switch between different types of songs, different keys when I get bored with them. I like music because I can listen or play it to suit my moods.

Shirley Anne