[NF] NFs and the effect of music

[redacted]

I'd attribute my obsessions with certain songs more to Se than to Ni or Fe. Well, maybe Fe... Couldn't see why it would be much of an N thing, though.

Good music turns off my N.

 

[katerp]

DEFINITELY. I listen to the same playlists over and over again. And I lsiten to music all day. Pretty much if I'm not in class, I'm listening to music. Hell, I'm listening to music right now. The first thing I do when I turn on my computer is open up iTunes and get my music situated. My strong Fi is definitely involved in my music because I internalize the feeling of every song I listen to. Whatever emotion the song is conveying, I take on. My music absolutely has to fit my mood and my environment. Sometimes there's one particular part of a song -- could be a line I really relate to or a note I think sounds amazing -- that I'll play over and over again. And I would say my N is involved too because I often have images, alomst like internal storylines that come to me when I'm listening to certain songs. I sometimes take music to weird places by intepreting the sound (both the actual music or the feeling I think the instruments portray) to symbolize something...like deciding that a song sounds like an ocean or a forest or something equally peculiar.

 

[IEE623]

Good music turns off my N.

Genius! I totally agree. Good music pulls you down, off the clouds

 

[Kasper]

I'd attribute my obsessions with certain songs more to Se than to Ni or Fe. Well, maybe Fe... Couldn't see why it would be much of an N thing, though.

Good music turns off my N.

Good music turns off my T as well

 

[niki]

you know,
i'm actually glad that there're people like you guys..
because if you see the tendency nowadays in our modern society, music seems to be so vastly abundant and available for FREE (ie: internet, downloads), that i've heard that it's just become a 'disposable' thing quickly. ie: people listen to like 100 songs in a day w/ their ipod player, and then they 'dispose' it, find another 100 new artists to download, listen, and then they dispose 'em again, find another 100 new artists again, listen, dispose, and so on..you got the idea.

and i'm a musician (although still a part-time) ,
and sometimes this thing just kinda make me confused, as if the music in a whole become easily-disposable like that, then where's the VALUE of it? where's the VALUE of each song?..
sometimes i even lost hope to this "instant" generation of music listeners.. (and especially after seeing how music becoming more of a "commercial tools" used by marketing & product & brand people nowadays!..it's not supposed to be like that!)

BUT, i'm so thankful for this thread, because it brings back my FAITH again , that indeed, music is not that "easily disposible", especially - i've just found out - not for NFs
it's people like you guys that make me feel that there's still a 'purpose' for me to continue my path/journey to become a real full-time musician, and stay ahold of it, and not getting swayed by often-occuring questions like "does this have a purpose? or not?"

thank you!

 

[Thursday]

to niki

there will always be the mainstream and the underground railroad

one leads to freedom-cultivated and fought for-flowering above ground, proudly and staunch

and the other is smooth sailing, requires no work, and eventually leads to a 100ft drop ;
watered down and washed away

 

[milti girl]

DEFINITELY. I listen to the same playlists over and over again. And I lsiten to music all day. Pretty much if I'm not in class, I'm listening to music. Hell, I'm listening to music right now. The first thing I do when I turn on my computer is open up iTunes and get my music situated. My strong Fi is definitely involved in my music because I internalize the feeling of every song I listen to. Whatever emotion the song is conveying, I take on. My music absolutely has to fit my mood and my environment. Sometimes there's one particular part of a song -- could be a line I really relate to or a note I think sounds amazing -- that I'll play over and over again. And I would say my N is involved too because I often have images, alomst like internal storylines that come to me when I'm listening to certain songs. I sometimes take music to weird places by intepreting the sound (both the actual music or the feeling I think the instruments portray) to symbolize something...like deciding that a song sounds like an ocean or a forest or something equally peculiar.

Yes, this is exactly what I experience; I couldn't have said it better. I have an overwhelming Fi, and I suppose that dictates much of my music-listening. Often people don't understand why I choose to listen to the music I do. My friends find it very boring when they realise that I'm playing the same songs they've already heard me play before. Even when I dance, I love the more trance-type stuff that's played - I enjoy the heavy beat-based dance music, too, but only if I'm in a mood to socalise. If I want to be by myself I prefer different music.

And often, I find myself having to think a lot when making a playlist that the whole room is going to hear (even if it's just me and my room mate.) I find myself feeling conscious and agonizing over every decision, and picking out songs not based on my taste but what I hope they will like.

 

[Orangey]

I listen to the same song over and over again as well. Usually from the same artist that I happened to be obsessed with at the moment. Then after about a month (or sometimes longer) I'll get sick of it and stop listening. Then after a few month's break, I'll pick it up again and become re-obsessed.

Why are people saying that this has anything to do with F? Just curious.

 

[Kasper]

^ Me too. Listen till I get sick of it than come back later and hope I haven't destroyed it for good by listening repetitively. Definitely not a F thing.

 

[mlittrell]

Everybody is completely different when it comes to music. Making generalities about it is well...piontless. Now that I said that, I'm going to make generalities lol. When it comes to music each type is different, but their are some patterns. Types with Fe (in XNFJs) seem to like emotional hooks in music (and I've found they like to listen to a song on repeat if it has a "hook" they really enjoy). Ni (im still figuring that out, probably has to do with structure). Fi (in XNFPs) seem to like music that is "authentic" (ive found that they can almost immediately pick out music that an artist wrote when going through and emotional episode) and music is very personal to them. Ne (i almost dont want to write this but again, this seems to do with song structure. for me, I like build and like a good balance of instruments).

But remember, you can have XNFPs that like rap, or country, or metal, or indie or whatever. Same with XNFJs. It's not what you listen to, its why. SO, all that to say, I dont think that NFs alone listen to music over and over again. I personally cant.

PS- my ENFJ friend listens to songs on repeat. As does my ENTP friend. (Fe maybe...)

 

[Clownmaster]

I was in band for 5~6 years playing Tuba, from 6th grade to halfway through my junior year and actually aspired well (ex: placing first chair region band in tuba at a middle school level in the 4th largest city in the US in 8th grade). I appreciate music, understand harmonics and melodics, know most the little italian and latin terms on the sheet music, etc.
Why do I mention this? Simple: I'm proving that I have knowledge and passion with complex music because I'm about to throw all that out the window in my next paragraph.

Throughout the years, I've gone through phases, obsessing over genres of music that seem to break all the rules about structure and music in general. Throughout the latter part of my childhood, I was a Nirvanaholic, bathing my mind in grunge music and enjoying the occasional dissonance involved inbetween the shredding guitar chords, even studying other grunge bands. I would find the odd songs that nobody remembers from bands everyone's heard of in that category.
In just the past 3 years, I did a 180 in terms of music obsession. I got into rap. At first it was gangsta rap and Chopped & Screwed Texas rap (youtube it), and then I discovered horrorcore. Now, I'm constantly listening to ICP, Twiztid, Tech N9ne, Dark Lotus, and all of the wicked clown music that is more talking than singing with grinding voices, rhyming words with sound effects, and about half of the music is themed around killing or getting high.

 

[milti girl]

I want generalisations! Generalisations rule the world and rule MBTI!


I've grown up with different kinds of music. My father plays Hindustani classical music, listens to Western classical, my brother plays the guitar, and we've always had LPs and tapes playing at home in the background. Whatever the music is, if I like it, I get lost in it and need to listen to it again and again. And whatever association I form with that song/tune satys with me for a very very very VERY long time. In fact I don't think it ever goes away. I cry at songs. The movie playing in my head for them is sometimes so sad and there's so much loneliness that I cry for perfectly normal-sounding songs.

 

[speculative]

I definitely listen to the same music over and over. I generally find that I can either listen to a song repeatedly, or I don't want to listen to it even once in the first place. Just last night, I put on "Part of Me" from Liz Phair's Somebody's Miracles Sessons, and about an hour passed before I realized I should possibly switch to something else.

 

[Kasper]

Just spent the last few hours at work with Phantom of the Opera and Toreador playing over and over cause they move me... I'm not and eff! It just sends my Fi crazy

I'd say this fits;

DEFINITELY. I listen to the same playlists over and over again. And I lsiten to music all day. Pretty much if I'm not in class, I'm listening to music. Hell, I'm listening to music right now. The first thing I do when I turn on my computer is open up iTunes and get my music situated. My strong Fi is definitely involved in my music because I internalize the feeling of every song I listen to. Whatever emotion the song is conveying, I take on. My music absolutely has to fit my mood and my environment. Sometimes there's one particular part of a song -- could be a line I really relate to or a note I think sounds amazing -- that I'll play over and over again. And I would say my N is involved too because I often have images, alomst like internal storylines that come to me when I'm listening to certain songs. I sometimes take music to weird places by intepreting the sound (both the actual music or the feeling I think the instruments portray) to symbolize something...like deciding that a song sounds like an ocean or a forest or something equally peculiar.

 

[Lisa73]

playing DJ

And often, I find myself having to think a lot when making a playlist that the whole room is going to hear (even if it's just me and my room mate.) I find myself feeling conscious and agonizing over every decision, and picking out songs not based on my taste but what I hope they will like.

I totally identify with this. I HATE playing DJ or being responsible for the music other people will listen to. I'd rather have someone else decide--it's like I get confused between what I like and what I imagine other people will like, or which music will create which mood, and suddenly I'm wracked with indecision and self-consciousness.

When I'm alone, however, I definitely listen to songs/albums over and over and over, until I cannot possibly stand to hear them again. This drove my college roommate (an ESTP) absolutely insane, even though I tried to hide this tendency from her.

 

[Desperado44]

Fascinating question.

I'm an ENFJ....and music is one of the most important things in my life. I don't just 'hear it'.....I 'feel it'....and I will listen to the same song over and over and over again for years.

I haven't read everyone's response...what is the theory behind why we do this??

 

[Orangey]

^^ I'm not seeing that it's type related, at any rate .

 

[milti girl]

^ Really? I'm seeing NF - or at least N - involved.

 

[Kasper]

:steam: I'm not an eff and I relate damnit! Please throw NF theory out the window

 

[Kasper]

Hmm and as for ya know working out theories n all, it's a question posed in the NF section of a forum heavily occupied by N types... jess saying.