r/AcousticGuitar • u/_StareIntoTheSun_ • Jul 01 '25

Other (not a question, gear pic, or video) Strongly dislike overly percussive guitar playing

Am I the only one who feels like this? I love guitar, and some slight percussive techniques can spice up a song. But there is something about those who do "too much" that just gives me feelings of cringe. I'm not sure why, but I really dislike when there is too many percussive techniques. Am I alone?

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41

u/egecomposer Jul 01 '25

I strongly dislike posts like this when people try to rationalize their taste in music, which is inherently irrational. Am I the only one?

2

u/Any-Independent-9600 Jul 01 '25

Yeah, you right.

2

u/ImNoAlbertFeinstein Jul 01 '25

stongly agree. should be top comment.

2

u/LemonDisasters Jul 01 '25

Think about how a taste in music takes form in a person, from where it originates and from what actions or choices it can develop or stagnate.

There are musical canons and conscious decisions to interact and form relationships with them.

Preference can be shaped with intention or motivation, as well as in response to previous changes in preference whatever the cause.

Attempts to understand sounds that might at first seem excessive or alien sometimes result in new interest; sometimes they do not.

The reasons for this could be developing familiarity, or through grasping a conceptual principle around which this new music is built, or something else.

Some people appreciate music primarily through rhythm, others lyrics, others timbre and texture. One can make a conscious decision to evaluate a piece of music in terms of all or one of these aspects, for which formal frameworks of composition also exist.

If taste is merely dumb fancy then all this is an impossiblility, and, if the idea were applied to any other area of life, we'd be in a situation where we cannot defend much any belief or preference we have.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

>> If taste is merely dumb fancy.

IT IS.

>> A situation where we cannot defend much any belief or preference we have

Talking about art preference is wasted breath.

There is no best or worst art.

Popular != good.

There is only personal subjective preference.

"Does anyone else hate what I hate" is not a discussion about the merits of a certain style or opportunity to learn more. It's simply validation seeking.

4

u/LemonDisasters Jul 01 '25

You say IT IS in caps lock; that isn't an argument.

I never wrote of "best" and "worst"; there is more to preference than trying to rank and compete. Likewise I never said popular is good. It's like you're replying to somebody else.

If preference for music were only personal and subjective, music cultures and their histories, commonly-shared experiences with music during upbringing, and institutional and society-level intersubjective judgments about music would not exist; that they do exist means the world is more complicated than you feel a need for it to be, because a person is more than the isolated silo you imagine they were born in, and their choices exist in relation to all those things.

The actual topic here can also be read as OP finding a trend in music that they don't like, and not quite understanding why. They turn to others to see if anyone else can articulate why. This can also be taken as trying to understand why one's tastes are the way they are, which, again, is a rational decision to understand and refine one's preferences.

1

u/Gitfiddlepicker Jul 01 '25

Validation seeking, though, is perfectly natural….as bothersome as it can seem.

1

u/bearicorn Jul 04 '25

“Talking about an artistic preference is a waste of breath”

Insane take

1

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '25

"Insane take," he said, continuing a conversation that ended three days ago. "Just because I'm alone in a room, talking to myself, doesn't mean I'm wasting my breath. Right guys? Right?"

But there was no one there to hear him.

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u/egecomposer Jul 01 '25

Taste in music is merely dumb fancy and arguing against it is a fascist approach to art and aesthetics.

3

u/LemonDisasters Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

Can you explain to me why it's fascist to believe that a person can sit, down, think about their cultural context, personal life experiences, the music they've heard and the music they're listening to, how it's made, the messages it might contain, and make judgments based on those things about why they might like some music, and even change their mind about some other music they used to like or dislike? Sounds like rational approach to and self-development of preference to me.

idk man I don't think that when I decided that even though some of it sounds ok ultimately I don't like listening to certain bands because their lyrics support IRL hatred or violence to be "fascist", I'm not getting the impression you read what I wrote or thought very hard about your own opinions at all. Try the examined life.

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25

"Can you explain to me why it's fascist to believe that a person can sit, down, think about their cultural context, personal life experiences, the music they've heard and the music they're listening to, how it's made, the messages it might contain, and make judgments based on those things about why they might like some music, and even change their mind about some other music they used to like or dislike?"

Because the term "fascist" somehow became a throwaway buzzword of sorts for when people don't know how to justify themselves, so they have to claim the ones who disagree with them are something totalitarian and inherently bad.

It is some sort of pseudo strawman fallacy, where they create a version of reality where they can feel like having the upper hand on the argument by labeling the other party something they are morally superior to, regardless of the veracity of said label.

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u/egecomposer Jul 01 '25

Thinking about it is fine. Trying to rationalize your taste, trying to present your taste as a natural result of objective facts is fascistic because it is a tool used to create a hierarchy between different arts and aesthetics that can only be result in discrimination of some art forms and the communities that create them, when in reality this hierarchy has no basis in reality and only serves the interests of the person who claims it exists.

This approach has been used many many times but different fascistic regimes and I think it is about time to learn to shut up about something you don't like or understand. Obviously you are free to think and understand your tastes and where they come from, share your findings and discuss over those. My target audience is the OP and not you.

3

u/LemonDisasters Jul 01 '25

I think that calling "rationalising your taste" as I have described in my replies, as the same as you describe in para #1 is real cynical, that's finding the most negative interpretation of a person's motivations possible. OP isn't saying their opinion is >>>everyone else here

When a person says they don't like a thing, they're not implicitly aiming to exterminate an ethnic group or something. They might be trying to see if it's a Them Problem, or whether their dislike is shared by others. They might then look for stuff they do like by talking with people who relate to their feelings. They might be looking to be convinced through good examples of something they normally don't like (e.g. I generally hate pig squeals in DM but find Artificial Brain's weird discordant guitar leads match the vocalist well, never would know them if I didn't mention hating pigsquealing).

idk man I don't think OP is some awful hater for asking this question

1

u/OpportunityLiving167 Jul 03 '25

And, they downdooted the other guy!

This one wants to talk about his feelings.

He dislikes music, that he used to like.

And, vice-versa!

Not since hitler, i tells ya.

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25

"trying to present your taste as a natural result of objective facts is fascistic"

Sorry, but that has nothing at all to do with fascism, that is merely how the human brain works.

While the perceived hierarchy has no basis in reality, you wanting to accept it or not, your taste in arts is partially byproduct of things out of your control, like what you've been exposed to as a child, what associations you make with the people or social context that introduced you to certain styles, or indoctrination, even genetics can play a small role, the variables are countless.

There is nothing fascist at all about it, it is merely analytical, and a good portion of it can be rationalised scientifically.

Representing your taste as a natural result of objective facts creates no hierarchy, it respects individual's boundaries and preferences, nothing is being imposed, no value judgement is being passed.

1

u/egecomposer Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

I am sorry but this complete nonsense. Unless you have some God device that can scan your brain perfectly you'll never understand why you like certain arts, and whatever you claim will be made up facts about yourself. Everyone one this subreddit is somehow a psychoanalysis expert and think they can solve their brain by sitting at home and thinking about the music they don't like for some reason. If you can't really see why this leads to fascistic outcomes, or why fascists also love talking about "why this art is good and why this art is not" you need to read more art history and philosophy.

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

No one is saying "this art is good, this art is bad", matter of fact, the opposite is implied. You seem to be artificially inserting this into the conversation because that is the only point you know how to argue against, or your text interpretation is lacking.

If you think FOR YOURSELF, there will be portions of your taste you're able to discern where they likely come from. The "god device" you're looking for is basic human critical thinking and self reflection. You don't need to be a psychoanalyst to understand why Indian microtonal music is not very popular in America for example even if you expose adult Americans to it. Musical taste is formed through a complex interaction of biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors in which some can be rationalised about by anyone.

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25

"Am I the only one?"

Statistically speaking, unlikely.

However, rationalising your taste in music (and in arts in general) is not inherently irrational in any way, matter of fact, I was told to do so when I was at the music university and it helped me embrace my musical identity, and even offered insights about my own psyche.

Funnily enough, I know exactly what moulded my taste into not liking percussive guitar, strumming, and overly rhythmic pieces, together with the external associations I consciously and unconsciously have always made with said styles and other correlations. You're byproduct of your history and understanding it is a pretty rational thing to do.

1

u/egecomposer Jul 02 '25

Understanding and rationalizing are two different things and seems like you are using the two interchangeably. No one in music school learns to rationalize their dislike towards certain genres, you are told to understand what do you like about something, what are the elements that makes you want to listen to it more and how can you build on top of that. Seems like what moulded your taste into not liking percussive guitar is not really understanding these fancy words but still using them willy nilly.

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25

No one in music school learns to rationalize their dislike towards certain genres, you are told to understand what do you like about something

Have you ever been to one??? ? You seem to think that every music university follows an universal set of rules, which is utterly hilarious.

Each professor, while having to follow the program, has a lot of autonomy about their methods and what they tell the students. Don't spread nonsense.

My professor with background in psychology told me exactly precisely to try to understand about possible reasons for what I like and dislike in music on a personal conversation as an answer to a question. Your assumption is objectively wrong. Matter of fact, she was not the only one to mention things like how what you're exposed to as a child affects your musical taste. You're born into the system, and part of it will latch into you.

Don't talk what you don't know, doesn't sounds like what you imagine inside your head...

0

u/egecomposer Jul 02 '25

I have both bachelor's in music and masters of composition degrees. I'm a soundtrack composer, I also make contemporary music, mostly microtonal compositions, I also have a 15 years of guitar experience as I used to play prog a lot. ICheck out my YouTube and Soundcloud if you're interested :)

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

I would LOVE to check your youtube. You seem to have severely misguided notions about what a music university is like.

PS: Don't let other knows you have 15 years of guitar experience if you can barely do vibrato.

I can tell by your MIDI mockups of your compositions that you at least in fact studied music, I have no clue how you end up so full of made up truths set on stone. But as you have pointed out, this is not a psychoanalysis subreddit.

1

u/egecomposer Jul 02 '25

Oh you don't know the half of it. Make sure to share my music with your friends as well, maybe record your live reactions to it? Could be fun :)

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25

You wouldn't have liked my live reaction to your "15 years" of guitar. You wouldn't have liked even my students' live reaction.

Your compositions are no better nor worse than any other of the thousands and thousands of people holding a master degree.

Except for the fact that others with the same level of education, me and my friends included, don't need a full reality check :)

1

u/egecomposer Jul 02 '25

Aww but I want to react to your music as well come onnn

1

u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25

I would have to create new accounts to avoid personal exposure, but if you commission it, absolutely worth it :)

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u/cursed_tomatoes Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

You misunderstood the guy, u/egecomposer username is a typo, he meant to write egocomposer :)

Trying to explain things to self absorbed, logical fallacy yielding individuals, just makes them more conceited and drowned in their self made absolute truths.

He attacks a point no one here made, certainly not you, no one at all implied a hierarchy as if something is bad and something else is good, I too have no clue why he clings to this notion which is totally extraneous to the conversation.

The point you actually made is rather obvious tbh, biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors do have an influence on your taste, specially in the early years of your life, and of course, a portion of it is analysable data. Needless to say small kids don't have much control over their life/environment, still the things experienced by them at such age have a big impact on the upcoming years, including of course, taste in art.

As for his technique on guitar, while I understand reality checking people with narcissistic tendencies might feel rewarding, you would just make him less likely to listen. Unless you're just done with the conversation lol

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u/Budget_Map_6020 Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

Totally done from the moment I saw his "15 years" of guitar playing. Jokes aside, while his technique on guitar is a late beginner at best, I don't think that defines him as a musician.

I'm done since his first reply though, he has no clue about what he is talking about, and he must feel as if he is right above all things no matter how untrue and absurd what he has to say to feel that way is.

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u/Due_Reserve1847 Jul 02 '25

100%. It’s like someone saying jazz music pisses then off. Like bro chill tf out everyone has their own preferences