# iNtuitive musical tastes



## SoulSauce (Mar 22, 2010)

I've noticed a lot of N's are not into mainstream music. They like music that is reflective, and have lots of depth. When N's like a song, it's not because of the lyrics, it's more usually because they like the way the song sounds (N's will decide if they like a song based on the melody). A lot of N's that I know including myself are into techno, electronic music, indie, indie rock, electro-indie, electro-indie pop. N's like artists like The xx, Lykke Li, Miike Snow, Simian Mobile Disco, Hot Chip, Metric, Pretty Lights, Cut Copy, Grizzly Bear, Peter Bjorn and John, Santigold, The Whitest Boy Alive, Crystal Castles, Flaming Lips, Depeche Mode, etc... you get the gist.

Whereas with sensors, I've noticed they lean towards music that are simple and fun. A lot of sensors also love the oldies and classic rock. They are more into mainstream and pop music. Sensors will usually decide if they like a song if they enjoy the lyrics to it, rather than the melody of the song. 

Again, these are just my observations -- not generalizing!!

If you're an N, what kind of music do you favor? Do you think my observations are correct?


----------



## Black Rabbit (Apr 15, 2010)

I've met sensors and intuitives on both ends of the spectrum. Anyhow, SoulSauce, please tell me your username is based off this song.


----------



## ElephantinePigiferous (Apr 13, 2011)

i dont exactly agree with that.i listen to a song MAINLY because of the lyrics.it counts more than anything else.but it is true, i usually label a song as good or bad ,in the beginning, depending on the melody.but i try to look past that and listen to the lyrics.but its more appealing if both are equally good.
and i perfectly agree with that mainstream thing.i hate pop (dont know why though).maybe because its mostly about relationships and stuff.theres more to life than just love(if you know what i mean).and i personally believe that other genres are more worth listening to cuz they cover a broader spectrum of life.which is why im in love with the "ever so fading" grunge.its about society.im in love with AIC.more than nirvana or pearl jam.and STP too i guess.but dont get me wrong i love what kurt left for us too.i adore his style and music.but alice in chains is more for me .i love the old alice in chains more btw.theres something about laynes voice that just drives me mad.even though more than half of their songs werent written by him.anyway..
i love indie too.but not the electro type..just plain indie rock and the folksy type indie.more like beirut 
and i love dylan ,dire straits...i guess you can think of the rest

BUT this is just me.i know another INxx type who loves pop and stuff.so i guess it depends on the person basically.


----------



## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I can be attracted to either the lyrics or the sounds themselves, depending on my mood, but most of the music I like has incoherent lyrics, sometimes in a foreign or made-up language. I like a lot of shoegaze and post-rock. For me, music has to be emotionally effective, intellectually complex, spiritually inspiring, or physically pleasurable. If it lacks more than two of these qualities at a time, I do not listen to it. 

For example, I like this because it is emotionally effective and physically pleasurable. 





I like this because it is intellectually complex and spiritually inspiring.





I like this because it is emotionally effective, intellectually complex and spiritually inspiring.


----------



## Hastings (Jan 8, 2011)

SoulSauce said:


> Again, these are just my observations -- not generalizing!!


Man, how is that post _not _generalizing?


----------



## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I will add to this discussion the observation that most of my S friends tend to prefer less abstract music than I do, and while I wouldn't say that they are primarily focused on lyrics, their preference is usually for music that expresses a positive uplifting mood in a much more direct manner. They tend to like pop, classic rock, or other energetic music. The exceptions to this trend are usually ISTJs, perhaps because of the I_T_ combination. My ISTJ friends tend to prefer moderately complex music. Even when they listen to classic rock or eighties music, or to more simplistic music, it tends to be the obscure stuff that didn't get as much attention. For example, my dad likes the Bangles, but Instead of rocking out to "Walk Like an Egyptian," which was the song everyone knew from the radio, he bought the Susanna Hoffs solo album, so I got to listen to this: 






We both liked it for different reasons.

That is another point I would like to bring up.
Sensors and iNtuitives can have similar musical preferences, but will still experience the music differently, and will appreciate it according to what we are looking for.

For example, an ESFP friend of mine liked this song:





I have always liked it too. As a teenager, I listened to it repeatedly until I thought I had it figured out. I had solved the mystery of what it all meant, and had determined that every object mentioned in the song related to the objects mentioned before and after it, and that it was somehow about the interconnectedness of all things. 

So, naturally my ESFP friend and I were talking about why we liked the song, and I mentioned to him how I had put such dedication into solving it like a puzzle, and what I thought it was about. He looked at me like I was nuts. To him it meant something equally interesting, but entirely different. To him, the song was about the importance of existing in the moment and really being aware of all of the little things that make up our experiences as they pass. 

I was impressed. He had solved it better than I had, and his meaning made more sense.


----------



## Aelthwyn (Oct 27, 2010)

I definately like music based on sounds, not words. In fact I don't like there to be words at all. 

I was just contemplating the other day how wierd it seems to me that somehow, somewhere along the line, there came to be this idea that music was supposed to _mean_ something. It's absolutely mind boggling to me how so many people seem to feel that words, that poetry, that meaning is an inseperable part of music. It seems as if many people just expect that _of course_ music has words, as though a song can't really exist without them. I know people appreciate the sounds themselves, but it seems that very often they specifically appreciate how the sounds relate to the mental pictures and emotions conjured by the words of the song. 

I enjoy instrumental music of many different varieties, though I enjoy classical and movie scores the most. I do enjoy the emotions communicated through the sounds in the music, but I don't look for or desire any other meaning. The meaning, the purpose, as far as I'm concerned is the sounds themselves. The intricate interplay of sounds, the patterns created, the form of the music is what it's all about for me. It needs no other meaning attached to it. It doesn't even need a name that conjurs any ideas. Something like 'Symphony Number Four in C Minor' is as much name as anything needs, I don't desire an engaging title. I am totally swept up in the sounds of the music itself and find any words tacked onto it to be a distraction sending my attention off in some other direction where I begin to tune out the sounds and concentrate on ideas, and that is not the point of music if you ask me. 

I find it interesting that you mention enjoying melody. I don't know how specifically you used that as an example, but this is also something I have often pondered. I seem to connect very much with the melody of a song, whereas it seems to me that the majority of people around me connect mostly with either the words or the beat. This is very intriguing to me. I wonder, what is it about particular rhythms that really captivates people? Especially when the same basic beat can be seen prominantly in most of the music a certain person likes. What does that say about who they are? What psychological connection might there be? And why do I not have that same connection to that beat, or any beat for that matter? What might there be that is fundamentally different about me that makes me connect so much with melody and so little with rhythm/beat. I don't know. Perhaps it is nothing at all, perhaps the difference in taste is meaningless. It feels like there must be some deeper connection, but perhaps not. I was actually contemplating trying out a thread about that maybe in the psychology section.


----------



## amon91 (Feb 1, 2011)

Often times I don't even care about the lyrics and barely pay attention to them. As a kid I loved instrumental songs, and had all the kids my age staring at me with their jaws dropped.


----------



## TheOwl (Nov 3, 2010)

I pay more attention to emotion and sound/rhythm than lyrics.
I do like both simple and complex music. It depends on my mood. 
Some songs:


----------



## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

I dont connect so much with the melody but with the structure or other musical line. I remember listening to one pop song and saying that it was in fugal form.

Of course I am a aural learner and musician, so part of it is my nature and training.


----------



## NeedsNewNameNow (Dec 1, 2009)

I like both mainstream and not mainstream. It depends on the song. I really love music that evokes moods, is layered with alot going on.

Alot of popular music is heavy on the Se and I don't relate to it well, so it has limited appeal.


----------



## nevermore (Oct 1, 2010)

SoulSauce said:


> I've noticed a lot of N's are not into mainstream music. They like music that is reflective, and have lots of depth. When N's like a song, it's not because of the lyrics, it's more usually because they like the way the song sounds (N's will decide if they like a song based on the melody)...whereas with sensors, I've noticed they lean towards music that are simple and fun... [they] will usually decide if they like a song if they enjoy the lyrics to it, rather than the melody of the song.
> 
> Again, these are just my observations -- not generalizing!!
> 
> If you're an N, what kind of music do you favor? Do you think my observations are correct?


In _my_ case, they are correct. I started thread like this in the INTP forum a while ago and most people agreed they appreciated the music more. At the time I thought it had more to do with T and F, but maybe it's really S and N. It would make sense...musical tones alone are more abstract, suggestive, and implicit, which seems like an N-ish thing. Still, we'll need more replies if we want to make a half-decent generalization.

I don't mind simple, happy-go-lucky music myself, but even when I am drawn to this music it's usually because of the catchy beat...the inane lyrics put me off. A lot of songs really do have beautiful lyrics, but personally I usually pay more attention to the music and see good lyrics as a welcome addition...something to add to the emotional impact of the song. Some of the best songs combine them both seamlessly, of course, but if I wanted lyrics above all else I'd read poetry.


----------



## myexplodingcat (Feb 6, 2011)

Andrew Bird and Joanna Newsom. Probably my two favorite songwriters. Muse is up there, too, definitely.


----------



## TheGirlWithTheCurls (Feb 2, 2012)

I actually googled this because I thought it was the exact opposite - I've noticed a lot of intuitives like songs because of the lyrics and a lot of sensors (like myself) like songs just because they like the melody or the beat - just the sound of it in general. That's just my theory though.


----------



## Afterburner (Jan 8, 2013)

@Aelthwyn covered my view for the most part. I connect to the melody, and listen to instrumental music. Classical music and sound tracks for the most part. I can't think an instance of feeling connected to a song from the lyrics.
I've been wondering why these preferences are what they are also, and it does seem to b something embedded quite deeply in our psychology, given the long history of music and the hypnotic and unconscious power it has over us. 

Anyway, I haven't noticed any of these differences correlating with functional differences.


----------



## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)




----------



## CyborgOtter (Sep 13, 2014)

Here are some of what I've been listening to lately. Overall It's like a 50-30-20 divide between Rock,Hip-Hop,Dubstep/Techno/...


----------



## CyborgOtter (Sep 13, 2014)

Oops Double Post...


----------



## nO_d3N1AL (Apr 25, 2014)

I'm still unsure whether music preference and type are related. I like instrumental music such as video game soundtracks (atmospheric), trance, house, progressive, DnB, some classical, electronica, dance... but I can't think of how this relates to intuition. I find it very difficult to appreciate lyrics in 99% of music because they don't make sense to me - I find them too unrelatable, abstract or difficult to hear/understand. On the other hand, some intuitives (Ne) may be able to read into lyrics and find meaning in them


----------



## Afterburner (Jan 8, 2013)

Preferred Music Style Is Tied To Personality


----------

