Ask questions when you hear songs that you like – get the names of songs and singers to start building your preferences. Ask yourself what types of music you like. If you can give your friends a few songs and bands, it will be easier for them to suggest similar bands.
Many playback programs, like iTunes, offer recommendation services as well. On iTunes, this is through the “Genius” setting. [2] X Research source
Don’t have technology? Head to your local library and check out a few CDs. Swapping music with friends, either through Dropbox, mixed CDs, or external hard drives, is easier and easier in the digital age. Simple copy the songs into the folder “My Music” → “Automatically Add to iTunes,” or a similar folder for your program. [4] X Research source
All genres of music borrow from others. From the “rock opera” and oldies-sampling hip-hop beats to the reggae/punk lovechild known as “ska,” you’d be surprised how often influences from dissimilar genres bleed over.
Melody is simply a collection of notes, like the beginning of “Seven Nation Army” or the vocal notes repeated in a chorus. A catchy melody, is usually the key to whether or not a song catches on. Harmony is the collection of notes played at any one time. Some people think of it as “vertical,” whereas melody is “horizontal. " How do multiple voices, instruments, and notes come together in one instant to harmonize, or sound great on top of one another?[6] X Research source
Colors: It may be hard to see color in sound, but close your eyes. Imagine the song is in a movie scene – what is the dominant mood or color of that scene? Balance: How many instruments are playing at once? Is it spare and sparse, the beginning of “Hey Jude?” Or is it big, bold, and filled with noise, like the end of “Hey Jude?” Texture: A guitar can be “chunky” or “smooth,” a trumpet solo can be “silky” or “abrasive. " Mostly this comes from the rhythm – are their long, well-held, smooth notes, or are they all short, choppy, and distorted?[7] X Research source
The key change in “Hey Jude” is one of the most important, and famous, instances of movement and change in pop music. In an instant, the song goes from somber and thoughtful to joyous and intense.
Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” gains even more power when you know it is about his tragically deceased son. Kendrick Lamar’s “Blacker the Berry” is a searing personal letter written right after Trayvon Martin was murdered. If you do not know the huge political and social ramifications of that case then the song likely falls on deafer ears. [9] X Research source
Try out Duke Ellington’s “Diminuendo in Blue,” to get started. It is long, but high-energy and exciting throughout, with well repeated themes and melodies.
