well, if you ask me, i personally pay attention to the beat first. its hard to ignore the lyrics though, coz as im writing this topic, im actually listening to music so as to have some "credible opinion" for this topic. well, i personally like music for their beat, so if i dont like the beat of the song or the "rhythm" so to speak then.. well, i simply dont like it. and i end up not downloading it. hehe. i tend to listen to the beat more than the lyrics so i like to choose a bitrate of 128 or higher. lower than 128, i tend to search for the same file with a higher bitrate coz i like to hear every little sound from the record, with emphasized bass. (my ideal bitrate would be 192 kbps for 3-4 minute songs). then i listen to the lyrics. sometimes i dont like a song when i first hear it, but it reminds me of someone or something or i can relate to it, so i tend to moderately like the song as well, not coz of the beat, but their "inspiring" or "nostalgia-inducing" lyrics. so how about you, which part of music do you like or notice more, the beat or lyrics? or both? or you dont care coz you dont really like to listen to music at all?
[question posted by dierdre]
responses and comments:
I have the terrible need to focus on more than two things at the same time. For instance, right now I am watching Ghost Hunters, and listening, in the background, listening to my fingers hit the keyboard, and reading what I am typing as I type. I am saying this to kind of point out that I listen to both. Generally, people have music on as a background noise, and fade in between hearing the beat and lyrics, to just hearing the beat because they are focusing on something else like what they are typing or someone that they are talking to. Although the beat should be good, the lyrics and their presentation, to me, are what make the song. If they are in the song, that is. I do also like music without words. I hope this answers your question, I tried to explain how I do things without rambling. [Valenas]
oh so you do really listen to it.. me, i can hear it, but i dont really pay attention to the sound that's made by whatever im doing or by the ones in my background. happy [dierdre]
Beat is always first for me. I can hear the music, but I don't pay much attention to lyrics when listening the very first time. If I like the beat, than I pay attention to lyrics. [polachicago]
yeah, the beat is pretty much the first thing people notice when they hear a song. [dierdre]
lyric expresses what they mean in a song so lyrics for me [manrockq]
oh i see. so 1 vote for the lyrics. [dierdre]
I am more to the beat then the lyrics. [curious888]
another "beat vote". thanks for responding. [dierdre]
I pay attention to the guitar riffs first. I always have me ears open for something unique that I can attempt to learn how to play. A great clever guitar riff can make the song twice as interesting. Lyrics aren't really that important to me sometimes. I have trouble finding songs that I can relate to. [Xdrowninghavocx]
oh i see, so your a musician. so basically you listen to the guitar riffs first. cool. i think oyu can find those riffs of certain songs on the net as well? or were those guitar chords? LOL sorry i really have no idea if those two are the same or not, hehe. not much into playing instruments. hehe. [dierdre]
Actually I am not a music lover but i use to listen first the beat and suddenly the lyrics itself. If this to elements are compatible Im gonna listen it everytime especially if the message of the song can be related in my life.By the what type of song you use to listen? [fatima07]
oh so you only consider listening to a song repeatedly if it has the right lyrics and beat? well i can listen to almost all genres except reggae and jazz but the songs that im really feeling right now that im putting on repeat while im doing stuff online are: 1)sexy - tq 2)would you mind - dru 3)higher - rock city 4)im losing it - rock city 5)forever - chris brown 6)sonne - rammstein 7)come home - play n skillz 8)supersexual - blue well, those are just a couple of songs that im currently listening repeateadly right now, i love their beat, and i never get tired of listening to them. i can relate to the lyrics of some of the songs too. [dierdre]
according to me both matters .i love songs those on top of both for example listen the songe from filter that is "take a picture " i really love this one.and enrique is gud also in both [arshdeep79]
"alone" huh? yeah i kinda agree, we must concentrate on the music to appreciate it, beat-wise and lyrics-wise.. but you know what, i prefer listening to it on the earphones rather than radios. the sound is better and i can turn the volume up without bothering anyone. [dierdre]
For myself, what I notice first it actually depends on the situation. Usually, when I am just recognizing an artist's new single or a new artist's song on the radio, the beat will capture my interest if it's catchy. Then I'll go out and buy the cd. And while listening to the entire cd, I'll skim through the lyrics (if their included with the cd) and listen to the songs that I feel have the most meaning. Ultimately, though, I connect with songs the most by their lyrics - I almost associate all songs with some event that has happened in my life based on the lyrics. I make happy compilations with songs that only contain happy lyrics or sad compilations with only sad lyrics. The best songs to me tell a story. I find country songs tell some of the best stories. These songs are prime examples of where I'll fall in love with the lyrics before I grow to enjoy the beat. [doubloonie]
oh so you are initially attracted to the beat first, then when you buy the cd, you really skim through the lyrics on the cd booklet.. i agree, we all connect to the song on a personal level based on the lyrics, especially if its inspiring or you can relate to it.. and regarding country music, well, i can relate to what you are saying although im not really a fan of the genre but there are some really good ones out there that i personally like,like the song "what hurts most" by rascall flatts (i can really relate to this one from personal experience haha!) and "teardrops on my guitar" by taylor swift. i havent realy noticed that country songs usually tell a story until you mentioned it, hehe. so the chances of you liking the song "crank that" by soulja boy are nil, lol. it has really senseless lyrics although the beat is quite catchy, but when you listen to it over and over again, you pretty much get sick of it. i actually dont like that song anymore. lol [dierdre]
When I first hear a song I try to hear the whole thing together as one sound to get a feel for the overall groove of the song, secondly I listen to what the words are about, much later after hearing it many times I pick out individual parts such as the drums or guitars and what not. [draelman]
oh so you pick out certain beats from the song when you get familiar with it. i should try that. well, i do notice the less noticeable sounds when i listen to it on my cellphone or ipod. hehe. but i dont really pick which one i like among most those "percussions" happy. [dierdre]
Usually if a song has a catchy beat I will find myself jamming to it. Then I will listen to the words. Once in a while I will listen to the words of a song and then like it, but it's unusual. I tend to listen to high energy music. Techno, club, pop punk, stuff like that. I do listen to some mellow stuff, but I like a hard beat that I can jam to. [vicneedscoffee]
yeah, beat is more noticeable than lyrics. i also prefer up tempo tunes rather than R&B slow jams. we pretty much listen to the same type of music, im just not into techno but i like trance. although i like mellow songs as well too, though i listen to them only when im sad or if i still cant go to sleep yet, to make me feel sleepy. [dierdre]
i notice both but i pay closer attention to the lyrics. [crazyoverpurple]
oh i see, but when it comes to rap songs that are sung by really fast rappers such as twista and bone thugs n harmony, i really have a hard time understanding what they are singing. lol [dierdre]
I think I will pay attention to the melody much more. A good music must have nice melody. The lyrics just makes it perfect. I love China [youless]
cool. ballads usually have nice beat and lyrics. im guessing your from china? nah.. maybe not. the kid pictured looks obviously caucasian, im guessing it could be your child or nephew. lol [dierdre]
It just depends on the song for me. There are some songs i just love the beat to but other songs i really like the lyrics and some songs i like both. If its a really great song to me i will definitely notice both. [Timothy31]
yeah, it really depends on the beat and the content of the song per se, not really limited to the beat or lyrics at all times.. [dierdre]
Depends on what the beat is and when the vocals come in I guess. I personally look out for lyrics to try and find inspiration to write songs myself and the beat is good for playing along to with my bass. Usually it'd probably be the beat until the vocals come in but sometimes I can ignore the vocals. [Bananaman]
yeah, when you listen to a song form afar or inside the car, the beat is the more noticeable one.. [dierdre]
lyrics, of course. for many foreign songs, i really don't care about its content. [wangchunlin]
i see, yeah especially if its foreign, like i listen to rammstein and its a german band so lyrics doesnt really matter, i liked their songs coz of their beat. and i am downloading every single song that they have released. happy [dierdre]
melody would be the first one I noticed. the beat would be the second one. lyrics ... sometimes when it was foreign songs, I might not catch the words as soon as I heard it. however if the melody and the beat were great, I would surely 'memorize' the lyric automatically as I listened it again and again. ;) [bongkarpasang]
cool. i thought beat and melody are the same until i looked it up in the dictionary.. LOL. now i know that there's a slight difference between the 2, hehe. [dierdre]
beat i think. if the lyrics can make me feel better,it's perfect! [xoxoneverland]
cool. another beat vote. thanks for responding. [dierdre]
I don't think what thing I have to notice first ,music say another languague and it show it when a song to be played .Sometime ,the first thing make me notice is beat or melody ,but sometime is the meaning of lyric. [dinhquanghuy]
oh i see. cool, sometimes you notice the beat, especially if its really catchy, sometimes the lyrics.. [dierdre]
I'm the same.I tend to pay attention to the beat first.But its not because i think the beat is what will determine whether i listen to the rest of the song or not.I think you'll find that people that are more observant tend to focus on the background than the lyrics.I listen more to beats but there are some songs in which the lyrics catch my attention first. [shilpa_p]
the background? uh, you mean the little percussions and what not in the song aside from the major sounds? yeah i also listen to those when im using an earphone coz you cant really hear them when youre using a speaker. the lyrics can be catchy to if your listening to pop and ballads. and if its clearly sung by the artist. [dierdre]
hurm.... usually i listen 2 the beat first.. but sumtimes i listen 2 the lyrics.. depends on the music.. well, i like 2 listen 2 a music.. but i more likely retro song.. its make me feel better... it make me so much better.. [budin19]
retro songs huh? you mean the danceable tunes from the 80's? cool. [dierdre]
The beat is what I look for. I mean, even when the lyrics just talk about dancing in a club and the beat gets my feet tapping, then I know the beat is worth listening to the whole song. [emskoneko]
yeah the beat is really infectious. [dierdre]
Wahh.. we have the same way of liking a song in some way. I do agree that beat, tempo and melody really affects the listeners more especially if first time hearing it or if the genre of the song accords with the listeners choice. Most of the time I have that kind of way of liking a song but once I enjoyed or like the beat and then I realized that the lyrics are meaningless or a bit senseless I tend to drop it. yeah I also like to download music that has a high bitrate cause its no use to listen to low bit rate it depreciates the worth of the song.So I think I always consider beat, tempo, melody, transition, dynamics and especially lyrics when it comes to liking a song. [lossforredwords]
yeah, it really sucks to listen to low bitrate files. and yeah, beat is really the more noticeable one as compared to the lyrics. the beat usually even overshadows the lyrics that you cant hear what the singer is singing. so you get tired listening to a song if the lyrics are bad? so im pretty sure you now hate that song "crank that" by soulja boy. hehe. awful lyrics. it doesnt make any sense. [dierdre]
When a song grabs my attention it's usually the beat. If I"m really into a song I will listen hard for the lyrics and try making sense of it. Sometimes I'll sing the song and not even realize what I"m singing lol. I love music that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. Have a good day [nixxi76]
hmmm. i still have yet to find a song that can give me a "warm, fuzzy, feeling" hehe. [dierdre]
i guess i pretty much do the same thing.if i dont like the rythm of the song then i dont want it.its alway the beat which gets my attention first and then i listen to it one or two more times to actually listen to the lyrics.because there are some songs which at just hearing it,sounds good,but when you listen closely-its not good at all.it happened to me several times.so i have to be careful. [nenagirl]
"be careful" huh? LOL is listening to crappy music harmful to your health? hehe. just kidding. lol but then again, i agree, its really the beat that gets our attention the most. [dierdre]
I was listening to the radio today and realized that I am not paying much attention to the words,so it's the music, the beat, that I listen to most. Now my husband likes the lyrics and he can like a song that doesn't really sound very good but it has good words. He has always liked Bob Dylan so that should tell you something right there! [perrytx]
oh bob dylan. your hubby must be a rocker. hehe. [dierdre]
i notice the beat first, of course... then later on... i pay attention to the lyrics & to what the song talks about. sometimes i also dont like a song when i first hear it, but after a while... esp if i can relate to it or it reminds me of someone or something, i eventually learn to like it. [angelspawn]
yeah same here, most of the time, unless the song's beat is our type, we dont really get to appreciate it the first time we hear it. we have to hear it a couple more times. and yeah, i can relate to what you said about the song reminidng us regarding something within our lives. we eventually learn to like coz coz of what the song says. [dierdre]
if your going to ask me id rather noticed first the lyrics..coz when im listening to the music i internalized every lyrics in which i can relate to. i usually download music that has a good lyrics and touches me especially love songs. if the lyrics is not good to me i dont want to download or listen to it. [jhyne_RN]
oh seems like youre a sentimental person. love songs are a good inspiration too when you are starting to pursue someone. heheh. you can get ideas from them. [dierdre]
The first thing I notice in a song is the beat. When I like it then that is the time I will search for the lyrics,. [quawertz]
cool. another beat vote. thanks for responding. [dierdre]
Yes I do. The first beat, I automatically know the song right then and there. It's quite remarkable. [TrinityStarPanda]
oh that's nice. unless the beat is really, really catchy, i need to listen to the song around 3 times for me to be fully familiar with it's beat. [dierdre]
i personally pay more attention to the lyrics of a song. i am not going to listen to a song if i dont like what they have to say in the first place. the beat is important though, if it is so slow or anoying or something then im not gonna be able to pay attention to the lyrics. so i guess its a mixture of the two when i listen to music. [aimee3]
ah so the beat doesnt have to be overpowering the lyrics? cool. so im guessing that you dont listen to rock songs then, coz some songs are so noisy the singers are like shouting already, you cant understand a thing that they are saying. [dierdre]
I listen to the beat first. If I like how the song starts then I will learn the lyrics. So the beat has to catch my attention for me to listen to the lyrics. If I like the beat and not the lyrics I make up my own I like! (: [CardboardWaves]
LOL you "make up your own like" huh? haha cool. i wonder how you do that. compose a new melody perhaps? then add the lyrics? lol [dierdre]
I think most people respond to the beat first but I fee They both go hand in hand. I have heard songs where the beat is awsome and They start singing either the voice itself or the lyrics screww it up and the other way around great voice,great lyrics but didn't feel the beat to it so They both need to collide into a musical explosion!!!!!!!!! [vinnys1981]
nice term huh? "musical explosion" hehe. lol the lyrics to soulja boy's "crank that", in my opinion, ruins the song's beat i think. so it screws the song. hehe. [dierdre]
I never actuallt thought about this before you asked this question you i should say thanks, thanks! But now that i think of it i notice the beat first most of the time. [ChrisH09]
sure, no problem! i always listen to music and always on the lookout for the latest ones so whenever i hear a song for the 1st time, the first few seconds of the beat determines whether i dig it or not. yes, it only takes like 30 secs. to a minute for me to judge a song if i like it or not. hehe. [dierdre]
I'm completely opposite to you... I like a song to mean something, so I listen to the lyrics first. It's always better if the tune is good too, but beat doesn't worry me. It can be any sort of beat. However, if I want a "happy" song, to cheer me up, then the beat comes first... the lyrics are not so important. Brightest Blessings. [Darkwing]
oh you listen to death metal too? cool. you got a pretty eclectic taste. i can also listen to any genre except reggae and jazz. [dierdre]