Music by Type

[Kullervo]

Do you think musicians of a certain Enneatype show a pattern in the impressions created by their music? Do different pieces evoke common feelings?

I've wondered about this for a while now: is there is such a thing as say, 4w3 music, 6w7 music, or 7w8 music. I think we have had a thread like this for MBTI, but I don't know if we have for Enneagram, and I have a hunch that Enneagram type may be more important in drawing distinctions in this department due to the area of your consciousness the system measures.

Anyway, if you are interested, share your thoughts - preferably with a few examples.

 

[á´…eparted]

I don't think so. At least, not in the way we think about music. Interests are related to personality in some ways, sure, but considering enneagram is about drives, I am less inclined to think it will have links with musical preferences. From what I have noticed anyway, other 1's don't share my musical preferences/interests. If anything, they dislike it. I have however, noticed quite a number of 4's and 7's find enjoyment in the music that I like, which is interesting considering they are my dissolve and growth points respectively.

I do however, think there may be common elements that types seek, but that would be largely independent of genre.

If we were to go by what a 1 might take interest in with music, I would surmise this: music that is conservative in approach. Nothing too harsh or anything that would violate the senses in a harsh manner. Nothing provocative or political. Structure that is grounded and possibly repative. Music that is either calming acting as an outlet for stress, or music that allows one to engage fully with anger and strong emotions. Music that is well produced. Limited complexity.

Going by that, I would say most of that is true for me. But if you look at that, could to pick genres? Not really, maybe a few at best and possiblilites. Even then it's missing a few things that I look for that would not fit in with what a 1 should be. I love music that has some kind of bizzare twist. Something really unconventional that makes it stand out and be interesting. Could that be why 4's seem to respond well to what I like? I don't know, but it could be.

You'd have to undertake a truly massive study to sort this out, and at the end I suspect it would mostly be a weak correleation.

As for examples of what I like? These three highlight my taste quite well:

 

[Kullervo]

[MENTION=20829]Hard[/MENTION] A lot of the people i've talked to on here have mentioned that they relate to the music they listen to on an emotional level, and that's why I thought of the Enneatypes. I also wonder whether the ways that the different types try to express themselves might lend them towards certain styles of music. I'll get back to that in a minute...

To give you an example, Romanticism (the art movement) was almost entirely composed of 4w3s. Keats, Shelley, Chopin, you name it. I could be confusing correlation with causation but it is hard not to wonder whether these group of people gravitated towards a movement which they saw something of themselves in? Maybe people do this with music semiconsciously.

I am not really asking you what genre/s your type would gravitate towards, so much as whether there are particular features they would find aesthetically pleasurable. The genre/s chosen would be a consequence of these preferences. I think you have answered that question quite well, but I am keen to hear from more people.