Personality types and prog

What affect (if any) do you think that personality type has on your choice of music
and what you choose especially as your favourites. (might take a bit of contemplation)

What started me thinking about this was reading through the forums recently and
noticing how often people would disagree about certain bands or how they
thought they were overrated. A few forum members, for example, think that
PF aren't very good whereas others believe them to be the best, with many in the middle.
Some members who listen to GG sound almost repulsed by the music of other bands.
DT for example, tends to bring out some of the worst reactions.

Now while we can agree that this is personal choice, freedom of speech etc - it doesn't get away
from the fact that a great deal of people will at times, like a band we dislike and I am
suggesting that our dislike often has nothing to do with the quality or even the
aesthetic of the music, thus it is my 'personal' taste.

While the development of your musical taste most likely progresses through nurture, experimentation, degrees of musical intellect(understanding) and immersion, it still seems to me, because of musics emotive elements that, music often matches personality types. A task oriented person with a dominant choleric streak in them will like a certain type of music and because of their personality type may be adamant that their music is the best. Why. Because they chose it, they like it and they 'always' make the right decision.(sic) Probably not but thats the way they will argue. A melancholic dominated personality type (probably me), would possibly love PF, PT, Opeths Damnation, Marillion, probably Yes and Genesis etc, but may not be able to stand Krautrock etc. 

So do you think this is 'utter bollocks' (provide picture please) or do you believe there
is some credibility in this suggestion?... and can you give an example of this in your favourite music...or someone elses.

There probably is some truth in this. Whilst I like all kinds of progressive
music (and a lot of psychedelic, folk and extreme metal stuff), I
particularly like knotty, complex music: Zeuhl, RIO, Krautrock, etc. That's
partly because I like a challenge, but also I think because I enjoy
understanding music that many people find inaccessible. It's partly the
desire to be different: for instance, I've just bought a new home and am
having the decorating done from scratch. Whilst many people would have
chosen a natural wood floor and black leather furniture for the apartment,
I've opted for a black wood floor and white leather furniture - mainly
because I've never seen that done before. There's a connection there, I
think...

Politician wrote: There probably is some truth in this. Whilst I like all kinds of progressive music (and a lot of psychedelic, folk and extreme metal stuff), I particularly like knotty, complex music: Zeuhl, RIO, Krautrock, etc. That's partly because I like a challenge, but also I think because I enjoy understanding music that many people find inaccessible. It's partly the desire to be different: for instance, I've just bought a new home and am having the decorating done from scratch. Whilst many people would have chosen a natural wood floor and black leather furniture for the apartment, I've opted for a black wood floor and white leather furniture - mainly because I've never seen that done before. There's a connection there, I think...

Yes, they are some of the connections that I was hoping people would be
able to make about this. I think it can help us to understand others a bit better
as well.

Can you post some pics of what that room looks like?
 It sounds like an interesting idea.

I am an eccentric by nature, and that definitely shows in my taste. Krautrock, Rio, Canterbury, Zheul and other weird stuff are just the thing for me. I like some symphonic prog too, and some fusion, but even when it comes to symphonic prog I tend to opt for the weirder bands (Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson, some Peter Hammill records are EXTREMELY weird). Certainly I have the usual Yes and Genesis albums in my collection too and even like them, but my heart definitely is with the weirdos.

cobb wrote: When I bought my first Yes album (yessongs) it was the 70s and I was 16 or 17. I certainly had no understanding or control of my destiny or feelings at that stage (I think I was buying the partridge family before this ). Most proggers may well just be loners with a highly developed creative side of their brain. Their imagination takes pleasure in the evocative emotions created with this type of compositional music. I bet we all like to read and watch fantasy/SciFi as well.

A bit scary cobb. I do like fantasy/sci fi as well (used to read heaps when I had more time) and my fav movies are sci fi flicks.

Surrealism is just fantasy in a different guise.

I don't think I am being eccentric just for the heck of it. I have been quite an outsider all my life; admired in a way (I was a child prodigy and especially a math wizard, which is a little unusual for girls; I don't remember how many math exams I wrote for others back in school), but no-one ever really warmed up to me. I hung around with some circles but never had the feeling I really belonged. The only person I really belong to is my wonderful wife Jean.
This is not supposed to sound sad though. I am quite happy.

BaldFriede wrote: I don't think I am being eccentric just for the heck of it. I have been quite an outsider all my life; admired in a way (I was a child prodigy and especially a math wizard, which is a little unusual for girls; I don't remember how many math exams I wrote for others back in school), but no-one ever really warmed up to me. I hung around with some circles but never had the feeling I really belonged. The only person I really belong to is my wonderful wife Jean. This is not supposed to sound sad though. I am quite happy.

Unfortunately, schools have a habit of doing that to people Friede. If a child is either, especially gifted or particularly challenged, their peers often keep them out for a whole complex list of reasons but really because children have not been taught to be inclusive of others on a broad enough scale (and some of course have even been taught to be exclusive).

Particularly as a girl/young woman, you possibly intimidated the guys because of your intellect and school groups develop strange dynamics by which they relate - at some stage a person has to develop strong defense mechanisms to cope (psyche) and by that stage the die is often cast.

I would not call myself eccentric but I have often felt that eccentricity is an extremely strong desire for independent choice and identification with extreme ideals in the pursuit of creative outlets. It appears to be a form of security in identifying oneself as unique in a world that so often is marked by trend and the drone of the madding crowd. Eccentrics seem to be quite happy with their own company most of the time, but...
 perhaps its really just a reaction to JWs constantly knocking at the door.

^ "...as Girlfriend A. once said, your honour!"

this topic is great!

I think that you are perfectly right in your analysis of the nature of musical tastes...I consider myself a really open minded person, not only for music, also for life in general...but, there are some things that I just CAN'T GET INTO, despite my personality. For example, since you've mentioned them in your thread, I just CAN'T STAND PF. I've tried so many times to like them, I swear I did, but, nothing...it never happened! And I do consider them as a great band, one of the greatest ever...it's just that they don't "get" me...it's a pretty irrational thing I guess, I wouldn't be able to tell you why; it just happens. Same thing for Genesis(even though in that case I think I know why I don't like them....but let's keep that a secret .) It seems to me that a portion of my brain firmly refuses to listen to certain bands or to do things like reading novels or going to church, while another portion of it just KNOWS that they would all be good things to do. I mean, I've listened to Foxtrot and to DSOTM so many times trying to like them, and they opened my mind in some respects, but I still don't like them. While on one hand I think "wow! what a great guitar player Dave Gilmour is!!", on the other I feel an urge to kill him (even though I'd prefer to kill Roger Waters)

What can I do? I must be a desperate case.