Music listening (and dancing with it) and music making activate many parts of the brain at the same time, according to science experiments with fMRI technology to show brains at work in real time. And the recent book by music mixer and then producer (and later also a brain researcher), Susan Rogers and co-author Ogi Ogas, This Is What It Sounds Like: A Legendary Producer Turned Neuroscientist on Finding Yourself Through Music, the components going into a particular person’s listening habits and auditory experience (Listener Profile) can be sorted into seven parts: Authenticity, Realism, Novelty, Melody, Lyrics, Rhythm, and Timbre.
One metaphor to get at musical quality and how it suits a person’s mood, character, and life situation (during the day; during whole sections of one’s life) is food. Thus, one person’s tastes may differ from another’s. And one’s appetite for some kinds of music could be different to someone else’s preferences and history. Some people are omnivores when it comes to trying all kinds of past and present performance — live or recorded in audio or in video. Continuing in this food imagery, the title of this article is “musical flavor” and why some things “taste good” but other things fail to satisfy one’s hunger. Some music may be meaty, while other forms are light-weight snacks like popcorn or bubblegum. Some are sweet and sour, bittersweet, spicy or even acidic.
Unlike “This is What it Sounds Like,” though, after many hours of borrowing dozens of music CDs to pass the time on long drives, the tracks that I browse through, one jewel cased CD after another, seem to “taste good” along slightly different lines than the 7-part listener profile that Rogers documents. If there is a common thread to my ‘flavor enhancers’, though, it seems be the physicality or the form that the piece of music takes. There is the arrangement for a particular set of instruments — some seem to add to the overall listening pleasure, but others may detract. How they are played matters, too: not just the notes on the sheet music (or improvised) but the manner, emphasis, and maybe even echoes of other musical repertoire. In some music rhythmic patterns are the star; in other music it is the melodic line that rises and falls, or the harmonies.
Besides the grouping of instrumental (and human) voices, there is the recording engineer balancing, emphasis, or reducing certain mics instead of others. For example, one producer may press the engineer to foreground the lower voices of bass and drum or low strings or brass to the listener detriment of the vocalist. That bias of rhythm over lyrics makes for good dancing, perhaps, but if that thumpa-thump is unimaginative, it simply takes away from the overall impression of the music.
Supposing that the instrumentation goes with the recording engineer’s artistry and somehow the flavor of those musicians in combination also seems to suit the singer(s) part, then the next physicality has to do with the vocals: language, syllables, and narrative or story. Some singers delight in the string of consonants and vowels, lovingly sending them from their heart into the world. Others just seem to be talking with little care for shaping the sounds they make while uttering phrases. And the nature of English versus French, Chinese versus Japanese, and so on can also add texture to the vocal dimension of a piece of music.
Setting a well made poem to music very often comes across well because the author has already crafted the beats and syllables, pauses and emphasis, imagery and conclusion. Certain words may be clunky or simply be difficult to vocalize, but comparable synonyms may avoid such troubles. Then there is the story itself: an ambitious, anthemic, inspired, or dramatic text is best equipped to hold the listener’s attention, almost like watching a cinematic story unfold, chorus then verse, over and over until the ending. Lyrics with little imagination, depth, or resonance do not hold the listener’s interest or care. In that case a great instrumentation, catchy beat, or awesome series of chords modulating from one sonic mountain or valley to the next could engage listeners all right, even when the singer’s style, voice quality, and chosen text is not particularly interesting or attractive.
In summary, when I pop in a fresh music CD and start my commute, within a minute or so, the song may draw my attention because of some combination of the vibe (rhythm that makes me want to tap my toe or get up and dance; syncopated and fascinating, also the melodic line that flows; not stuttering fragments, but whole ideas), the instrumentation, and the nature of the singer’s or singers’ voices (sung in what language; with what syllables for the chosen words; telling what particular story or imagery). Even if just one of these components is fascinating, then I’ll play the track to the end and add it to my list of favorites. Occasionally, two or all three of these dimensions are gorgeous and send my listening self to heaven. Mostly, though, something about the performance as it has been recorded fails to satisfy my ear’s taste for music, so I press “next track” to keep on searching for gems.
Takeaway for listeners: pay attention to the things among your “faves” that seem to come through over and over. Maybe something like the vibe, instrumentation, and singers’ voice will be uppermost to the musical flavor you like most.
Takeaway for music makers at mic or mixing board: notice the physicality described here. It may be true in some way with other listeners and fellow music makers, too. For lyrics consider playing around with the synonyms (English is a treasure trove of multiple word choices) to plug in alternative syllables, since some really flow and others really stumble and tumble. Or try out the idea of working from a poem of some kind; there are so many eras and styles, after all. For instrumentation, play around with generative A.I. to cobble various textures together until the “right ensemble” comes to mind (to ear; to heart). And for vibe, experiment with different possible syncopations to pass the melody from one instrument to another; foreground rhythm section one time around, then compare by foregrounding the parts that carry the melody or countermelody.
Obviously, the tracks released on an album have already been drafted, refined, tweaked, and mixed and remixed to their final published form. And yet to listeners, the net effect may fall flat (on one occasion, but at another time of day or listening context it may take on new life). So why not revisit pieces of music with an eye (and ear) on physicality: vibe, instrumentation, voice texture and tone and story. This is what musical flavor tastes like.
