One of the invariable realities in our lives as human beings is that we are in a constant state of changing. These changes may be gradual or abrupt and can be as a result of our surroundings, education, peer influence or various other factors. One of the aspects in my life that has undergone radical changes is my taste in music.
This change has been gradual and while I cannot with certainty point to a particular instance in which the change occurred, the results are very evident. In this essay, I shall discuss two different types of music so as to exemplify my changing taste in music over the years. I shall examine the various factors that may have led to or positively influenced this change in taste.
From my childhood years, I have been exposed to the country genre of music. This was mostly due to my parents who were avid fans of most of the classical country tunes by the likes of Dolly Parton and Don Williams. Despite this early exposure to country music, this music genre never made a lasting impact on me. As soon as I could choose my own music preferences, I withdrew from it until finally it was but a distant memory in my mind.
The first genre of music that I can consider my own was Rhythm and Blues (RnB). The core factor that made this genre have such a strong appeal to me was the fact that I did not share it with anyone else in my family. RnB therefore made me feel different from my parents and therefore to some extent special.
In my outside world setting, RnB was more of a class status as it marked me off to belong to a certain group in my school. In retrospective, I admit that RnB may never have been me “own genre of music” since my love for it was brought about by the peer influence. Regardless of the primary reasons for my listening to RnB, with time I grew to embrace it and love the genre as only a true fan can.
Its lighthearted beats and catchy choruses were a source of joy and I constantly hummed to the latest tunes that were playing on the radio. I can still vividly recall searching for the lyrics to songs by the likes of R. Kelly and chanting them, albeit in the wrong tone and tempo, with my like minded friends.
In the last three years, I have noticed that my taste in music has shifted from RnB to Celtic. While this does not mean that I have altogether forsaken it, the Rhythm and Blues genre no longer captivates me and I cannot picture myself dedicated any significant amount of time to it.
Ironically, I would not have consciously listened to Celtic music in my earlier years. In the few instances that I chanced to listen to it, I found it awfully dreary and the fact that there lacked a catchy only made the matter worse. The diction of most of the artists in this genre was mostly unclear and as such, there was no motivation for me to pay any attention to this music. However, all this has greatly changed with time.
At present, most of the music that I listed to is Celtic and I find myself taking the time to search for the lyrics of my favorite songs so as to better appreciate the music. My discovery of this genre of music was mostly as a result of the experiences in my life. The many activities that I involve myself in resulted in my interacting with a wide variety of people who have differing tastes in almost all aspects of life: from clothes and colors to religion and politics. These people exposed me to different kinds of music that I would otherwise never have cared to listen to. It is from one of these encounters that I discovered the Celtic genre.
While discovering the Celtic genre was a function of my experiences, my love for the music can mostly be attributed to my education. From my literature classes, I have gained a deeper appreciation of poetry and folklore. Most of Celtic music as performed by artists such as Enya and Loreena Mckenitt is presented in a poetic manner and the stories told therein have a complex plot that appeals to one’s intellect.
This genre therefore ceases to be just bright tunes and catchy phrases but takes on a more intricate role as one gets to appreciate the poetic prowess of the artists. In addition to this, the music contains a wide range of instruments and the rich sound produced is a welcome change from the monotonous RnB sounds.
In this paper, I set out to discuss two different types of music that highlight my changing taste through the years. To this end, I have discussed the Rnb and Celtic genre. The reasons for my change have been identified and the changing process showcased. As I stated at the beginning of this paper, the only invariable thing in life is change.
As such, I acknowledge that my current taste in music may change over time. However, I am at the moment content with the Celtic genre which I feel is inspiring, entertaining and intellectually stimulating.