Take for instance classical music versus hard rock music; scientifically can we truly determine how it affects us? We can. You may have heard of the studies in which plants are subject to long hours of classical and hard rock music or heavy metal. The results of these tests have always been the same, the hard rock and/or heavy metal music caused the plants growth to deteriorate. Classical music however helped the plants grow faster.
A similar experiment has been done with mice. David Merrell, a high school student in Suffolk, Virginia won first prize in the state science fair for his science project to determine the effect of music on lab mice. He created a maze that took mice about 10 minutes to negotiate. Then Merrell played classical music to one group of mice and hard rock music to another for 10 hours a day. After three weeks, the mice exposed to the classical music made it though the maze in 90 seconds. The rock music group took 30 minutes. Merrell added, “I had to cut my science project short because all the hard rock mice killed each other. None of the classical music mice did that.” Not only did the rock mice take longer, something in the music caused them to kill each other! While the classical mice benefited from the music, the others wound up dead.
How do you take this information and apply it to humans? Will people who listen to hard rock or heavy metal music end up killing each other? The answer may surprise you. One of the greatest causes of sensor neural deafness in the youth of our nation is their addiction to the violent and harsh sounds of hard rock and heavy metal music. The damage to the sense of hearing is great, yet the hard rock music may cause even greater harm to the mind.
The pulsating jungle beat and syncopated rhythms of rock music cause a phenomenon known as nerve jamming, which is similar to hypnosis. A person under the influence of the sound and beat of rock music loses conscious control of himself and is open to manipulation by the rock musicians with their messages of drugs, immorality, and violence: the listener’s mind is no longer in control of his body. Prolonged exposure to rock music affects a person’s subconscious mind. Listening to rock music is, therefore, morally and spiritually harmful as well as physically and mentally damaging. (BJU publications)
The key vehicle for hypnosis is repetition. When being hypnotized the subject is generally asked to say a phrase repeatedly until they lose control of their conscious mind. When under hypnosis people have little or no control over their actions, often the experience is not remembered. The evidence of hypnosis through hard rock and heavy metal music is terrifying. In San Antonio, Texas, a sixteen-year-old boy while listening to Pink Floyd’s album The Wall, went into a trancelike state. Without warning, he suddenly jumped up and brutally stabbed his aunt to death. According to the police report, there were no drugs involved — Just the music! The boy claimed the music hypnotized him and he does not even remember the killing! Associated press. The dangers and the power of such music should not be underestimated. While hard rock and heavy metal music can damage the mind and soul, classical music has been proven to regenerate brain cells, sooth and relax the body. It is often used in music therapy to aid in the healing process. Just as it help plants to grow and mice to navigate mazes; The College Entrance Examination Board reported in 1996 that students with experience in musical performance scored 31 points higher on the verbal part of the SAT and 39 points higher on the math section than the national average. Preschoolers who studied piano performed 34% better in spatial and temporal reasoning ability than preschoolers who spent the same amount of time learning to use computers. -Rauscher and Shaw February 1997 The effects of classical music are positive and encouraging.
The effects of both hard rock and classical music are extremely powerful, yet as different as light and darkness. We can choose to strengthen our minds with classical music and reap the benefits of a higher IQ and clearer thoughts. Or we can muddy the waters of our brain with the dark thoughts and hypnotic powers of hard rock and heavy metal music. The choice is yours.
What if there is a person who likes rock music (like Pink Floyd’s The Wall), and the same person also likes Bach and Beethoven?
This is not to say that you are wrong in any way but I do think that this may be pure circumstance. Most people do not listen to any music 10 hours a day, classical or hard rock, so the conclusions on the plant and mice experiments are weakened to some extent.
From what I can tell, as long as there is BALANCE, then there really shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, the content has much more to do with it, in my opinion, than the drum beat.
Just my thoughts. You did a very good job on presenting your argument – a very convincing one at that!
God Bless,
David Ketter
BTW, I don’t listen to hard rock or classical so I’m not in anyway biased. ;-)
So should I balance my U2 with bach? In order to keep from..ok U2 is a bad example…well I metal and country and pop music…so what does that leave me that will “Hypnotize “me I for one think that is a load I don’t remember her cry cry.
ETHAN
Oh I forgot to comment on the article itself
I thought it was well written and you did a good job presenting your case and giving it data to give it heft rather than just saying rock is bad.
On a side note, what does hip-hop do?
Or dance music with no words?
I found it interesting that you did not mention that other kinds of music (more specifically jazz and pop) did not negatively harm the mice or the plants so long as the tempo was maintained between the classical music and other forms. Aside from that, I have lovely plants sitting in my window and around my computer, and I play rock all the time- they seem to be growing just fine to me! As for mice, I have a mice problem in my dorm- perhaps we should start playing MORE rock music to get rid of them? It is not working all that well so far. :) In fact, plants grow just as well to Ravi Shankar as they do to classical music, and that is Sanskrit chants of ancient Hindu scriptures. . . so perhaps there is more to this story than meets the eye???
Thank you all for commenting on my article, I am sorry I could not get back to you sooner we have been suffering technical difficulties with the comment system. Again, I thank you for your patience.
In answer to Nate G-
If a person likes both classical and hard rock, I cannot change his personal preference, but knowing the dangers of hard rock, he would be wise to listen much more too classical.
David Ketter – You are probably right in saying most people do not listen to music for ten hours a day, however many people do. People listen to longer amounts then they think they do. We listen in the car, at the office, etc. Balance is good, but if you know smoking is harmful to your health do you simply balance it with say chewing gum? The best results would come from rarely listening to hard rock and heavy metal music.
Content does have a lot to do with the music; it is what affects the subconscious. However, the distortion and nerve jamming are what affect the mice and plants; (because they cannot understand the words.) so content is not all that is involved.
BTW it is also the distortion, nerve jamming, and the affects nerve jamming has on the subconscious that harm the human, not simply the syncopated rhythm that officially defines “rock” (that is why I always specify “hard rock”)
Ethan – I have not studied the effects of hip-hop but I would be extremely cautious in listening to it, as the entire culture of hip-hop and street music revolves around violence, anger and sex. It very probably has many of the same effects hard rock and heavy metal have the same distortion and nerve jamming capabilities.
As for dance music with no words, it obviously cannot speak into your subconscious mind as it has no words but the same distortion problems that harm plants and mice would apply.
commentator1The first question I would ask you is what type of “rock” music to you listen to? Only “hard rock” with heavy metal or distortion will harm the plants (or mice) a plant may thrive listening to classic rock (The Eagles) or Country rock (Elvis).
As for the Hindu chants, the only harm they could possibly pose would be to the subconscious mind. As a plant cannot understand words, there is no reason why it would harm them.
Thank you all again, for your comments I hope my answers have helped.
God Bless you, and may God continue to Bless America!
Elizabeth Seaward
In regard to those of you who are asking about listening to rock music, this is what I would say:
The main way to evaluate music is not by the music itself, but by the reason for your listening to it. In other words, the most important thing is—why are you listening to the music? If the music is bad, there is a very good chance your motives are bad.
And after you ask yourself why, the next question to consider would be where? Some music would be perfectly fine for your own enjoyment but might not be appropriate for a church service.
-Theresa
As a music major, I must say that I love classical music. However, the Christian college I attend encourages more variety in music than I have previously been used to, and I actually have come to appreciate Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) a lot more since starting school. My question, then, is, since Christian rock music has a good, moral message, wouldn’t that be a good thing for us to listen to? If rock music can affect our minds so much, then why don’t we set all of the great hymns of the church to rock music? Or perhaps classical/traditional music can also influence our minds? If this is the case, though, then listening to wicked lyrics set to the tune of an old hymn would be just as deleterious. If you admit this, it seems to follow that you are admitting that it is really the lyrics that matter, which is what many of my Christian friends believe. Your thoughts, please.
Is music amoral? Is it just the lyrics that influence the person listening – or is it also the music itself? Take away the words, and what is the message of the song? Is it in harmony with God’s principles, or is it in rebellion? Does it encourage us to worship God, or to worship something else?
I advise everyone here to read “A cup of coffee at the Soul Cafe”, particularly chapter six. To give you a quick idea what I mean, in this chapter Leonard Sweet shows several interesting points on sound…in effect, all matter is made up of SOUND, including you, and therefore, you are more effected by what you listen to than you might have thought. I strongly suggest reading the book.
Anonymous – In answer to your question, some (certainly not all.) CCM, music falls into the Hard rock category (full of distortion and/or heavy metal sounds), in that case, despite the holy and wonderful lyrics, the music still kills brain cells, though it may not harm our subconscious or even hypnotize us.
I also have learned to appreciate Contemporary Christian Music, yet sometimes the music becomes too hard and I realize, despite how worshipful the lyrics are, it may be destroying the mind God gave me. So the words that may be good for our spirits are sometimes overrun by the music, which physically harms us. Again not All CCM is in the hard rock or heavy metal category, much of it is beautiful music that can help us worship the Lord.
On the other hand, classical music rejuvenates brain cells and is good for the physical body. however if wicked lyrics were set to classical music (and many operas and famous pieces have “wicked lyrics” though most are in another language as an example,)it could harm our spirits by putting the words into our head, but it has no physical danger or hypnotic powers, and would probably still help your mind and brain cells.
The lyrics matter, there is no doubt of that. The words you put in your head and heart will find their way out again. HOWEVER, the music in of itself, with or without words, can be harmful to our minds. If there were an option to listen to good lyrics with good music, I would take it over good lyrics with harmful music.
I hope this helps answer some of your questions let me know if you still have some.
God Bless,
Elizabeth Seaward
Thank you for those wonderful questions to ponder!
As I’ve said before, it is NOT just the lyrics that influence the person listening. The music in of itself can harm the mind.!
God Bless
Elizabeth S.
It is great to know people will attack and condemn what they fear. If “heavy metal” and I use quotations because I doubt any of you have a clue to what heavy metal truly is, caused people to kill then there would be daily killings. I listen to “heavy metal” and I haven’t killed one single person. Not one. Am I the exception to the rule? I know many people who listen to heavier music than I do and they don’t kill, physically deteriorate, or lose control of themselves and go into a musically induced trance.
Memnoch
I am not saying that anyone that listens to “Hard Rock” and/or “Heavy Metal” music WILL become violent. But there ARE documented cases of such things occuring. Most people it is true are never affected to that extreme. But everytime you listen to music distorted in this way, you ARE killing or straining Brain cells, (which BTW are the only cells you cannot reproduce) and when you listen to classical music you can rejuvinate those cells.
Be careful what and how much you listen to, for it can effect you, even if not in such a violent way.
God Bless,
Elizabeth Seaward
What time did you right this article i need it for my bibliography? I hope You reply. THanks
Oh yeah great article it is really helping ma and does hip hop hav any effecy the brian cause i dont even listen to rock or heavy matal etc please reply soon i need this info 4 ma project
I beleive I wrote this article in February of this year, somewhere around the 18th…
though I have not studied the effects of hip-hop I would be extremely cautious in listening to it, as the entire culture of hip-hop and street music revolves around violence, anger and sex. It very probably could have many of the same effects as hard rock and heavy metal.
el articulo esta d+, la verdad que ahora entiendo q es lo q me pasa, adoro entender mis sentimientos
muchas gracias
i think that after years of listening to rock music I finally understand the effects that it has on me. When i used to listen to rock music, i was constantly in a bad mood, nothing seemed to work to me, and aggression was an important part of my life. For 15 yers I kept sinking deeper and deeper into a dark place which i created in my mind, as a place to shelter myself when I could`t find nothing to relief my pain. That place was constatnly influenced by rock music, a music that turned me aggressive and kept injecting hateful images into my mind. All i wanted to do was hurt somebody real bad, all i thought about was blood. Until finally thanks to god, I could find something that got me out of my dark corner. That something was classical music. The first clasic song that i ever heard was entitled “Juana”. Since I heard juana my life has done nothing but improve. I will be forever thankful to juana, and i will carry her within my heart forever. She makes me feel horny.
Thank you
Comment deleted for inappropiate content
Darcy, I believe you miss some of the point. Though on the extreme certain kinds of music are likely to encourage deaths, its more likely to cultivate negativity and a lower ability to perform mentally.
Both of the latter attributes seem to present themselves in your message.
As for rock/rap/metal, I always found it made me feel better because it pumped me up, got me angrier, and made me feel understood. It was OK to hate or to obsess over lost love or to despair in general. Anger was good; like a drug. Ultimately that kind of music proved to be a chain to the world and its deception.
Santiago~
You have a wonderfull story of the power of music and the dangers some can cause. Thank you for sharing!
Darcy~
The very nature of your post and the profanities therein make me beleive that your music could not have had a good effect on you. You may have never killed anyone, but you seem full of hatred and anger at those who disagree with you.
try to listen to Listen to Ben’s post, without reacting defensively and consider it he made some good points.
May God bless you all,
Elizabeth Seaward
The reson i use so many profanities is because i really have no apprecaion for people who use scapegoats for what is goin on in the world. Right now i am doing a project on the ways music can affect your life and if it affects your acions, i was really———when i came across the comment that heavy metal “hyptmotizes” you. That is not true at all. Maybe you guys should try to lisen to the music before you just go and write all this “research”. Maybe you have…I don know, but if you did, you didn really feel it. You need to be able to feel the music, then you can judge it. Music is the only thing in the world that accepts you for who you are. It dosnt yell at you for dressing the way you do, it makes you feel better about it. Saying that heavy metal will make you want to go out and kill people or make you angry isnt nessisarily true. please take this ino consideration next time you write about the affects of music.
“The very nature of your post and the profanities therein make me beleive that your music could not have had a good effect on you.”
Amen to that!
“Music is the only thing in the world that accepts you for who you are.”
And who are we really? The one thing that seperates us from the next rung in the animal kingdom is our God given rationality. It’s our reason that is thusly the chief place of attack for Satan. The deception that clouds our clear choice for God is what keeps humans in chains and away from serving God freely.
We are prevented our reason and instead are fed thoughts and emotion that drive us this way and that. As Saint Augustine spent his life argueing, I believe the only truly free choice a human may make is a choice that is for God and for God’s virtues and for God’s morals.
God’s grace may reveal in our hearts the understanding to make that choice: to ransom us from the slavery to the world. Until then, to claim that we are “ourselves” and to trumpet being, “accepted for who you are,” whether it flies in the face of God or not is flawed.
I would like to note though, that I did not mean my comments here or before to be atagonizing although they are a bit blunt. Never have I found that beating around the bush or watering down does much good. God willing I or someone else has been able to say something that makes you look inside and ask questions.
ya know what? screw you guys, you didnt even actually read what i said or take into context what i mean so whatever, you guys will never understand. Heavy metal is not a sickness. For me it is the antibiotic.
an antibiotic that may carry dangerous side-effects…
Granted not everyone who listens to heavy metal music becomes a murderer nor do they all experience “nerve jamming” (which is similar to hypnosis) But it can happen.
Heavy Metal and Hard Rock are not good for your mind, that much is scientifically proven, though most people probably escape the most extreme symptoms.
the most common effects I have noticed in people is anger and frustrationat the world. But that is not evidenced research only my own observances.
I did not write this article to Condemn those who listen to such music, but to warn them that they may be hurting themselves. If you continue to listen to heavy metal music because you think the benefits outweigh the harm, that is your choice. I simply tried to warn you…
Darcy, you may not agree that heavy metal music has dangerous side-effects, but you should respect the fact that Elizabeth’s article was based on actual research and wasn’t just a page full of baseless criticisms. You would make a far better case for your side if you would attack the research she quoted instead of attacking her as a person.
This article immediately caught my attention as I’m in the middle of researching this subject myself for 5-10k research paper.
Basically anybody who studies the history of music will understand exactly what was said here. I personally listen to classical music.
In comment for Darcy:
It’s really, really, hard for me to come around and see it from your view—something I try to do in every debate. As a conservative Christian, in this case it is impossible, I can therefore only imagine your position and build on that. Forgive me if I get it wrong.
You’re looking at it practically right? “I’ve listened to the all that and I was never hypnotized so where are your brains?” Well… let me lay those aside for a moment, since they seem to be offensive for the large part. Do you consider yourself saved?
I think this article was mainly addressed to people who are dedicated to following Christ and making him first in their lives. We as Christians want to grow in Christ and there are always new things to learn. That counts for both sides of the debate. You will find that in this world you will face tons of opposite opinions. Facing them the way you did reveals a loser. You mask your own uncertainty with words. Somebody’s trying to pull out the blocks on you. That’s why you’d rather have somebody say, “that’s my opinion”. Those words turn a missile into a pencil. Although they do have a place. When presenting solid research, they do not. The option that we could be wrong still looms. But sir, if we stand for nothing, we will fall for everything—therefore we ask for clear vision, so that which we stand on may be firm.
I wouldn’t feel so defensive if I were you anyhow, you have a lot more of the world on your side then we do. In fact you have a LOT more. We’re like 2 against a 1000. And yet if all of you were to gather against us, we would still be standing. Those who believe like you however cannot stand against one of us, you fall in uncertainty and take the loser’s way out. You didn’t provide any hard facts to back up your opinion. You are not standing on anything firm, you feel threatened. But that’s something I don’t want to do. So let me stop focusing on you and focus on myself.
Mentally, I’ve been in the same state before. Not nearly to the same degree, but if I add some of my active imagination to it, I can understand somewhat of where you’re coming from. In my own personal life and walk with God, I keep a standard for everything, as to what was set forth in the Bible. The difficulties we face are when we cannot find a Biblical standard for things. The music issue has always been one of these things. And I’ve had a couple observances of it in my own life. The farther towards the rock side I allowed my reasoning to take me, the more likely I was to feel threatened. I concluded therefore that there was nothing solid to stand on over there. I may be wrong, I’m still looking for it. But for now I’ll stay on this rock.
Saying that, let me quote from the book ‘Sound of the Beast—the Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal”—a treatise on the history of Heavy Metal. Written from the rock perspective glorifying it. Read on, history is unescapable.
“Heavy Metal began in chaos. A warped guitar chord here, a battery of drums there, and the howling cry of painful souls that had never been heard before. Alone in their private darkness, these strange notes and twisted lyrics slowly began to converge, until one day they formed a new and wholly powerful musical force. To some it was the dark and frightening chant of the devil himself. But to countless legions of heavy metal fans every where it was the ultimate explosion of thoughts, feelings, and images they could never verbalize for themselves.
It was the ‘Sound of the Beast’ inside them all, and finally it was allowed to come out and play with demonic eyes, razor sharp claws, and a toothy smile that led the way to a headbanging revolution.”
Are we so wrong then in condemning it to something unfit then for a Christian’s diet? Or even to something as mild as simply not good for anybody? Can we honestly then facing history, and common results of it such as you, support it and condone it when all it does is result in more confused, and purposeless people? Can we really?
I must be convincing or something.
:/
Good job, Mr. Boskovic. :-)
That response is difficult to debate :P
I’m just David and 16, don’t call me Mr.—it makes me feel too old.
I personally think that music is an art, a way to express one’s feelings. When people listen to it, they either understand the artist’s message or perceive it differently, in their own way. It can make some people happy, angry, or sad, but it is only used as a form of entertainment. It is supposed to be enjoyable. Now what effect it has on the person depends on the person. I think it’s possible that music does have subliminal messages but it can’t brainwash you no matter how many times you hear it, if you don’t let it. Now this is just my opinion okay and that’s how I see it.
hello peeps!
Hello… AMEN!!
Hello… AMEN!!
Hello… AMEN!!
In response to David: I think I understand what you mean when you say that Darcy and I(Yes, I kind of fall into the category of outnumbering you) are almost ‘against’ you in a way, but we’re not all like that. I don’t know about other people, but I for one will not judge and/or try to stand against your opinion/choice of music.
I myself am a big fan of all types of music, except for the new hip-hop, country, R&B and rap music. I am especially a fan of hard rock music and heavy/death metal. I’m also not exactly sure what kind of religion I believe in. I guess I’m at a stage in my life where I am still figuring myself out.
As for why I like to listen to the music I listen to, I like it because I can relate to a lot of what I hear in the songs I listen to. They make me think about my views on the world, and most of the songs I listen to generally cheer me up because they tend to be describing a worse life than I have had so far. I’m not trying to say that I have a bad life, I’m just stating that it isn’t the best.
cough I’m rambling….
Anyway, I have something to say about what you quoted from that book:
It may sound pretty bad when you read it, but when it refers to all that negative stuff about Heavy Metal, I believe the author was only trying to tell us how people of that era thought of the new ‘different’ sounds they’ve never heard before.
I have read a lot I believe about the human race discovering new things and I have come to realise that in general, humans tend to shun, fear, and/or think negatively about newly discovered things stating that they ‘aren’t normal’ and a lot of the time stating concepts/ideas that people haven’t even attempted to fully understand/mis-understood concepts/ideas are ‘work of the devil’.
Now, please don’t take offence to what I just quoted, It’s only what I’ve heard. I’m guessing that many of you(I could be wrong) haven’t said or thought those things/things similar to that.
Also, I don’t feel threatened at all. =) Just stating the opinion of a 15 year old girl.
Thank you for taking your time to read this.
-Jeska W.
I am writing a research paper on the value of Christian Rock music and I happened to come across this discussion. Gosh, I am wavering between how I feel about the effects of rock music whether or not the lyrics are considered. Even still, I had to choosen a side for my paper and I chose “the positive effects of Christian Rock music” but I am finding that it is hard to convince those that are hostile. I have done plenty of research and it seems as though everyone is against it. I am a Christian, and I do have common sense on the right and wrong kinds of music, but really, considering Christian Rock music as a positive alternative to “rock-lovers”(because of the lyrics)...is that wrong? Or is it more of an issue over how the popular style of music(rock) has transformed Christians into thinking that they can present the gospel through that style and it still be ok? Does that make any sense? Ofcourse I have chosen a side to discuss my “opinion” in my paper(because I have to), but aside from that…I am really really curious to find some right answers. I am nearly through with my essay and it’s too late to change my view, but I feel like I would like to develop my own opinion on this matter even after I get my grade for it. I know this is a controversial issue, and I feel like I don’t have a “true” strong opinion.
Music doesn’t change who you are. Who you are defines what music you like. I’m not a mouse, and I don’t think of some kid’s science fair project as credible. I just shut down this entire article. Feel free to take it off the web now.
Neil-
huh?? I am not saying that music defines who I am. I know who I am, I don’t really know if Christian Rock is really “okay” though. For the most part, I believe that it is a unique way of reaching young individuals who already have a taste in rock music and if the message is used to witness, then what’s really the harm in it? Because it’s loud and upbeat?? Well, that should be determined by the listeners taste in style, right?...I love practically all music. Anything from Bach to hard rock. I don’t understand why- I just do. All styles of music have always appealed to me. I guess what I’m trying to say is- music is effective (duh) , but which is more of an influence?- the sound, or the lyrics? Both acting together are very powerful….But as far as the Christian Rock…lots of people seem to be against it? What’s the deal? And what do u mean-”Feel free to take it off the web now.” Are u insulting me?
Okay I see what you’re saying, and it makes sense. The thing is, I wasn’t referring to what you said, I was responding to the main article. If you didn’t get what I meant, I meant that if someone listens to the blues a lot, it doesnt make them feel bad. It’s the other way around; they listen to the blues because they feel bad.
I like all music too. I love rap like Eminem. I love techno music, hard rock, oldies, (I love the beatles) Band music, jazz, (Maynard Ferguson). How many people can say they listen to both 50 cent and Bach? Not a whole lot. The reason I like all this is because I am a very inconsistant person. The people I associate myself with range from druggies to jocks to band geeks to preps. The reason I like lots of music is because of who I am.
CONCLUSION: Rock music doesn’t corrupt you. If you are an aggressive rebelious person, you are drawn to the rock music.
Neil-
So u are saying that the music I listen to reflects the type of person I am….true…as far as it’s style though…What about the effects on u AFTER u listen to the music. Music isn’t just a tune. The lyrics play a part too…Now I am not an “aggressive rebelious person”...but I do like rock. However, I try to lean more towards the Christian Rock because that is healthier for me as a Christian…or is it…? I thought it would be since it contains biblical teachings and good advice opposed to the drugs, sex, killings, and etc. that is discussed in secular rock music…but ever since I had been doing research on Christian rock music, it looks like every one is against it. I can rarely find anything that agrees that it has possitive effects. What do u think?
One thing you both might consider is that as I showed in my article, despite the lyrics the music itself can harm the mind (particularly brain cells).
The lyrics CAN harm a mind which seems to be why Jill defends Christian Rock so much. it appears to be a way to listen to music you like without harmfull effects, which to some degree is true, you will not have the harmfull effects of lyrics.
But some (not all) Christian Rock music can have a harmfull effect on the brain cells themselves. any music with distortion harmes these cells which cannot be reproduced.
In response to Jill ~
If one must listen to Hard Rock music; listening to Christian hard rock eliminates the harm the lyrics may pose, though the music itself may still harm.
I would like to point out that not all “Rock” music is harmfull that is why I always specify “Hard Rock”. It is the distortion and nerve jamming that cause the harm not simply the syncopated rhythm that defines “Rock” music.
Neil~
Your conclusion that rebellious etc. people are drawn to Rock music, sounds good and is probably true often. But I know people who weren’t rebellious whose attitudes changed AFTER listening to Heavy Metal music. Music CAN change your attitude and the way you act.
One thing you both might consider is that as I showed in my article, despite the lyrics the music itself can harm the mind (particularly brain cells).
The lyrics CAN harm a mind which seems to be why Jill defends Christian Rock so much. it appears to be a way to listen to music you like without harmfull effects, which to some degree is true, you will not have the harmfull effects of lyrics.
But some (not all) Christian Rock music can have a harmfull effect on the brain cells themselves. any music with distortion harmes these cells which cannot be reproduced.
In response to Jill ~
If one must listen to Hard Rock music; listening to Christian hard rock eliminates the harm the lyrics may pose, though the music itself may still harm.
I would like to point out that not all “Rock” music is harmfull that is why I always specify “Hard Rock”. It is the distortion and nerve jamming that cause the harm not simply the syncopated rhythm that defines “Rock” music.
Neil~
Your conclusion that rebellious etc. people are drawn to Rock music, sounds good and is probably true often. But I know people who weren’t rebellious whose attitudes changed AFTER listening to Heavy Metal music. Music CAN change your attitude and the way you act.
SORRY about the above post it is mine someone-else had been using my computer and I forgot to put my name in.
So in this case “Bob” is Elizabeth Seaward
Elizabeth-
I understand what you are saying about the “brain cell” thing. It makes sense that the sound of the music can have such an effect on a person. but what if rock music alone is what gives its listeners a “high” and makes them feel much better. Music does do that…so if a person is feeling better…how does that kill brain cells? I was wondering about that too.
but what if rock music alone is what gives its listeners a “high” and makes them feel much better. Music does do that…so if a person is feeling better…how does that kill brain cells? I was wondering about that too.
Smoking various drugs makes a person feel better, even though in the long run it’s very harmful. (I’m not sure on this, but I believe some drugs, like meth, literally do kill brain cells.) Something may feel good or make you feel better, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you . . in fact, it can be extremely unhealthy for you.
Hey Jill, people are not influenced by music unless they’re very impressionable. This means that most people won’t jump off a bridge if they’re told to. People that smoke pot don’t do it because in some songs artists talk about it. People are looking for someone to blame for immorallity. In early Medieval europe, chordal music played in church was said to be immoral. In the 1920s, people would say that jazz music is terrible for the mind, and it’s dirty and evil. Go figure. In the 1960s, people said Rock such as the beatles was horrible. In the 80s and 90s it was heavy metal. Now it’s rap. Face it people, the world will always be immoral. Music is how people express themselves, it’s not how they choose their actions.
Jill~
I am not the best at explaining it, but your mind is always trying to make sense of everything(like when you look at a word with part of it’s letters missing and you still know what it says) but the distortion in Hard Rock and Heavy metal music literally distrorts the sound waves and when your mind tries to make sense of them it can’t. which straines your brain cells and can kill them.
I hope this all makes sense!
God Bless,
Elizabeth
It is the actual distortion of the music that harms the brain cells, these cells are especially important as they are the only cell in your body that does not reproduce itself. so you may still like the music and it may give you a “high” despite the harmfull effects.
Neil~
I am not saying that all music influences all people, (though what you put in more often than not is what comes out.) I am more talking about the actual effect the music has on your physical body as I explained to Jill. Wjile you are more talking about the mental and/or spiritual effects (not to be under estimated…) as for those types of music in the past… some are dirty and immorall lyrics wise (beatles occassionally, some jazz…) others like Heavy metal cause physical damage (even if they have good lyrics)
Rap (if it qualifies as music, more like rhythmic talking and an occaisional chorus LOL)I have not studied for physical or mental/spiritual effects. (the lyrics are dependanyt upon the song not the genre) so I can’t give you any info on that.
grrr it mixed up my post a little the God Bless goes at the end
Sorry all
ok neil, now I think It’s safe to say that You are oblivious to the obvious.
Hey, aren’t you supposed to delete the cuss words?
Oh, yeah. Personally, I think classical music is a little on the boring side. Maybe I just shouldn’t listen to any music…
Why does it seem like everything fun is bad for you?
Well, for one, i am very much into Heavy Metal, and Emo-Punk styles of music… And i would like to know if they are the cause of my depressive mood, or if that is purely coincidental… I am not a fan of classical music, i infact find it VERY frustrating and repetitive!
Thanks Muchly
Mickey Boy Emo
Scratch my last comment. I should’ve said: “Why does it seem like anything that’s good for you isn’t any fun.”
Also, which is better: good lyrics to bad music, or bad lyrics to good music?
Now I’ve been doing some thinking about all of this this and something doesn’t add up. First of all, could you tell me where to find these studies? I’ve never even heard of them until now. You also don’t say whether they played any other forms of music to the mice and plants. In order for this to be a proper science experiment, there should’ve been some other popular genres of music played, like hip-hop, country, and jazz, for comparison. For some reason, this whole thing feels like a snooty attempt at putting down (hard) rock music. Kind of like the university professor who claimed that conservatives have relatively low I.Qs (obviously not a true statement). Telling from your comments, it would appear that your favorite genre is classical. Not that you’re necessarily snooty.
You also appear to discount the effect of the lyrics. Considering the nature of the studies, they were probably using secular heavy metal/hard rock music, whose lyrics often contain a heavy demonic influence. Being a Christian, you should’ve weighed this factor more carefully. You do not mention whether or not they did a study where they used hard rock/heavy metal with positive lyrics.
Last, the study with plants makes no sense. First of all, did they use any controls? And considering the fact that plants have no ears, brains, or nervous systems that we know of, it’s highly unlikely that they died of “nerve jamming.”
Next time, please make a distinction between your personal preferences and what’s good for everybody.
Masked Crusader~
you are right in that i did not cite studies with different types of music and i left out lyrics as well. My article was simply to compare and contrast two different types of music. Especially the physical effects they cause to the human body.
Masked Crusader~ cont… (sorry)
I do beleive i cited all the studies I used so if you want to find them look them up. I would’ve loved to do a study on different kinds of music but i hadn’t the research nor the space in this article to cover it, as well as the harm that can be derived from song lyrics. (I do not know what lyrics were used on plants and mice in these studies but as plants and mice would not understand the lyrics I hold it of no consequence.)
As for the study with plants I am not sure how the music effects them but we know it does… but with the study of mice (they also have brains and nerves) you end up with the mice eating one another! So the point is if it harms them why won’t it harm you?
Now you seem to think i am promoting classical music because it’s my favorite, Well it is not my favorite type of music (that would belong to country.) And I merely used it to contrast the effects of heavy metal and hard rock, as classical music is known to rejuvinate the very cells the other damages and kills.
And finally to your Question “which is better Good music to bad lyrics or bad music to good lyrics?” my answer would be good with good, but as that is not an option in your question, it would depend upon your worries, Bad music harm the brain and body, bad lyrics can harm the mind and soul. Personally I beleive the mind and soul are more valuable to the person, but we all have the option to listen to good music AND good lyrics. that would be the best choice.
All you cited was a Science Fair Project and a questionable AP report. I’d hardly call that conclusive evidence. I’ve never heard of these studies you mention, so I wouldn’t know where to look them up. Next time include a proper bibliography.
I did an internet search on “hard rock nerve jamming”, and your article was at the top of the page! I also tried “hard rock brain cells”, and the only thing I got resembling a scientific study was someone saying that the complex sounds in classical music (“Mozart, not hard rock”) helps develop babies’ brain cells. This may prove one of your points, but it doesn’t prove that hard rock damages older brains.
try searching for “Rock music effects” or “Heavy metal music Effects” for info and scientific studies proving that those types of music can cause depression, suicide, and other harms.
If you want pupblished studies on effects of music on teens (and mice,) here’s one from Iowa State university
http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/dgentile/106027_08.pdf
The origins of the beat in rock music can actually be traced to fire-walking rituals in Africa, brought to other countries through the slave trade, then incorporated into our own forms of music gradually by musicians. I find it difficult to support something that has its roots in an obviously Satanic ritual.
I just read this report of yours. Obviously, you didn’t. If you start reading page 8, you’ll find the section on heavy metal. It simply furthers my argument.
If you read it, you’ll notice that it says that heavy metal fans pay more attention to the lyrics than other groups of music fans. On page 7, it refers to the reports on the mice-experiments as “alarmist”. Near the end of page 9 it says: “*Do these various findings support the notion of a ‘heavy metal syndrome’, that is, of a constellation of related traits with heavy metal as its focal point? Probably not. If there is a “syndrome” at work here, it is a “troubled youth syndrome”, not a heavy metal syndrome.” It goes on to say that people who listen to heavy metal listen to it because they’re mad at the world, not the other way around.
Anyway, thanks for bringing it to my attention. It was very interesting. By the way, over the past couple of days, I’ve been listening to quite a bit of (positive) rock, and I’ve been happier than I’ve been in weeks.
John Willis: No where in the Bible does it say that Christians are not allowed to listen to certain kinds of music (as long as the lyrics are clean).
Hmm, I just read a little further into that report, and you were right that in certain tests, Christian and non-Christian heavy metal had the same effect on the listeners involved. Still, later it says that many fans feel little or no effect at all. It continues to say that fans of hard rock/ heavy metal aren’t necessarily troubled, but those who are might be more drawn to it. As for the aforementioned test, it could be explained by Pavlov’s Syndrome; that is the listeners may have already been used to heavy metal, and associated it with aggression, so when they heard the Christian heavy metal, it had the same effect as the secular heavy metal. Personality could also play a part.
So anyway, this issue is probably more complex than either of us thought. You might not be wrong, just oversimplifying things.
But don’t get cocky just yet. ;)
I still haven’t found anything about the effects of the actual instruments.
Props to you, keep up the research let me know what you find, I am curious.
but may I remind you that regardless of what you’ve said so far, plants still die and mice still eat each other when exposed to these typed of music for long periods. and there is a great likelyhood that it may cause depression and violence in teens.
Those who are troubled depressed and violent may be drawn to this kind of music but who’s to say that those who listen will not become like the angry and violent sounds and words they are filling their minds with?
If your arguement is correct than anyone who listens to hard Rock and heavy Metal music would be violent and depressed, (Because those are the people drawn to it right?) which would include you since you like it, but you claim to be happy…
doesn’t sound very logical now does it?
You’re the one who is not very logical. Remind me to not be so easy on you anymore.
If I were as angry as you say, I’d be a lot less patient with you. You have some gall to think you know anything about me. I thought this was a Christian site. It’s not very Christian to be so judgmental.
If you read the rest of that study you gave me, you would’ve noticed that it said that a lot of people listen to that kind of music because they like it, not necessarily because they’re angry/troubled.
As for me personally, I don’t like to listen to angry music. Angry as in the lyrics, not the instruments. If I’m angry about anything, it’s that they don’t play more Christian hard rock on the radio.
As for your argument that hard rock makes people angry because it kills brain cells, you are oversimplifying things. Everyone loses brain cells as they get older. If what you said was true, the elderly would be the angriest members of society. Anger is not caused simply by lost brain cells, and loss of brain cells does not necessarily mean that one becomes angry. Next time you write something like this, you should bring an adequate knowledge of science with you.
As for further research, I’ve only found one more study that corroborates what you’ve said. And nothing about plants. Which doesn’t matter, since believing that disorted guitar sounds can kill plants is ridiculous. You also have yet to provide a new compelling argument, and you’ve begun to insult me. Apparently, it doesn’t take rock music to kill brain cells. :P
Before you knock any and all hard rock again, I suggest you check out a (Christian) band called ApologetiX (though you probably wouldn’t appreciate them). They’ve probably brought more people to Christ than you could ever hope to, considering your attitude.
Masked Crusader~
Let me take this peice by piece,
Don’t accuse me of being judgemental I simply took what information you gave me, (that you love hard rock and that you beleived troubled and depressed people were drawn to that kind of music, not that they were changed by the music) and played out your arguement on yourself. perhaps now we have established that people are not necessarilly drawn to it because it portrays the mood they feel, which leaves open the possibility that the music can change their attitude.
I do not remember making the arguement that the loss of brain cells makes one angry. I did make the arguement that the harsh and distorted sounds of Hard rock and Heavy Metal have been known to make teens (and others) angry and depressed. And I did make the point that long exposure to distorted sounds starins the brain and can cause the loss of brain cells. Two seperate issues, I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear enough on that point.
Why is the idea that plants die from overexposure to distorted music ridiculous? Have you never as a science project exposed a plant to music to judge how it grows? Many garden and plant magezines tell their readers to play classical music to their plants to help them grow. And the experiment with the heavy metal and/or hard rock HAS been done in numerous schools etc. proving that the plants wither and/or die.
Funny you should mention ApologetiX, I happen to like a lot of their paradys and music, and though I haven’t heard too much from them I didn’t find a lot of their music very “hard”.
However I do not appreciate your snub on my attitude and evangilism. (It sounded like hmmm “Judging” to me) I sorry you think I come across as someone with a bad attitude, I assure you I mean no offense to your charector. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
God Bless,
E.S.
Thank you for being a little more understanding this time. Not all of Apologetix’s parodys are of hard rock, but quite a few of them are. You probably heard an older album or something. To be honest, I don’t listen to a lot of hard rock. I mainly listen to Contemporary Christian. Not because I like it, but because I want to hear Christian music. Since it doesn’t really catch my ear, I don’t get much out of it. That’s why I’d like more variety in the music on Christian radio, that is something like Christian Rock or Rap. Our local Christian radio station’s play list is so limited that it seems like they get through it in less than a day.
That’s part of the reason I went after you. That, and the fact that the research seemed suspect. I don’t doubt that classical music is good for you, just that the sounds from rock are bad for you. I was mainly attracted to this debate because I like science and rock.
As for whether rock is bad for plants,
commentator 1said that they play rock all the time and it doesn’t seem to affect the plants. I wouldn’t know personally since I haven’t tried this experiment.I do pretty well in school, so I don’t know if rock has really affected my brain. Probably only if you listen to it all the time, which I don’t. You also seem to underestimate the power lyrics can have on a person, which is pretty dangerous. Just because the music is “good” or “bad”, that doesn’t mean the song is.
Anyway, I’m done here, so good bye.
Merry Christmas,
Masked Crusader
I understand completely why you search for alternitive music styles within the Christian Arena. I too Want to listen to Christian music (for the sake of the lyrics) but don’t enjoy a lot of their actual music….
Anyway, It does seem that I didn’t give enopugh leverage to the lyrics in my article as many of you have pointed out, mainly because, Well I didn’t address it. I wanted my article to focus on the effects of the actual music (without the lyrics). I am sorry for any confusion,
Merry Christmas!
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I realize that this topic has lain dormant for a few days, but I had to say something. Forgive me if I am not brief.
Over the past few years, I have found myself shifting from secular music to Christian music (some of which is [gasp!] heavy):
1. It isn’t the lyrics that draw me to it, though they are somewhat important. It’s the spiritual content, not the good or bad language, that I go for. I would rather that the singer be honest and mouthy than constantly trying to please man by not singing four letter words. You might think that’s disrespectful to God, but I think it’s more disrespectful to Him to put on a mask. We’re human. We’re obviously not perfect. Yes, we should be pure, but not for the sake of man… for the sake of God.
2. I find myself drawn to music by bands such as Pillar, POD, Thousand Foot Krutch, GS Megaphone, Day of Fire, and Kutless. Their songs get stuck in my head constantly, even when I haven’t listened to them in a long time. This is not all I listen to, but without it I would not have balance in my diet of music. What inspires me to listen to this “dangerous” stuff? This music encourages me to keep on the straight and narrow. It reminds me that I am a soldier in God’s army. It reminds me to be bold, to be unashamed. I don’t expect everyone to get the same thing out of it. Every person is different. I can understand why someone would be troubled by hardcore music, but I don’t necessarily believe it kills brain cells. If that’s the case, then everytime there is a thunderstorm, people should be getting a high from hearing the thunder. It’s not that I don’t care about my brain, but I think it’s much better to take care of my soul first and not worry so much about my brain. That’s not to say that I’d deliberately damage my brain… lol.
3. Heavy music carries power. Power in itself is not a good or a bad thing, but it can be abused. Anyhow, I think that hardcore music shows the aspect of God being a powerful, warlike God… the Lion of Judah, you might say. If we leave this part of God’s personality out of the picture, we have an incomplete snapshot.
4. Perhaps unlike some, I consider hardcore Christian music much more fulfilling than secular. This is mostly because I feel, or rather know, that the secular stuff I might have gotten into in the past (ex. Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, etc.) has awesome music, but the words disgust me too much for me to really listen. Instead, if someone is playing music like that, I cut myself off from it and pray, or worship internally. It makes all the difference. I have wondered at times if some music was meant for married couples rather than teens, but that is a whole different rant, and I haven’t solidly decided one way or the other yet.
5. I love classical music. I have grown up with a very wide range of music, and have explored even beyond my family’s favorites in some ways. I’ve sung in choirs. I have an appreciation for the old and the new.
6. As for the comment on the origins of rhythms, how can we be sure that even the hymns aren’t in rhythms based in pagan rituals? I have a thought that perhaps every good thing has a counterfeit or measley imitation, the imitation always of lesser quality compared to the good. A few examples I have thought of, and feel free to comment: angels/demons, prophecy/fortune telling, the works of God/sorcery, worship of God/worship of something else, encouragement/discouragement, God/inanimate objects that cannot speak or hear, forgiveness/bitterness… The list goes on. I would think this applies to music as well (godly music/ungodly music).
God bless you, and I hope this doesn’t confuse anyone!
Jenny B.
I think I see what you are saying Jenny, and I understand your being drawn toward Christian music, specifically powerfull and as you put it “heavy” music.
I want to let you know I am not comdemning all contemporary Christian music as unhealthy. There is much to listen to without distortion, I listen to Christian music often and when the music gets to distorted I’ll switch stations for a while and then return to it.
Anyway, what you are listening to may or may not be harmful to your health (physical) I think you may have misunderstood my usage of the word “heavy” to imply use of the “distorion” or “fuzz” pedal on an electric guitar to jumble and ditort sound waves.
If though it is a choice between “hard” christian music and secular music that may harm your spiritual life I would say that you have made the a good choice. However I would encourage you to make a better choice and listen to music that won’t harm you physically OR spiritually.
Thunder is not a distorted sound and does not harm brain cells. The only harm io could imagine coming from thunder would be hearing loss but I’ve never heard of that ever happening…
The rhythm itself is not harmful. but i do agree that most good things and “measely imitations”
I hope this helps, God Bless
You want to talk about angry or music that is harmful… lokk at rap… its only about sex, money, bling bling, and being a gangster
Also… Ive been waching and listening to the wall sence I was born… I am a diehard pink floyd fan… pink floyd the wall is about a man who has a very terrible life and goes crazy because he gets doped up on drugs and that is the only remedy for the sickness of his horrible life… If you lost your dad in a war… had a sucky discriminant school, lost your wife, and the fact your mom is a control freek… you could understand a little… he built a wall to isolate himself from the world because the world is a harmful place… he eventually goes crazy in this state of mind and makes his own reality as a demogouge and acts like a way less evil hitler like person… his symbol is that of two hammers cross on a half red half white circle on a black background…. he symbolizes his “skin heads” (you could call them that) as hammers marching down the street… and why does he do this?... Because he hates his life and he wants to release his anger…. he released it in his mind…. and eventually has a trial against himself in his mind and the ones that made thoses so called bricks in the wall testify against him… Can you blame him for going crazy?.... His life was a living hell! and Im not surprised a very easily hypnotizeable person went into a trance and did what the artist put into the music…... I wasent going to sit here and let my favorit band go to the waste of those who discriminate against rock… lets go into reality, rap kills more than rock ever did.
yours truly,
Sephiroth…
and also… those who usually listen to rap or classical music…. hate rock because they arnt used to it… oh and dont try to say i hate classical or rap….because I LOVE ALL MUSIC…...Pink floyd, Evanesence, and linkin park fans…. I stand for these bands as a representative!... because they have helped my life… say what you want to say about music and I WILL tell you the facts.
-Sephiroth
Also if i heard music of any kind for 10 hours strait.. my nerves would be racked anyway… and i am a music man
Here is my most favorite song by pink floyd’s the wall… and no i am not a racist person, my bestist bud is a black dude and i have multipul black frieds as i do white, mexican and i go out with a phillipino
Waiting for the Worms (Waters) 3:56
(German for 1,2, 3, All!)
“Eins, zwei, drei, alle!”
Ooooh, you cannot reach me now
Ooooh, no matter how you try
Goodbye, cruel world, it’s over
Walk on by.
Sitting in a bunker here behind my wall
Waiting for the worms to come.
In perfect isolation here behind my wall
Waiting for the worms to come.
We’re {waiting to succeed} and going to convene outside Brixton
Town Hall where we’re going to be…
Waiting to cut out the deadwood.
Waiting to clean up the city.
Waiting to follow the worms.
Waiting to put on a black shirt.
Waiting to weed out the weaklings.
Waiting to smash in their windows
And kick in their doors.
Waiting for the final solution
To strengthen the strain.
Waiting to follow the worms.
Waiting to turn on the showers
And fire the ovens.
Waiting for the queens and the coons
and the reds and the jews.
Waiting to follow the worms.
Would you like to see Britannia
Rule again, my friend?
All you have to do is follow the worms.
Would you like to send our colored cousins
Home again, my friend?
All you need to do is follow the worms.
The Worms will convene outside Brixton Bus Station. We’ll be moving along at about 12 o’clock down Stockwell Road {.... ......} {Abbot’s Road } {.....} twelve minutes to three we’ll be moving along Lambeth Road towards Vauxhall Bridge. Now when we get to the other side of Vauxhall Bridge we’re in Westminster {Borough } area. It’s quite possible we may encounter some {.....} by the way we go. {... ..}.”
yes i know it doesnt make much sense but the album was a best seller for a reason.. and also pink floyd is soft too… listen to the dark side of the moon… its ether very jumpy or swingy or even sleepy… makes me want to jump up and do what i need to get done around my house
try actually listening to other music before discriminating against it. thats not good
okay…all i really see are a whole bunch of rock haters… sorry but …. stuck up classical listeners will always not like rock…. just like adults dont chance there mind when they make there mind
Agrivating… look… i listen to rock all the time and my friends talk to me about there problems…..to me
! and i listen to pink floyd…. i guess i must tell them to jump up and go and stab some one… because the wall is my favorite albulm… but noooooo…. its okay… im not stuck up… my mind is open for everything…. oh and please stop the whole “god Bless” thing… it dosent prove that your a deep christian…. if you were… you wouldent have jumped into this matter… i am a christian… but i dont have to write god bless all the time… god has already blessed all of us… so please… stop trying to sound christian like because…. its not proving anything… except that you are trying to get attention….
every time i read an article from this website it make me angry… iwould liek to know who all listen to rock on here..
you see…. useing the whole “Amen to that!”... isnt cool…it dosent make you cool… and we really need more MATURE people on this website… because god had nothing to do with this experiment. except the fact he made all things… i bet yall didnt even put into the consiteration of those who are atheist…no?... of course not….. because yall are just stuck up your own ass to make your point… how about this final solution on this matter… ALL MUSIC IS HARMFUL AND HELPFUL IN ALL WAYS….. if you dont remember.. WE have FREE WILL… you have control of your life….. if you really didnt want music to make you depressed… it wouoldent… if you didnt want music to make you crazy… then let it go through one ear and out the other…. and yes… i know that someone is going to go all out crazy on my comments… because i bet none of yall will stand the fact that I have something to say on the whole matter… ignorant masses
I did not write this article to Condemn those who listen to such music, but to warn them that they may be hurting themselves. If you continue to listen to heavy metal music because you think the benefits outweigh the harm, that is your choice. I simply tried to warn you…
really Now?
well here is a warning… All Music is harmful and helpful.. darcy is the only one i belive knows what she is talking about
Hey Sephiroth, don’t take this personally, but you’ve just posted 13 messages in a row on here. I’m sure the admins would appreciate it if in the future you combined all those thoughts into fewer posts.
:D
iwould liek to know who all listen to rock on here..
I do. Not anything that is “hard rock” or metal or anything though.
I listen to all kinds of music (including rock and classical I think that the whole plants thing, is really dumb. I mean, the music a plant is listening to has nothing to do with the light, and temperature, and water amounts the plant is getting. Therefore it should not affect the plant at all. What did they do? Put the plant in the closet with no sunlight, or water? ;)
And as for the mice, perhaps all the mentally challenged mice were put together. ;)
I think that at work today, I should refuse to work until the the radio station is changed to classical music. I wouldn’t want to deteriorate on the job or anything.
Or perhaps, people are making a big deal out of nothing….HMmmmmmm….
I mean, the music a plant is listening to has nothing to do with the light, and temperature, and water amounts the plant is getting. Therefore, it should not affect the plant at all.
I think that’s the whole point—the type of music the plants were listening to did affect the plants, regardless of whether we think it should or not.
What did they do? Put the plant in the closet with no sunlight, or water?
Since this was a study, I’m thinking they made sure that all the plants in the study received the same amount of light, water; along with the same temperature, etc.
“I think that’s the whole point—the type of music the plants were listening to did affect the plants, regardless of whether we think it should or not.”
Look, its probably just vibrations, not what kind it is, I am sure if you played the classical music louder than the rock music, the plant would deteriorate faster than the quiet rock music.
“Since this was a study, I’m thinking they made sure that all the plants in the study received the same amount of light, water; along with the same temperature, etc.”
Yeah, I know. I kinda want to do this expiriment myself. but im to lazy ;)
Isn’t the whole point of the scientific method to explore all the possibilities at least a few times before coming to a conclusion? I’m not too sure on that, but that seems to be what I was taught in every school I went to (and I went to a few). It just doesn’t seem to me that this kid had the kind of time and resources needed to fully explore this thing, or if he did, he didn’t give all the details. I do respect him for putting his effort into his project, and for even thinking of it in the first place. But personally, I wouldn’t base my whole outlook on music on a science project. And, looking at the way in which the “best” health standards (especially diet) are constantly changing, I have lost prettymuch all faith in health science anyway. How can you believe people when they tell you one day that coffee is bad for you, and the next day they say it’s good for you? They do the same thing with chocolate, alcohol, and even picking your nose (yes, even that). So, if you can see the way my mind works with that, you can probably see why I fail to imagine distorted sound damaging my brain. I have listened countless times to distorted sound, even from babyhood, and the only effect it’s had on me is my choice to like it. Music may be a drug, but it’s like every other good thing: it’s possible to have too much of it. I once read in a guide book on dogs (by the Monks of New Skete, very good for training puppies, but that’s beside the point) about a dog that was brought to the author that shivered constantly and was somewhat shy. Through some delving into the situation, the author discovered it was because the dog was living in an environment where there was very little or no time when there was quiet. I don’t know if that brings any light into this conversation, but it might be worth thinking about it.
And, as Sephiroth said, who wouldn’t go mad and start into a killing spree after listening to 10 hours straight of anything (nevermind what)?
Im sorry i posted so many in a row… no one really put anything on till i just checked… i let things out slowly and out of time… sorry for any problems..
Everyone… just look at it from every point of view.. this is just a suggestion…
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Rap music like Eminem 50cent is the best. yall should listen to it. it blows your mind
Classical is the way to go. I don’t listen to rock much, but when I do I get very angry. I hate it when I am angry. My mom dosn’t listen to rock because it gave her terrible night mares.
This discussion is very interesting to me,
Music is a very powerful force today, most secular music with it’s harmful and profane lyrics, (especially Eminem and 50 cent, no offense Gary) has desensitized the youth to things and pushed the acceptance of dangerous and immoral things. (Sex as license, Homosexuality as normal, hating and killing as a way to resolve your problems etc.)
I will say I have not listened to allot of secular music, for reasons of not defiling my spirit, but I have read enough lyrics to know that it is not worth my while.
I found the article above interesting, and well thought out, but reading allot of these comments has made me think there is more to it.
I found myself agreeing mostly with Jenny B, I really enjoy Christian Rock and many of those same bands as well. I am really glad to see that you found an alternative to the music of the world. I am of the opinion that music is an art, like painting it can be used for good or for bad, depending on what or how it portrays ideas or events etc.
So the content of the painting may very well precede the style.
LYRICS MATTER.
The things you listen to effect the way you view life. Does listening to someone scream out “I hate your Guts! you ***!, ****! over and over again, and Emenem’s song “Puke” does something of that, make you feel loving towards others or angry? (You could say neutral but the lyrics are not)
Those lyrics are the opposite of Christ’s actions, who showed Love, not hate by what he did. To someone who thinks Emenem is cool, I would encourage them to get ahold of a CD by KJ-52, or Manafest. The lyrics in those CD’s are drastically different from the billboard top 40 rap hits you listen to.
I think since Rap hasn’t been addressed much here I will mention it for posterity’s sake. Rap is all about the rhymed lyrics, often telling a story.
so for them to be full of anger, disillusionment and purposelessness without hope makes it worthless to listen to, if not harmful. (Eating cardboard may be worthless, eating poison, even in small amounts may be harmful.)
But to listen to lyrics that give hope, truth and purpose their proper space (aka. all of it), the music gives that vision to you.
Now the music can’t force you to feel or do anything. But ask yourself,
“Is giving this music space in my head not like eating something that is bad?” Your body may figure out its bad and reject it, but in most cases it harms you, or makes you sick.
Now as far as music effecting people for good or bad, I am not as certain on this issue, I listen to some hard rock styles, and enjoy them, but heavy metal I find essentially grating, and affects my mood adversely. I find what Jenny B said thoughtful, and correct:
” 3. Heavy music carries power. Power in itself is not a good or a bad thing, but it can be abused. Anyhow, I think that hardcore music shows the aspect of God being a powerful, warlike God… the Lion of Judah, you might say. If we leave this part of God’s personality out of the picture, we have an incomplete snapshot.”
God has many aspects to him, he also created music to reflect his creation. I really like How Tolkien described God as essentialy creating through music.
I will Quote Jenny again, (and I hope she doesn’t mind)
“6. As for the comment on the origins of rhythms, how can we be sure that even the hymns aren’t in rhythms based in pagan rituals? I have a thought that perhaps every good thing has a counterfeit or measley imitation, the imitation always of lesser quality compared to the good. A few examples I have thought of, and feel free to comment: angels/demons, prophecy/fortune telling, the works of God/sorcery, worship of God/worship of something else, encouragement/discouragement, God/inanimate objects that cannot speak or hear, forgiveness/bitterness… The list goes on. I would think this applies to music as well (godly music/ungodly music).”
Because Satan has used something perversely doesn’t cause the truth or original to become void. Some examples, “True Intimacy vs. Pornography”, “A real brotherly relationship between two men (David and Jonathan anyone?) vs. Homosexuality.
The perverse forms don’t mean that sex (as God intended) is bad, or men can’t be friends with each other without it being wrong.
I hope my comments were insightful, and didn’t offend anyone, I went on longer than I really intended too but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That we disagree about things isn’t completely bad either.
Back to the original topic to close, this article was about how does music affect you, It was incomplete since the topic of lyrical content was not really addressed, and some of the statements not solidly backed up, The commentators have spoken, The conclusion made on hard music went along with the statement about immoral lyrics, but did not speak of Christian Hard Rock, or Heavy Metal, which uses the music as a tool of communicating the hope of Christ. (Hopefully most does, but sadly not all.) That is way different than the message of Marylyn Manson (I think someone said he was his god, which is sad because he is a fallen human being like the rest of us.)
To make my case plain. There may be something to the evidence that Distorted music kills brain cells, but I am not sure of all that. I know loud music harms your hearing. But I maintain that the artists, and their lyrics, which you are putting into your mind can be more harmful than the particular effects they use.
In Christ, serving only Him.
~Shepherd
i think that music does affect you in a way that you let it. i myself have listened to heavy metal and rock all of my life and nothing bad has ever happened to me or my life. music can only affect you in negative ways if you let it. i usually listen to music if i want to learn about the world also because it has a lot of new things to tell you. music has helped me through my life instead of bringing me down into a hole that i can’t get out of. i was in a dark place and heavy metal music was introduced to me through a friend, since then i have absolutely no complaints about my life what so ever. i agree with Darcy 100% and all the way. thank you for your time and consideration.
Darcy May have had something to say, but I think that his presentation (Bad Spelling, Grammar and inappropriate language) was lost on his audience. It just doesn’t reflect well on him, or make me think what he has to say is any good. I’d hate to meet him if he talks like that in person.
I guess I assumed something in my last post, that Darcy is a guy! I apologize if I am wrong. I guess I’ll repost.
Darcy may have had something to say, but I think that her presentation (Bad Spelling, Grammar and inappropriate language) was lost on her audience. It just doesn’t reflect well on her, or make me think what she has to say is any good. I’d hate to meet her if he talks like that in person.
Wow. That research just goes to show that there are some crazy people in the world. I listen to rock much worse than Pink Floyd all of the time and I don’t go psycho and stab everyone in sight!
This is gay heavy metal music dosent make people kill. those people are just completly stupied and are prop lieing, and saying that heavy meatl kills, so the wont get into trouble. sure music motivates people, but i dont think it motivates people to kill. those people are properly just meantly ill and need help.
This is quite an interesting topic.
I was researching the affects of music on plant growth and came across this.
What’s also funny is I was listening to Apocalyptica while reading it.
Hahaha – If you don’t know who Apocalyptica are, they are a four cello band that cover Metallica.(Sometimes with Electronic instruments and sometimes with normal cellos)
So would you define them as “Classical” or “Heavy Metal”?
To be honest, I love classical. I am in orchestra, and I find the music very awesome..
On the other hand, I listen to Satanic Norweigan Black Metal. :)
The only flaw I find with your article is that there’s no real definition of “Heavy Metal”. You can’t define it perfectly, some people may consider “RocK” what others consider “Death Metal”.
Just my opinion, but Pink Floyd is very soft compared to “rock”. I would not consider them “Hard Rock”.
People tend to think classical music as old, boring, repetitive.
That’s because all the “Classics” are played over and over again. They’re boring, and non-original.
Now if you look at more Modern Classical Music (Arvo Part – 1970s or so), I find you might like it a lot more.
Oh and just to up the Heavy Metal side – I’ve been listening to Metal since my early baby years ( my dad loved it. )
I’ve also skipped a grade in school, have all AP(honors) classes and 95% of the time get straight A’s.
i do not think that rock music would make you kill some one i listen to it all the time but i also listen to hip-hop and some country the person that stabbed his aunt was probly(its abreviated) just sayin that i listen to pink floyd all the time. well other than that it was a good article and very persuasive
how do you do that? i mean i am doing a proiject what do i do
Please send me more information on the affects of music on mind ond bahavior.
Does the music you listen to affect your work in school?
Carmen~
I would say Yes, especially if you study to music. I do not have much information on how it negativly affects you (other than brain cells dying off) But many studies have been done on the positive effects of Classical music. especially on the young mind. (so much so that Gov. Zel Miller recommended a bill that would send every mother home from the hospital with a classical lulibys CD, in an effort to raise IQ)
As for studying w/music the results are inconclusive as to wether you study better with classical music or no music at all.
Trevor~ Since I have no way of “sending you info” and there isn’t too much to be found on the web (unless you have memberships to scientific orginizations) I recomend you check your library.
After reading this article didn’t make me regret at all listening to rock music. Darcy way back in november had a good point. I’ve been listening to rock/metal for about 4 years now, and i even play in a rock band. I dotn kill, i dont do bad at all in school, and im not an aggressive person. Sometimes its good to listen to it, im not downing classical music too, but i think it’s the person that is listening to the music that can effect the whole thing. You said something about a kid who was listening to the wall and he went crazy and said he didnt even remember killing the aunt. The kid had a mental imbalance of some sort, he doesnt represent all of the rock listeners in he world, me and my friends we dont kill, or go do drugs, destory everything etc. i’m sure if you got a serial killer to listen to classical music he’d still kill, sure rock will get you pumped up but its not gonna hypnotise you or make you go out and kill everybody
thank you for your time
I agree with Bob. My playlist is full of metal bands and then I have classical stuff like Beethoven and parts of operas. Metal doesn’t make you kill. If it did then there would be many dead people all over the world.
i find this article you wrote Offensive . As a person who enjoys hard rock i find this to be very negative toward people who like hard rock. I am a student and i am doing very well in school. Rock Music has not messed up my brain in anyway. As you wrote ” the youth of our nation is their addiction to the violent and harsh sounds of hard rock and heavy metal music. The damage to the sense of hearing is great, yet the hard rock music may cause even greater harm to the mind”. Just beacuse someone enjoys hard rock does not mean its messes them up. As i said before i find this article to be very Offensive. I think you should talk to other people who do listen to hard rock to understand. As far as your mice goes, i have heard of that. but anyone would go crazy if they had to listen to 10 hours of rock or motzart music. please e-mail me back about this. i would like more information about what you feel about hard rock. thank you
-dan
music is what it is, I agree that this article is offensive. I enjoy listening to heavy metal and it doesnt affect my school preformance, i read about the study with the mice and the teen who killed his aunt in a trance, yes the music can get violent but it doesnt make me kill. im doing a research paper on the effects of heavy metal and ive found alot of different information. this entire article was focused on bashing hard rock you didnt look at the positive effects or the positive studies or any thing. you also just said hard rock there are so many different genres to cover, i believe the poeple who blame music and television are some-what right but also they need to blame themselves for instance a teen killed himself while listening to ozzy, instead of finding REAL reasons his parents blamed the music. I get almost al A’s
and my dad has been listening to hard rock ever since i could remember and most of it has been alot harder then pink floyd, and the guy who said he was in a trance because of the music is full of it, he was just looking for some thing to blame
About the plants thing, the music has nothing to do with the deterioration of the plants. its obviously the vibrations the hevay riffs and beats make, if there was a fast paced classical song that was played loud im sure it would have the same effect on the plant. Plants dont have ears and the only way they like your voice is because of the CO2 that helps them grow, if you sung them an hour of havy rock im sure they’d grow just fine.
And plus Mice have a much much more simple mind then humans do. Mice arn’t adjusted to the heavy music of course they’d go crazy, and maybe you should get more resourses to support your argument, the only ones i saw are about the kid listning to pink floyd, or the mice and the plants.
Thank you
Mythbusters on Discovery Channel did a test with music/sound and plant growth and the subjected to heavy music caused the plants to grow the most.
for people who listen to metal music you guys should check out other articles like “is heavy metal dangerous” because the girl who wrote the article did a good job examining both sides to heavy metal and its artists and also check out www.turbidnorth.com
This whole page wasquite intellectual actually./Mindfully enriching.
Regarding plants.Plants don’t really “hear” music do they as bob said,they most probaly feel the beat of the music.
In which case, classical and rock music lyrics and stuff has nothing to do with it.
wow alot of these points are true but I think listening to christian rock music is a whole nother ball game. I mean, was the music christian. Why would someone want to listen to music thats not even about God. The devil wants to take controll of people who listen to
!
non-christian hard rock. thats why thigs wanted to kill eachother, because God is the way
Just a question: this discussion has been mostly about classical/rock music…what’s your take on the effects of praise and worship, contemporary christian/christian pop or hip-hop, vs. classical?
I’d like to point out that there has been a lot of discussion on this article without credible evidence to back up assertions. The only credentialed sutdy that has been mentioned is the Iowa State article (which supported the opposite side of the person who cited it). Other sources have been a BJU science textbook (the “nerve jamming” quote), an uncited reference to music’s effect on plants, and unidentified high school science fair experiments. None of these stand up to scrutiny. If anyone here wants to look at this scientifically, better evidence is needed. I’m a biology major in college who participates with the intercollegiate debate team. In debate, a major question about sources is the study’s methodology. Because no sources have been cited so that methodology can be examined, all claims one way or another about nerve jamming or plant withering are unjustified.
BTW, finding credible evidence is not hard. Within 30 seconds of searching Google, I found this quote from an agriculture professor at the University of Illinois: “To my knowledge music has no effect on plants.”
http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/archives/experts/production/0458.html
Another 10 seconds found an article from Washington State University dedicated to pointing out the problems with music-plant growth studies:
http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Bad%20science.pdf
Please continue the discussion but do so in a manner worthy of reading and consideration.
I agree with Scott B. I am a Law Major and this article made me chuckle at best.
Its interesting to see how narrow minded people can become listening to one persons point of view. In many cases our choice of music is taken from our experiences, social background, and environment. It is impossible to say that music has any overall affect on humans. No matter what experiement you do to animals or plants humans are a complex and highly evolved being and to compare any form of behaviour from anything else is utterly useless. This is why these experiments are given no real ground to stand on. Every opinion is valid but to think that one kind of music is better then the other shows a sense of ignorance. Its also laughable to take any statistics from a high school students science project and relay it to absolute fact. Also did you research into the stabbing of that boys aunt. Simply looking at a police report does nothing because that is what the officer viewed at the time. Look up the case if you can find it in the dozens upon dozens of deaths that happen in San Antonio Texas, im sure you will find more heart breaking accounts of death rather than a boy that was reaching out for help.
Your overall view of rock music affecting people is lacking Elizabeth, anyone that can flip through a newspaper or surf the internet can tape together this article in the way that you did. If you are going to write on a piece like this obtain information from both sides instead of a slanted view from your background.
I am intrigued by this discussion about music especially from the stand point of a believer. I am a minister in an inner city community and just recently we began to delve into this issue of music and how it affects our community. I believe man is triune so also is music man is spirit soul and body and music is melody harmony and rhythm. The scriptures says as many as are led by the spirit they are the sons of God and that Christ should have preeminence in our lives. I find that just allowing the soul to have preeminence over the spirit gets us off center, or when the body rules we are in greater trouble. Putting the word of God to a sound that exalts body movement or mind over the spirit will create more damage because it will mean that while we are hearing the word of God we are been trained to listen more to our soul and body than our spirit. The scriptures say we are to make melody in our heart to the Lord and I thank Ms Elizabeth for telling us about the research on the effect of music. Cigarette smoking is dangerous to our health despite the fact that there are some that have smoked till they were hundred. We can make an argument that because we personally are not affected it means the music must be good or not have adverse effect, on the other hand the Christ like thing to do is to prefer one another if someone is been adversely affected by something I subscribe to and maybe hold dear to my heart am I willing to give up my commitment to rap or rock so that some innocent gullible youngster will not commit murder inspired by a rock or rap album. I would say yes it is the Christ thing to do. What will be a good litmus test fro music we as believers are supposed to listen to? As I look around my neighbor and see young 5 and 6 years old kids involved in sexual perversion I will be a fool to ignore the power of music and videos in our community. We need to become more selfless as we deal with this issue of music. Remember Satan was master rebel he will like to use every channel to keep us shaped in his image.
Ms Elizabeth please keep me informed if you find more information concerning how music affect us. One person adversely affected by rock or rap music is one person too much.
Wonderful points, Mr. Okwedy! I have been waiting a long time for someone to bring some sense to this discussion, and it’s very refreshing to see someone approach it from a sound, Biblical viewpoint. Thank you for taking time to share your viewpoint with us.
i think your paper was very interesting but i totally dissagree. i am doing a project right this second for my english class on how music affects the mind. this paper u have written explains exactly what i need to know. i appreciate your opinion, although i dissagree, and i liked the paper very much.
thanks,
al
i’ve almost finnished my research paper and its come along nicely and even if i dont agree with your article it has helped alot i’ve found so many intresting things that contradict this article though
I am also doing a reasearch paper. Thanks for the info. however, do you really expect me to believe that since i listen to metal im completely oblivious at the time and will eventually be influenced. thats dumb. no more that me reading articles about music will eventually make me paranoid. sorry but thats plain [censored], and you know it.
Among other problems in the article, it is a bit of a stretch to call Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” hard rock, with the exception of possibly 2 or 3 cuts.
ok this whole arguement is rediculas!saying that heavy metal and hard rock distorts your mind!haha what about classical?beethoven became deaf and made him commit suicide!and he was the greatest classical composer of all time!plus classical music is the heart and soul of all music such as jazz rock and even heavy metal. alot of rock music is all classical scales. its just played with a loud instrument instead if violens and horns. heavy metal music doesnt influence people and neither does classical or any other type….period.
Hmmm….this may be true, though I hate to admit it.
Ever since I was born my siblings and I have listened to Classical music. My parents had gone to talks on rock music and how it affects you, and vice versa when my older siblings were 2 or 3. The only music played in our house was classical music.
As a result, all of us have very good ears, and can sense out of tune notes, etc. We all have better musicality then other musicians our age, and have an easier time learning and memorizing music. All our teachers credit this to our earlier exposure to classical music.
About a year ago, I started listening to rock music. I had always liked it, but as I listened to it, I could tell what my parents had been saying had been right. As soon as I turned off the music, and turned on classical, my mind felt soothed, or as if stress had been suddenly released. The notes in the classical music were organized and fit nicely, and it wasn’t a bunch of chaos put to words.
This has only been my experience with music, but I do support the fact that Classical music can provide more benefits. I still listen to rock music, though I am aware of the facts(or not-so-factly opinions as some above may think), but I try to provide a mix so I can get my “Classical dose” in.
It might be described as eating your vegetables. the classical gives you the substances that help you the most, so you should try to listen to at least come each day.
Just my two cents….
i like rock music.
rock music has very much so in tune notes. yes classical has different modes/scales and of course instruments, but so does rock as well as heavy metal.you can only use so many chords and so many notes, i know im a musician. there are 1,000s of songs with the same chord progression but they all sound different because of the way that person inturprets it. Rock music is just another way to interpret classical. like i said before all music originated mostly from classical music. rock is not just a mess of chords played to a drum beat. it has a melody line just as classical, and then it has the variation to spice it up.its just the same, instead of slow and sad sounding, its fast upbeat and really loud
haha but i understand that your not a big fan of rock because of how your parents brain washed you into thinking that rock music doesnt “fit”. to me classical sounds very sad and actually it really does make me deppressed cause i think of a sad time in my life but with rock you got a fast up beat tempo and it doesnt make you depressed at all actually it makes you fell happy.to get back to what you were saying i fell that rock music is a very popular genre and obviously you enjoy classical and i am a metal head but i believe that you simply do not like rock and are singling it out and trying to bring it down.but it will never go.
Yeah i listen to metal music a lot and i find that i often have blackouts where i wake up covered in blood.I have found dead bodies in my house and satanic rituals involving animal sacrafices in my room. I went to hockey camp for a week and forgot my IPOD and had no bloody blackouts. It is clear that rock music is bad for the mind. Or maybe it is possible i just made that up to let you know how insanely rediculous your article is.
For the record Ryan Beethoven did not commit suicide… do a little research….
Ryan,
I’m sure we all apreciate your input but lets try to steer clear of personal attcks of the author. I hardly think miss Seaward brainwashed, nor can you in any way prove it, other than her taking a side that is not popular.
Joe…yes your right beethoven did not commit suicide,i simply made an error while writing;meaning to say contenplated. i apologize. but the man still thought about it even thought he didnt do it and what does that tell you? this argument is never gonna end because you think your right and i think im right. but to you joe do you really believe that plants withered and their “growth was harmed” because of hard rock music?HELLO- plants dont have minds, nor ears eyes mouths…whats the difference?theres no way the plant withered because of noise, IT CANT HEAR.period. the experiment for one thing could have had way more variables to make the results pan out that way. im not saying they were im just saying. and Joe, im interested, what type of music do you listen to?and to steve what type of music do you like??so joe if you can find somewhere where it says that plants have ears and can hear lemme know…
I play in various orchestra’s, so from experience, not all classical music is “sad” or “slow”. All of the music I play, whether it’s slow, upbeat, or really dark, is really exciting to listen to and especially play. My opinion is that people don’t know how to interpret music without words, so they get bored. Classical music requires a sense of imagination. Once you have an imagination, maybe you’ll get it and appreciate it.
And to the kid above me, it’s not the fact that they don’t have ears or not. Rock music creates a stressful, depressing enviroment. I’m not trying to bash rock, because i listen to rock here and there, but you have to admitt, classical music gives off a better atmosphere. Different atmospheres create different outcomes.
Well I will like to say that I practically hear all day long to hard rock and I’m not brainwashed and my brain is in perfect condition, it is not being detroyed by the music I hear to cause I get very good marks in school and things alike so don’t say that hard rock destroys the brain(??) because that is not true
Guys everything is perspective. Somepeople may find rock to be giving a message to kill. others may hear someone who just had a bad day and is getting their anger out. Music is like beuty. IT is held in the eyes of the beholder
personally, i listen to rock music all the time. it doesnt really make me want to kill people, but it does allow me to wallow in self pity. i also find the energy in the music to be a great boost in my mood, but only on certain occasions. on the other hand, i also listen to artists like jack johnson, and i find that when i am in a bad mood,his music really eases my mind up. i fing the same effect with mexican music and classic rock, like the beatles. does this mean i should just drop everything and become some classical music nerd?
I Can agree with some of your argument. Me personally i listen to metal 24/7 but i’m usually nto aggressive. But i have to admit when theres times when you don’t get mad, not angry, not upset, But in a Rage, i have those more than others. For me its knowing you couldve done something but now you cant that throws me off the edge. A lost opportunity you could say. In fact just last week i was in one of those moods, so i went to blow off some steam. So the “homeboys” across the street decide that know is the best time to throw an egg at my head. I’m now in big trouble because i ended up walking over and without saying anything i punched him in the face once with enough force it would seem to knock him out. His buddies backed off, but i wasnt proud of that. Plus it tells you alot, because that kid is 6 times bigger than me in muscle mass. So know this, when someone is not just throwing a fit or putting on an act, but they’re literally in a blind rage, They’re capable of many things. I do not condone blaming the music though. Metal music helps me relive stress. And trust me, i have ALOT of stress in my life right know. But in some ways yes the music might somewhat affect the persons attitidue depending on how frequently its listened to.
Elizabeth, I just discovered this rather length discussion today, and I haven’t yet had the opportunity to read all of the comments, but I find myself amazed that there are still folks who buy into pseudo-scientific theories such as the ones promoted by your blog post.
What I find even sadder is that ridiculous arguments about such matters greatly detract from the credibility of Christians in the eyes of unbelievers.
Such arguments also create a situation where talented Christian rock musicians are unable to pursue their primary calling of using their music to draw people into the kingdom of God, without being constantly distracted by the need to defend themselves against ignorant accusations leveled against them by their fellow believers.
For the record:
In short, my open mind regarding rock music has detracted neither from my mental abilities nor from my commitment to live a lifestyle which is pleasing to God.
I don’t dispute that rock music can jeopardize one’s hearing, if one listens to it at extremely loud volumes for very long periods of time, but I just turned 50, and my hearing still seems to be excellent. (I did go through a brief period of time when I seemed to experience a tiny bit of tinnitus, but that problem seems to have disappeared, praise the Lord!) In any event, I’m inclined to think that any style of music played at similar volumes for similar lengths of time would have a similar effect.
Is rock music often characterized by an overall feeling of anger? Well, I think that’s a vast oversimplification, but some hard rock music does seem “angry” when you listen to it.
The premise that that’s unacceptable for a Christian to ever express anger rests on the willingness to ignore cases (such as Jesus’ purging of the Temple) in which anger served a legitimate purpose in the lives of godly people and even our Lord himself.
Anger, when we read about millions of unborn children being aborted, is an appropriate emotion (provided that it’s channeled into constructive acts, not destructive and self-defeating acts).
I find it interesting that many of the people who hyperventilate about the effects of rock music in terms of promoting anger don’t seem to be equally upset about the effects, on a person’s emotions, of sporting events such as football, wrestling and boxing, monster truck rallies, etc.
Your comment to the effect that rock music uses “distorted” sounds is an interesting one. The distortion used by rock musicians is merely an addition of harmonics to the original waveform, caused by driving the speakers (but just slightly, in a controlled manner) beyond the capacity for which they were designed.
As someone who received a certificate in piano tuning and rebuilding after a year of study, let me clue you in to something: ALL instrumental sounds (except for pure sine waves) have numerous harmonics in addition to the fundamental tone. That’s what gives each instrument its unique sound or timbre.
Why is the creation of a particular timbre good if it is the result of designing an acoustic instrument in such a way as to produce that particular timbre, but bad if it’s the result of deliberately overdriving an amplifier because you think it produces an interesting timbre? Beats me. If you’d care to explain why some timbres are good and others are evil, feel free to try to do so. And please cite chapter and verse of the scriptures in order to demonstrate that your opinions are supported by God’s word.
Just for the record, rock musicians typically compensate for the extremely rich harmonics in the sounds of heavily distorted guitars by simplifying the types of chords and intervals they play. When studying classical counterpoint, I was told that one should never play “parallel fifths”, probably because they sound thin when played with the instruments typical of classical orchestras. But parallel fifths are a mainstay of rock music; they’re called “power chords”. Try adding a major or minor third to a part played through a “fuzz box” or a heavily distorted Marshall amp, and you end up with an unpleasant sound that’s more like mud than music. (And forget about the complex extended chords common in modern jazz. Mud city, if you play them through such instruments!) My point is that the overall number of harmonics isn’t necessarily higher in rock music than in any other style; it’s just that it’s achieved in a different way with rock than with classical.
Another comment: While I recognize that there are cases in which the physiology of animals (or even plants, in some cases) may be similar enough to human physiology to make them useful for laboratory studies, there are other cases in which comparisons between people and animals are downright ridiculous.
For example, numerous animals are “coprophagous”, meaning that they eat excrement. Rabbits and rats (both of which are common laboratory animals) are particularly coprophagous. So a person could conclude that since eating excrement was good for rabbits and rats, it was equally good for people to do so. That would be a ridiculous conclusion to draw, for the simple reason that human beings are neither rabbits nor rats.
The “research” which tests the effects of rock music on plants and mice in order to demonstrate that rock music is bad for people seems to me to be as poorly conceived as it would be for a person to recommend that people eat lots of feces in order to achieve optimum health.
(Some “gay activists” like to argue that since some animals exhibit homosexuality in nature, gay sex is a perfectly “natural” and acceptable thing for human beings. Ridiculous? You bet. But no more ridiculous than your arguments about the effects of rock music, which are very similar in some respects.)
The bottom line is this: My beliefs about what is and isn’t appropriate behavior for me as a Christian are founded on God’s word, not on the fallible opinions of my fellow Christians. When someone can show me a Bible verse or passage which forbids the use of certain types of chord progressions, certain types of instruments, certain rhythmic styles and so forth, then I’ll buy the arguments that say or imply that rock is the music of the Devil. Until then, I prefer to focus on controversies (such as the controversies over legal abortion or illegal immigration or euthenasia or homosexual marriage) which actually amount to a hill of beans.
I have loved reading this discussion, however, I do not have the time to finish reading it (i was getting near the end and skimmed Mark’s comment).
From what I have gathered Elizabeth was basically stating research done about music hurting and helping a person. It’s a person’s choice to listen to a certain type of music or not and it is also a person’s choice to get offended or not by this article. If the article is a fact then it’s a fact… however it is more likely a generalization.. generalizations are often found in research, there are, almost all of the time, exceptions especially when judging the human species and their actions. The killing of brain cells I believe is fact.. to the extent it effects a person can obviously vary and a person may never know how much the music effected them… there are too many variables to know the absolute truth. Only God knows (literally) so if you want to find out what is right and wrong pray about it and ask God to show you. What is okay for one person may not be okay with another, just like in the bible where it talks about meat may be okay for one person but not for another. However music was created by God, the Alpha and Omega, to worship God, the Alpha and Omega. If it isn’t glorifying to God then really isn’t any value in it.
One piece of info, Satan was created as a worshipper of God with (paraphrased) gold pipes so in other words he could sing really good… he knows music, he uses it in many ways to get us to destroy ourselves and or others… Music has a great effect on people whether they like it or not or can admit or not. All I’m saying is be careful.
Something caught my eye in Mark’s comment, when he talked about anger. The anger Jesus had was indignation. Righteous anger, like most of us christians have towards abortion. The bible says “be slow to anger” and talks abounding in love. The bible also talks about not letting the sunset while you are angry. Forgiveness is key no matter what the issue. If a person is so angry that they must write a song about it and make it public then I believe it is wrong and that there is a great need for forgiveness somewhere. I’m not saying writing about your anger is wrong. Many people do, whether poetry or another form… that in and of itself is not wrong.
Bottom line, Paul urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God, that is all of us, every part including music whether it’s coming into our ears or coming out of our mouth.
God bless everyone of you!
Andrew
you know what guys, i know this topic is been too serious.but as i’ve read a sort of this topic,it’s suits me best because aside from being a music lover i’d like also discussing more about on music.but anyway for me,music is a good choice as our pastime because it can relax our mind and it could enhance our mind to think well based on the meaningful message itself that we heard.like for instances,the love song,through listening to this kind of music it could really help us a lot.moreover,through this we can encounter a sort of message and learn to it.but unfortunetly,for me music doesnt affect us perhaps it really help us.(well,this is just my comments) thank you..
Very Intersting Blog. I bumped into this article while searching for ‘’genres of music causing hypnosis’‘. I was actually looking for scientifical facts. I will really have to research this nerve jamming thing. I’ve heard it before though.
I noticed however that alot of people took the article personally. We should try to be a little more objective in the way we analyse points/opinions of other individuals. For instance, just suppose that what Elizabeth was saying was true? Suppose it does affect us in some way? The real question we should ask ourselves is this. Would I want to stop listening to certain genres of music if I new they were harming my mind or the physical brain itself? I think its fair for me to say that many of us would still have a problem with giving up the music even if the article is true. That’s the scary part, think about it.
I believe music affects us, both the rhythm and the lyrics. Why would we even love it so much if it didn’t have an effect? Music doesn’t really need us to consciously interpret it. The brain does it automatically, its like a reflex action so we cant necessarily control how it affects us especially if its something we like and don’t have a problem with.
We just need to be careful in what we let into our minds.
What Andrew said about Satan is true. It’s in Ezekiel 28:13. It talks about the pipes reffering to his vocal cords.
MARK, I’m not sure if you will read my post but I’m sure Satan knows alot about music and I dare say he may even know alloooottttt more about it than you. Don’t be offended by that its probably true. I’m just saying that maybe he(satan) uses music as a weapon to deceive and confuse us. He just needs to distort the truth by 1% to throw us all off. Satan has managed to distort, sex, creation, and a host of other things. Why don’t you think he could distort music also? Oh and Mark, God does not dwell in confusion, confusion is never of God.
On the issue of Christian Rock. I have heard that heavy snycopation can also put you in an alpha state. This is a dream like state which allows you to be more easily influenced. God does not force us or try to hypnotize us so Christian rock (or any other heavily syncopated genre) may not be so good for us afterall.
Plus its not Rock alone, all music types with heavy syncopation can possibly, (note I said possibly) affect our minds. I generally notice that music takes us into a different world and if we are being seduced or calmed/excited into a stupor, what happens to us in that dream like state? Is it that our minds become more open to hidden messages from the music?
Plus why is so hard to let go. We should not allow anything to control us so much that it becomes impossible do with out it. That includes, sex, money and music.
Just a few thoughts.
So I guess that violence, murder and Satanism did not exist before Heavy Metal. More people have died in the name of gOD than in the name of Heavy Metal
Dude, Mark, I love you. That was the best comment EVER!
i think people who listen to music wether it be rap classical or hard rock that kill or messup people its them not the music they can try to blame everything under the sun .but in the end its the people themselves.
a few words on the subject.
mark, a very thoughtful post, but inaccurate on a few points…i’m a nitpicker…
although distortion in rock music was discovered by going past the rated load of speakers, or putting needle holes in them, that has not been the case for decades. multiple cascading gain stages (done with tube amps and effects), electronic circuits (solid state), or digital manipulation is used to create distortion.
also, you talked about the types of chords used in rock music. while power chords and minor chords are the norm, most heavy metal uses a large variety of chords, it just takes practice to be able to pull off a 13th chord, or an 11th. these chords are used all of the time, but just like jazz music, it takes practice, and feel.
i am a heavy metal guitarist, and figured you could use a bit of expert opinion there.
some other points-
most of the studies she quotes are seriously flawed, as you pointed out, and some are made up and blatantly false, though i am in no way accusing her of ANY type of dishonesty. have seen this stuff before. the flower study in particular has been proven wrong repeatedly, even on television. the heavy metal plants grew BETTER than the classical ones, probably due to the vibration. (mythbusters)
not a believer, but won’t get into the god side of it, but doesn’t this make christian rock just as guilty?
interesting thread, some great thoughts, peace to all, keep thinking.
Interesting debate. i was about to have my 14 yo daughter read this, but the post by “Darcy” is just too much? Is it possible to delete his profanity? I was rather shocked that it was left on this thread? Not the entire post mind you, as it is rather pertinent to the discussion, but really, it is quite offensive to read through the profanities.
Just a thought.
The offending comments have been either edited or deleted. Those comments were posted before we had a filter, but that obviously is not an excuse, and they should have been deleted/edited when first posted. Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
music is very effective in our every day life as well as food influences our life, it defines our personality
i dont belive in god
slipknot is like the best band ever i dont care what you say slipknot rocks my socks
Imagine a community where music is in the very soul of everything we touch and see. Imagine a music that we could sing to grow things or make things better, perhaps in just moments of playing the music. I wonder if it would be possible to combine the correct sequences of musical notes so as to manipulate inanimate objects or create new ones out of thin air. I know it sounds like magic, but with everything i’ve read, it sounds logical. Music has a profound affect on everything… which is obvious. For example. When plants are grown next to hard rock music, they lean away from the source of music and die. But when grown next to a classical assortment, they actually lean toward the music and grow twice as fast as the same type of plant with no music at all. Imagine that. Music seems like it could be an awsome power if we could only find a way to manipulate it. And I would hope for the better, not for the worse.
i agree with this article strongly and it helped me with my research report for school.
wow! this site helped me do my science fair project! thanks a lot!
hey, i just wanted to say that i also thought the article was very interesting
but…i’m not sure i agree…completely
i LOVE hard rock, punk rock, music i do like to call ‘angry music’ haha
but i also love classical and opera music, when the mood suits me
furthermore, i LOVE LOVE LOVE my Lord and Saviour
i think that it has more to do with the lyrics. i have listened to all types of music, including pink floyd, influenced by my father’s taste of music
i have discovered that when i listen to secular rock music, i do feel more depressed, discouraged, and get upset easier
but i can listen to the same ‘type’ of Christian music and feel energized and upbeat (its good music to dance around to and exercise to, as well!, lol)
i usually get bored after a few songs with any other type of music, so i prefer rock, the harder the better
but anyway, i just wanted to add my two cents and say that i feel it is more about the lyrics in the songs, than the type of music
**oh, and to the guy who wrote about Beethoven, he had syphillus right?, couldn’t his inclination towards suicide have had something to do with his illness? just a thought, could be wrong
I myself enjoy hard rock and metal(christian, that is): underoath, demon hunter, project 86. I don’t like to listen to secular metal because it makes me feel bad, everytime i hear a song by ozzy osbourne a strange, bad feeling comes over me and i have to change the radio station.
-As far as the mice and plants, i would like to see data from a study on humans, though, seeing as i am not a mouse.
the plant and music genre exmeriment is a hoax.
An episode of the show MYSTHBUSTERS in,take note,DISCOVERY channel proved that myth wrong.
They tested that myth, using the same kind of plants, storing them in the same place, with the same temperature and watering them with the same amount of water. The result? the plant with metal music being played, paradoxically, grew that fastest and healthiest.Ahhh, irony of all ironies!
Metalheads, prove them wrong!
I am doing a project on if music effects balance. so like what do i do? You peeps are 2 smart
IN MY OPINION I THINK THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SEE THAT THE TYPE OF MUSIC WILL nOT . SO IF YOU DONT EVEN TRY TO THEN YOU CAN NOT EVEN TRY TO GO TO THE PLANT’S MUSIC AND THEN WE WILL. BUT YOU WIILL TOO NOT GO TO WILL TRY MAYBE
i think that this experiment would be better if it was done on a human also, instead of on a mouse. doing an experiment on a person would definitly get more people to believe and understand it more.
ok, i cant help but commenting. im a christian, and i love music. all types of music, especially rock. i think that music is very expressive and has the ability to make you feel a certain way that you would not have had you not listened. i do not think that music will solve your problems because, well, music is not God, but it sure makes you feel wonderful. its almost like a legal drug. i am an actress and when i want to get into a specific character, i will put on certain songs to help me get into the appropriate mood. i thank god for creating all tyes of music because it helps me to do what i love. I think that there are evil lyrics out there and that may possibly be a problem, but i do not think that “hard” guitar and music are wrong. music is just different sounds and instruments put together that, depending on your preference, you enjoy listening to. i think that your preference is classical. mine is rock. obviously, if i turned my volume all the way up then yes it would destroy some brain cells and my hearing, but the same would happen to you if you turned your classical all the way up. loud is loud, it doesnt matter what type of music it is. you seem to believe that hard rock is purely a cacophony of harsh sounds, when really there is an organized rythm. god created music for humans to enjoy, and it is a sin to listen to bad lyrics, but it is not a sin to listen to hard rock. if a person is not balanced and has mental problems, then yes, loud music or a scream from another would make them snap. but the music is NOT to blame. the boy who was listening to pink floyd was obviously a very disturbed young man who probably would have killed his aunt anyway, and the music just pushed him to do it as anytihng else would. satan just decided to use the music at that time, but another tactic could have been used, such as an angry call from a friend. music could not possibly “hypnotize” or drive a perfectly normal human being to murder. when you say that rock opens our minds to do bad things, that is not true. if a person is not a christian, then that is when they are vulnerable to be attackted by satan, and their minds are already opened to the world. Satan can use ANYTHING to get these people to do as he wishes.people in manhattan actually perfer to do drugs to classical music, while taking cocaine out of a giant crystal bowl. ultimately, it is a choice: you follow god, or you dont. you cant blame “harsh sounds” or “hypnotizing” beats. and you say that it kills brain cells and we should protect our sacred bodies? well like i said, its your choice of how loud you want the volume and it does not matter what genre of music. besides, there are a lot ofthings that kill brain cells, such as soccer. does that mean we shoud stop playing soccer? god gave us millions of brain cells, and ive never heard of someone losing too many and dying because of music. i personally think that you are biased because you perfer classical, and something that you dont enjoy thats a bit different must be a sin. or possibly something happened in your family and you are blaming music. do not blame the beats of guitar and drums, blame satan for possessing the minds of artists to put in violent lyrics. people with your type of mindset live in muslim nations. your attitude seems legalistic, we cant hidethe fact that we are in the world, but we are not of it.
Well, you make a lot of claims with no citation or official facts. So, I don’t see why people were saying it was well-founded on data. Give me sources where you go procured interesting information.
Don’t get me wrong. I totally agree with the statement about classical. It’s stimulating and intelligent.
But, yeah, I’ve been looking for grounded articles on the subject, and this, has no solid evidence (aka a nameless boy in San Antonio, Texas stabbed his aunt after listening to Pink Floyd. Very informative. Where’d you get this? Was it proven that it was the music? Was he mentally unstable to begin with? Who published this?). Thanks.
I admit that this article gives some very strong facts about the effects of rock music. But me and my friends have been listening to this type of music for years and so far we have shown no violent or abnormal behivaior. (atleast no more than usual lol. j/k) For one thing a mice’s mind is very different from that of a human. It would be better to try these experiments on a few people and record the findings. As for the kid who stabbed his aunt…you really dont know if it was because of the music he was listening to. that could just as easily been an excuse.
MARK I LOVE YOUR COMMENT
!! awsome argument
!
hard rock and death metal is the music that suits my attitude and personality. i listen to the music that defines me as a person. If you people want to listen to that meaningless classical bull crap then go right on ahead but dont blame a genre of music that ‘scares’ you god devoted people
! it is not the key to the worlds problems
!
We are not mice or rats (even though the DNA diff. is very slim). the music may not have had anything to do with the mice killing each other… that could have been the result of another reason.
I dont agree with your arguments and there is nothing that you can do to make me believe them. l8r! ;-)
hard rock isnt bad. this articles reader is retareded
ok, i am writing an essay on how music develops a personality.. what about the kids that listen to music just to “fit” in with whoever they feel it is necesarry to.. does that mean that they are just hypnatized into being like someone they admire so that they will be noticed as well? and does the music affect them the same if they are listening to it without true feelings for it?
Oh… and neither satan or god are real so. just stop talking about them
okay tyler… just out of curiosity. if God wasn’t real…where did we come from? how did this world come to existence?
M- AWESOME COMMENT MARK
! TOTALLY SWEET DUDE
! What you said sums up what I gotta say
! L8R peoples
T-All I Have To Say Is….......Hard Music And Such Is Not The Worlds Problem…........It Is The Way The World Interperets The Hard Music And Such That Creates The Chaos.
Laytro Dudes
(umm… that means later)
F.M.- Well Laura… You see…. Bacteria Evolved And Such … Soo…... Yeah… Thats How.
Laytro Dudes
Tribute To The Boise People
Myra- You peoples need to stop bringing God and Christ into every thing that happends! it is incredibly annoying! the music isnt satanic unless you listen to Deicide (of whom are aweome and make most of their music about satan)! its not going to corrupt you! if somebody kills somebody else then they have most likely had the thought in there head before they listened to the music! its not the music putting the idea into their head it is themselves putting it into their head! So yeah! L8R goodie goodies! ;-)
CHECK OUT DEICIDE! THEY ARE AWESOME!
i think this is really gay
! HAHAHAHAHA
!!
Another thing:
Another thing: THE MICE COULD HAVE KILLED EACH OTHER FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS!
my favorite comments were mark rachel andmyra and fugio muffin
you people rock my socks!!
how did this turn into a big discussion about the god and the devil. it was supposed to be about the effects of heavy metal and i personally beleive that its not the reason for people becoming violent. The reason people are violent is because they have something that they feel needs to be expressed in a violent manner. How does music make you violent. For us, the mosh pits and concerts are places to get away from the reality of life, not a place to go and kill somebody. What makes you so high and mighty to judge us by what we listen to, huh!?
i think that people express them selves with music and that not all people need to listen to christian/classical/rock… every thing else. they should be able to listen to what ever they want. music is art its not somthing horribale that makes people kill each other. if you saw a painting that had nudity and blood in it and it was a very popular painting, would you try to tell people that art is bad and should be looked at
i would very much like it if you could e-mail me back on your thoughts :)
i also think that animal testing is wrong… k bye
I am a Christian, and i think that rock music (personally speaking) is wrong. It awakes feelings that need not be awakened. As far as those who say that they are Christians and participate in listening to rock music, i would have to say – How are you a peculiar people? It says in Titus 2:14 that “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” I understand that many like or even love rock music but the subjects that are usually associated with it are killing, sex, and drugs. How can this be good for one’s mind? How can this be right for a Christian to put into their head? How can a Christian go to church on Sunday and then listen to the world’s harsh music and ungodly lyrics monday? As a born again believer i see rock music as nothing more than a opening for the devil to sink his teeth into our society today…it is true that the boy who listened to the pink floyd album may have been troubled to begin with – but i firmly believe that the music had something to do with it. I am not a preacher – i am not knowledgable on many things – i never claimed to be. I am just a young woman giving my opinion on a matter that seems to be affecting our youth today in ways that many are so blinded by. You may agree or disagree – that is your choice, but i will firmly stand beside my view. I think that rock music is wrong and hurts the minds of many in today’s society. And DEFINITELY should not be a part of a Christian’s music selection.
First off, I think this article is a big pile. They had the same thing on Myth Busters and the plant under the heavy metal influence grew a foot larger then the other plants. So, first thing that comes to mind is that somebody is tainting projects to push religious vendettas. Which is NOT surprising at all. Even if the rock music was killing the plant, if you think about it, you turn around and EVERYTHING these days is killing us! The sun gives you cancer, poisons in water, toxic fumes from car engines, E-coli ridden peanut butter! Life in and of itself is just one big long struggle on avoiding the inevitable death! You are all just trying to push your religion down our throats AGAIN by telling us our music is from the devil! And also, I’m sick of people blaming there actions and what they do because “the devil told me to through music”. AND YOU RELIGIOUS CRAZIES AREN’T HELPING MATTERS! I can guarantee you that Megadeth, Devil Driver, Children of Bodom, Metallica, and oh so many other bands did NOT strap these people down and force them to listen to their music! And even if their music DID “make” them do terrible stuff, IT WAS THEIR CHOICE TO LISTEN TO THE MUSIC TO BEGIN WITH, SO THEREFORE IT IS STILL AND ALWAYS WILL BE THEIRS AND ONLY THEIR FAULTS! NOT THE BANDS! Take the ex-pastor of New Life for example. He was a druggy AND a homosexual and as far as I know, I don’t remember him being an avid listener of Children of Bodom! So what does this tell me? Well kids, what it tells me (according to you of course) is that Christianity and Christian music makes me want to have sex with men and do meth! Don’t you see how irrational a statement like that is? WELL THAT IS HOW YOU ALL SOUND! I LOVE Devil Driver, and I haven’t killed anybody. You all are too thick-headed to see that this music isn’t just a bunch of noise and that it really truly does take an AMAZING amount of talent and dedication to be able to play music the way some of these bands do! To make an even larger point, before I became agnostic (after a while I came to my senses and saw the true corruption of religion) my youth pastor way back in the day had a conversation with me. I was wearing a Van Halen t-shirt and he told me “dude, I love Van Halen! He’s one of the greatest guitarists known to man!” So I asked him, “Aren’t you supposed to be all against rock music because god says it’s bad?” And he then asked me, “Doesn’t it say in the Bible that all things that God created are good?” (I answered yes), so he asked me then, “And didn’t God create the talent that he gave Van Halen?” (I answered yes). So then he said, “There’s your answer then. However, the lyrics he comes up with are of his own accord because God gave man free will. The talent however, is God given, so therefore it is good.” Case in point.
Rock and Roll ain’t noise pollution!
Rock and Roll will never die!
m/ >
Hey Mandy, I’m a Christian too, and i like rock music. Christian rock music, with good lyrics.
So do you think there is anything wrong with that?
SanctityOfAnarchy,
(just my opinion – remember that – i am NOT pushing anything down anyone’s throat
!) You are right in the statement you made, “that the lyrics he comes up with are of his own accord” – that is RIGHT
!! using his talent of singing to the Lord is one thing – writing these words that evoke all these “wrong” feelings in his own strength – tell me how that is using what the Lord gave you? and is he (van helen) using the so called “talent” the Lord gave him, is he using it for the Lord’s glory or for his own? Listen, i am NOT (once again) AM NOT - pushing anything down your throat, i am just wanting you to listen to my opinion and take it into consideration – just like i did with yours…. From what i know and what i believe i don’t think rock music is good or right – you are DEFINITELY intitled to think otherwise…. I’ll say it again, i am not a preacher, and i never claimed to know a lot…..i am just a young woman giving my opinion on what the Lord says in His word and through what i have been taught….. You may or may not have meant all those accusations of being a religious crazie for me – but i took them as so. All i want to say is what is believe and hold to, and i think i have done so…..
you are right in one thing – no one made those people listen to rock music, your right in the fact that, yes, they did listen to it on their own! BUT - that still does NOT make listening to it right – and it doesn’t rule out that it may have had some kind of influence on them. Yes, it was their choice, and ultimately their fault – but that still doesn’t change the fact that it could influence them in a wrong way – I must ask you this question, Have you ever listened to christian music – and i mean true, real, christian music? – good and right christian music talks about the Lord and how he saves souls, it talks about Christ’s love, it talks about our eternal home in heaven – rock music talks about: sex, drugs, cheating, being depressed, and love (probably not the right kind either). And yes, there may be some songs that are what you would say “good” morally – but they are DEFINITELY few and far between! Answer me this – “don’t you think that christian music opposed to rock would be better, as far as the message?” – Believe me SanctityOfAnarchy, I am not a “RELIGIOUS CRAZIE” as you said – in my last post i specifically said, “I am not a preacher – i am not knowledgable on many things – i never claimed to be. I am just a young woman giving my opinion” – and really thats all i am trying to do – i am giving my opinion on what i think would please the Lord – and i don’t think that is rock music! As far as saying that rock music is ok because they are using their talent – i don’t agree with that
seth,
! Yes, it is true that christian rock music may have better lyrics, but it sounds JUST LIKE WORLDLY MUSIC
Like the Bible already said in Titus 2:14 that “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” It says here that we are to be a peculiar people
! we are to be different from the world – and i think, personally, (and this is just my opinion) listening to christian rock is not good! it sounds just like wordly rock except for the lyrics – and this is NOT being different or seperate – it is compromising in a way. This is what i think based off what the Lord says in His word – you asked for what i thought…..i gave it
! hope it helped
If not then, you can take it or leave it – BUT - please consider what i said…......thank u!~
as far as Christian rock music goes…... If you are claiming to be a Christian, and that you are, then i must ask you, “do you believe that rock music – the world’s rock music is wrong?” If you answered yes then let me pose this to you…...if you are riding down the street, and you see someone blaring “Christian rock” music in their car – and then you see someone else blaring the world’s rock music in their car -tell me this, can you tell the difference? – They sound exactly the same
bladah bladah bladah… i dun understand how ur think that rock music affects a christian. does it cause hurt? no… im a christian but i listen 2 rock music in the train, the bus and in my school, so tell me how that is wrong. once in a while, we all listen to rock music because some of us can assimilate to what the singer is singing, we knoe exactly what the singer is experiencing, be that romance or hardship. can someone answer my questipn?
I myself listen to the music for the music, the instruments. Thats why i don’t like rap because there is no inelligent music in it. Just a simple beat the whole song. I prefer heavy metal/ death metal because there is music. I don’t really let the lyrics draw me to or away from it. So I don’t think it will make me go out and kill my friends. Also, if you listen to good metal you will get artist that can play good music and have it as complicated as classical, so it would be just as good/bad for you. I don’t think it is the distortion that will make someone angry. I think rap might make you want to be in a gang or do drugs because that’s what it is mostly about, and rap beats are just too simple and theres no thinking involved in it.
But, this is from a 14 year old guy. These are my views. I didn’t express them the best way possible in words.
What is the world coming to that we are being compared to mice? We are humans and we can each all show self-control. Mice, on the other hand, cannot. Mice know no better, plus, there are several variables that could make this experiment slightly skewed. For instance, what if many male mice were all in the rock group, as opposed to the other group, who might not have had any male mice at all. Instinct, people.
Also, many metal bands play music nearly as complex as classical, just a different form of it. You seem to have made an assumption that all heavy metal lyrics are bad and will draw you into them, hypnotize you, and turn you into a sordid, psychotic killer. There are many types of heavy metal, including Christian. You will not find lyrics about brutally murdering your aunt in Christian music, nor any subliminal messages or hints keying you to do such.
As for the person who said that Christian rock is just like “wordly rock” consider this, which one is more likely to talk about suicide, rape, ect.? Consider this, do you honestly think they made Christan rock to compremise from regular rock? NO! Of course not! The musicians who made Christian rock are ones that, quite OBVIOUSLY, are a Christian, and a “rocker”. Don’t go telling people it is exactly the same, because that is not only ignorant but also terribly untrue.
As someone else has said, Myth Busters has done one of those does-rock-make-plants-grow-slower things, and the plant grew WAY more, actually.
You know what my take on this is? People are DESPERATELY searching for an excuse as to why their kids are not doing their best in school, or getting in fights constantly, ect. However, take responsibility for your crappy parenting, because THAT IS WHAT IT IS. There is no other excuse. This is also the reason people claim that video games also make you horribly violent; some parent who’s kid went off and killed 10 people but also played Grand Theft Auto 4 hours a day needed an excuse. IF THIS IS TRUE, then WHY, oh why, why, why, has every kid that plays GTA 6 hours a day not gone around yet and burned their school to the ground?
PLEASE ELABORATE.
Is done ranting
i undertand ur opinion. BUt i here is mine and i tink ur giving both sides of a story! uhmmm… i say that this whole topic is bizarre because first of all i am huge fan of any type of music. If you all are smart you would have said someting about rap music. No offense i love it and all bt come on do u seriously think that heavy metal and rock music puts people in gangs, kill people, all that jazz! uhmm i do! People who listen to heavy metal love it thats why they listen to it so basiclly ur telling people that listen to heavy metal or rock music they are going to go out and kill! Wow
And the whole deal about the boy killing his aunt while listening to pink floyds albumn. Thats so lame the kid probly hated his aunt killed her and blamed it like on one of the best band… Like Phantom Of the Opera that guy was crazy and he listened to calsssical music so yeah stick that in ur back pocket. Next time dont judge it!
i think this topic IS lame i mean its not the music i think its the persons state of mind. i mean some “deprressing” music makes me happy…i don’t know why but i guess its just my state of mind. and i personally don’t like rap but it dissagree w/ the whole ” gonna make u do drugs”....blah blah blah! lame!
wow!! I can’t belevie that the person that wrote this said all that stuff about Metal. That is really stupid. I LOVE ROCK music and it is always put down. It is not fair. The 80’s was the best time for rock and was better music than today…...PERIOD
Hello Phantom of the Opera! That guy was crazy and that movie was all about Classical Music.
The general closed mindedness of society certainly shows through in this blog article and many of its responses.
Before I go on I say something about the music I listen to and play, my beliefs and me. I listen to any music that I feel has a positive effect on me. Genres include rock, classical, hard rock, metal, reggae, grunge, funk, blues, country, folk, hip hop, jazz, punk and more. I played a bit of piano when I was younger but settled on learning classical guitar. Now I play both classical guitar and electric guitar and I play and write songs in a rock, funk, and progressive kind of band. In addition to that I am a uni student studying a totally unrelated discipline at honours level. I don’t believe in any particular religion even though I believe that there is more to the universe then we know as there are so many unexplained things. I believe a lot of modern religions are corrupt and more like organisations that are exploiting people. Religions are being blamed for wars when some conflicts really have nothing to do with there religion and people are deliberately misinterpreting the teachings of there religions. I’m not saying that there is no god or an afterlife or anything just that I disagree with the separate religions and organisations that really could unite and have a lot in common. I don’t agree with everything that is taught in every religion although something’s I do agree with and I use that in my own life but not from one specific religion.
Firstly, as Neil said, the credibility of a school kid’s science project should be questioned. I’m sure if I used this as a reference in a uni project I would lose marks because of the bias and the credibility of the experiments involved.
My biggest problem with this thread is that people tend to be saying things about rock and derivative music that simply are not true. People saying it teaches you to take drugs, kill etc.? Seriously have you ever felt the music and listened to the words? Perhaps they were to hard for you to comprehend? Whilst there is so much music out there that I have not heard it all I cannot comment on music telling people to kill but I haven’t heard anything of the sort. At the most there might be themes of revolution and rebellion. But mostly that music is trying to educate people and give them the choice and make them think about what is really happening in the world. Whilst some rock lyrics might describe drugs and some may even promote it, there is a lot that negate drugs. Many bands I listen to lost people close to them from drugs, even band members and often have themes that reflect there disapproval of them and the loss that they might occur (hard drugs and addiction at least). What is most annoying is when someone says “that songs about drugs”, simplyfing it to one word when it is really about so much more. Someone said something about sex themes, well seriously what so bad about that, it results in life right? I could go on forever talking about themes but I suggest some of you people really listen to the music. Some really “distorted” music you will probably find actually has positive themes but many reserved people shield themselves from it, maybe they are scared that it will unsettle there perfect view of the world which religion encases them in.
Someone wrote the following in regards to rock and hard rock music “the most common effects I have noticed in people is anger and frustration at the world”. Again why wouldn’t you be angry and frustrated at the world. Look at the facts. Right now there are bombs being dropped and shots being fired in the current wars going on (isn’t it funny that religious people don’t like the killing themes in music but many are involved in this? not to mention a lot of rock music you will find is against war and is for peace). Many countries governments are keeping people ignorant, keeping them scared and feeding them propaganda. Whilst some people are making billions of dollars the average person is working hard and stressing themselves out getting paid little and not asking why? In some countries people are just starving. Some people are born with everything some born with nothing. Some are born handicapped and some just suffer through there whole life. How about cancer and all the other problems that people have to endure? No one is really equal and very few are free. It was not that long ago that slavery was abolished, although i’d say it still happens to a degree. The world and life is not perfect by any means and any one that tells themselves that it is are kidding themselves. You are the ones that are hypnotised. Snap out of it and really think about what’s going on!
Now in regards to slavery isn’t it strange that blues music came out of this which then later influenced rock, funk etc? People suffering created this music to make them feel better; it has nothing to do with the devil. In fact why are people even saying that African beats had things to do with satanic rituals when those people were not even Christian, to them Satan at best wouldn’t be known and if it was it would be merely a word in their vocabulary.
Finally getting back to classical music, I feel that a lot of people who responded here are just plain ignorant. Classical music was a period of music, it is extremely diverse. Some of it broke musical boundaries; some were just made as entertainment for the few that could afford it like kings. All this talk about heavy metal leading to killing, well did you ever stop to wonder if people that listen to classical music might be murderers? Did you ever stop to wonder if any classical musicians committed suicide or contemplated it? Did you even really listen to the music and find similar themes to rock music such as the pain, sorrow, depression, frustration, chaos that can be found in a lot of classical music. How about Beethoven, life certainly wasn’t fair to him, his one love, music compromised by deafness (luckily he could still compose and found ways of using his other senses to still feel the music). Again I could go on for a long time about the topic but I won’t.
Is classical music really that different to modern music in the themes and what it sets out to achieve? I really just think its natural progression. It’s true that there’s a lot of modern music out there that does not match the quality of classical music, but remember the classical music really has stood the test of time and you probably don’t hear absolutely everything that was around at the time. Modern technology has helped in this day an age to get everyone’s music heard. It is a bit unfortunate that record companies still decide what music will be heard because there is lots of good music out there that many people do not get exposure to unless they actively seek it out.
The point I am trying to make is stop being ignorant, listen to rock music, various kinds of rock music and find out what it is really about. Think about how you feel and you make the choice whether it effects you positively rather then simply believing that it will harm you because you are told so. Don’t be scared to investigate things you don’t know about, just because something or someone is different in any way from race to the way they dress doesn’t mean that it or they are evil and harmful. Some people seem to be scared of expression and do not understand it properly.
I firmly believe that the music I listen to helps me in many different ways whether it is classical or modern music. Listening to a haunting, chaotic, melancholy feeling music whether it be Rachmaninoff, Beethoven or a modern rock/metal band might be just what I need to help come to grips with those feelings and emotions and overcome th3em. Angry music might help me let out some stress. I know that when I play guitar or piano I generally have this amazing feeling come over me, I can let a lot of frustration out or simply sit there peacefully and play something that is very nice and melodic. I am not naïve about distortion either, you see musical distortion can be very sweet sounding; amps usually make it so that it is rich in overtones. Educate yourselves about some basic sound physics and amplifiers and find out more about it for yourselves.
I can keep talking about the subject matter for a long time but I won’t. Just keep in mind that classical music addresses the same feelings as modern music, it is just a different medium. Also start thinking about things from an objective view point rather then keeping yourselves ignorant. Please excuse any spelling or grammer errors. I do not have the time to check.
To all those who have responded back and forth on the issue of rock music having studied both sides for the past 8 years and interviewing people all over the world on the subject and having been on both sides of the fence ie playing base in rock bands for 3 years then being a sound technician for another 4. I was addicted to rock music, at age 30 was converted to christianity through seeing a movie called Rock n Roll seminar. A very old documentary on the power of music. Live interview with Jim Morrison of The Doors. This exposed me to things I had never seen or heard before you could say to the spiritual side of music. And believe me there is a spiritual side which is undeniable after much study. To really understand music I believe we must go to origin and first mention of it which was before humans were created. Lucifer the morning star with music upon his wings. Question to christians. Are we more intelligent than this heavingly being created before our time? CCM Christian contempory music. The word con-temporary means “with the culture.” Question. Who is the God of our culture? If we are to just look back over the last 50 years, when was rock first introduced to our society? What came with that? Anyone who listens and loves rock or the music of this culture (and this is the only culture in history world wide that is so permissive, lawless and self orientated) you can be sure you will find them immoral in either thought or deed. Their dress is also culturally bound. I’m not saying that we are to stand out to the extreme either because that is just another form of pride and self righteousness, however we should be governed by a love to be modest and this culture does not display that modesty along with the music choice, in or out of our churches. To those who do not know the love of Christ and have stumbled onto this web site, you don’t have to kill anyone physically to prove that rock music is not good for you, because Jesus said that anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, so a question to you is do you have good thoughts to everyone you know, think maybe of how you feel towards your parents. Just some of your responses in these reply’s show that your thoughts are not good at all. That’s the reason Jesus came to earth so that you may have your thoughts transformed. You are why He died. No you can’t change your thoughts because you are under the power of satan, if you don’t believe that then try and change! No my friend you cannot change. When you believe that He died for you and you put your faith in Him then you will be changed from the inside out not by anything you do or listen to but by His power and then you will find the music does not have such a hold on you anymore and for those who profess christianity the same applys we are to be guided by The Holy Spirit in everything we do and listen to. If we have aggression towards people who do not hold of the same opinion as ours then we already have a wrong spirit which is not The Holy Spirit, so check your spirit before debating on any subject, you will be held accountable for it. Jesus will make plain what is of Him and what is of this world. Sorry for talking to long, I have much more to say on the subject but feel I have said enough. May God open your eyes and ears to hear what He wants to say. Diane
Uh… we tried out the same experiment on hamsters-
5 hrs music per day, run through radial 6 arm maze (like they use in labs) 3 times a week for about 4 weeks now. ALL our classical hamsters died:
2 were killed by another hamster.
1 died in its sleep.
1 escaped, then after we got it back, it died the next day.
We had to keep on replacing them.
However, in the control,
1 was killed by another hamster.
And in the rockers,
NO DEATHS!
And the time they take to finish the maze is about the same, with almost the same number of faults.
So, I think we can conlcude that Classical and Rock music have similar effects. I think that it may be that the culture surrounding rock and heavy metal is what influences people in that manner. As for the plants and Merrel’s rats, I have NO idea
Helo, I just wanted to comment on the article that you published. It was very niely written article but you failed to mention some things. But my main question is why did you decide to compare and contrast classical and hard rock? And also why weren’t other genres of music mentioned? If you were going to do an experment, you should have included all other types of music such as country, rap, hip-hop, maybe even alternative..But at the end of your article, it sounds like you are being a little biased.
“We can choose to strengthen our minds with classical music and reap the benefits of a higher IQ and clearer thoughts. Or we can muddy the waters of our brain with the dark thoughts and hypnotic powers of hard rock and heavy metal music. The choice is yours.”
So if I listen to heavy metal then I will tarnish my brain with thoughts of violence, drugs and other dangerous habits. But if I listen to classical, I shall save myself from such destruction? yeah….The majority of my friends I know listen to heavy metal and they are not out on the streets, commiting crimes. I, too, listen to heavy metal but it is a way to help me be at peace.Although many may not understand, for me, heavy metal helps me perform better and improve myself. It helps me be me.It is the only friend i know that will not turn its back on me or judge me. It is the only thing that has been there for me through hard times . People can’t judge me for that based on some cases where there are killing involved. And people find out that that person listened to heavy metal, then they think,” oh it’s not his fault, it was the music.”————. If people are looking for someone to prosecute then look to the person who commited the crime. I’m sorry for the rambling…but i just wanted to put my two cents in. Anyways, good job on this piece of work.
So if distortion destroys brain cells, does music coming out of 25 cent earbuds or out of the built in speaker on a radio, lcd, etc. destroy more brain cells than music coming out of a set of $300 Bose speakers?
And what do you think about a techno remix of an opera?
(on another note, please delete all the spam above this)
Your a little biased aren’t you mate?
:/
We’re all different. Our ears fall in love with all types of music
Do not blame a genre on someones actions
What if someone liked two genres?
My boyfriend loves metal music mixed with classical
Will he kill me ?
:/
Dont think so, darling.
Uh, could somebody PLEASE delete the spam?
Anyway I, a Christian who listens to classical and oldies music (including rock, folk, blues, and jazz styles), do agree that we should be careful what music we choose to listen to, based on how complex the musical structure is and how moral the lyrics are. However, I don’t believe that any music is inherently evil or anything like that. I just believe that some genres like rap and minimalist rock are inferior. That’s just my opinion.
Well there is different types of music that they didn’t talk about there. Plus, are they talking about rock like Heavy Metal things? or like rock music like the Rolling Stones? Because it really depends on they type of music that is played during the experiment.
Very interesting article. I’m doing research for my science fair project and this helps a ton! Very good argument.
Hey, everyone, read this: http://plantphys.info/music.html.
Here’s a quote:
Yes there are some quack “scientists” who have claimed that (in highly flawed experiments) certain kinds of music caused improvements in plant growth…but no such claims have met the rigor demanded for publication in respected journals. Such projects are often labeled “pseudoscience” because they fail to explain the control of critical variables, nor do they specify replication levels, nor do they show actual data or the results of statistical testing.
There really is not much good information about the effect of music on plants because all attempts to do controlled studies on plants and music result in “no difference”. Any “differences” between a music treatment and a no-music control (or other-music treatment) in pseudoscience studies can almost always be attributed to some difference in other variables in the project which have not been suitably controlled (light, water, fertilizer, soil type, humidity, etc.).
So, as for the TV shows and trade-books, not all “science” is good science. Beyond seismonasty in species like Mimosa pudica described below, there are no articles on musical appreciation or musical tastes of plants in reputable science journals. Some trade books and even some educational texts and software have given projects on musical appreciation by plants more respectability than is deserved. These are good examples of “not everything you read in print is to be believed.”
Hope this helps. Seeya!
Oops! Here’s the link: http://plantphys.info/music.html
Sorry, I accidentally put a period on the end.
I honestly can say otherwise chica. I normally listen to hard rock [like right now, it’s Thrice]. Some have good messages like UnderOath, Norma Jean, and those others. So, you can’t say these types of bands cause peeps to do drugs when their campaining agaisnt drugs.
I don’t like classical or rock. Both irritating. I find it interesting how people vary so much in music – It seems to reveal something about who we are in a deeper sense. Maybe not though, but I would guess so – since we hold it so deeply to ourselves. You can tell a lot about a person just by knowing what music they listen to, at the same time – often the styles people enjoy catch you off guard. I guess, the reasons are complex, and while we can guess the reasons. (i.e. that kid gravitates towards emo cause he’s a depressed kid who fusses over himself all day and his parents don’t understand him, or she listens to classical because she’s very smart and interested in reading) shows only a piece of the picture.
For instance, I listen to trance music constantly – some people would guess a person listening to trance is into “partying” but, for me I’m doing more meditative listening. My mind is very frenetic and trance allows me to most effectively catch up with the OCD and ADD and frenetic thinking to gain a new perspective. For me, I can also listen to very ambient electronica music though. It’s the inbetween stuff that irritates me. It feels like its on a different rhythym than my mind generally wants to operate on. It keeps wanting to speed up or slow down. Pop music, rap, its on a terrible bpm for me.
I also went on a music / tv fast for almost a month and realized how hard it is to go on end without these mediums, at least once we’ve been initially exposed to them, and when a part of modern society.
i love this article and the way it was written and with the way the argument was presented with facts. i do however disagree with the fact that metal music causes people to lose control over their actions and be left vulnerable to the bands messages of drugs, sex, and anything else. the best argument that i can present is to go listen to demon hunter, emery, or it dies today. these are heavy metal rock bands but they have positive lyrics, two of the bands are christian bands and express their religion through their lyrics. also i listen to strictly heavy metal and it hasn’t afected me too much. i am still one of the smartest kids in my classes and i feel no need to kill anyone. i do feel depressed and angry at times but it is not due to the metal music it is due to problems that i am faced with in my everyday life. also i find metal to be somewhat soothing and love to listen to it all the time. i am also the lead vox/vocalist in an extremely heavy metal christian band so i am exposed to metal as much if not more than all those hardcore metal heads.
Hi everyone, here’s the link: http://plantphys.info/music.html (there was a period accidentally placed on the end)
Oh, I have another website: http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/mozarteffect2.shtml
It basically disproves the significance of the benefits of listening to classical music.
Man, when are we all going to realize that this is unscientific rambling? I mean, I don’t even like heavy metal at all, but this article just isn’t very strong. There is no bibliography (that’s a rather significant omission!). It mentions plant experiments with music while there is really only ONE plant species that is scientifically proven to respond to music, and either way its response is negative. Also, I have never seen a scientific article that displays parallels between a mouse’s brain and a human’s. Concerning the last paragraph, any connection between classical music and increased intelligence is unscientific media hype (which rather disappoints me because I really enjoy listening to classical music!) There is much controversy over the accuracy of all this “science”.
Music is very, very powerful toward good and evil. Don’t let any other human tell you differently. God gave each one of us the choice to follow Him or satan, and it is not to be treated lightly.
!! He stayed turned inward all of the time, and his fears intensified. I thank God for helping my precious family through this because it WASN’T about our music PREFERENCES but rather ALL OUT SPIRITUAL WARFARE!! Don’t think that it’s not, not even for a second. Each one of your lives is too precious to the Lord so guard cautiously what goes into your ears and settles in your heads. I am not an extremist by any means. However, I do love the Lord Jesus with my entire being, and it is His powerful love that has sustained and saved my family from the satanic influence. I give God the glory for opening my eyes and ears to what my son was experiencing. He is 31 yrs. old now and writes and plays acoustic guitar. He and I have even recorded a couple of songs before to bless specific people that have touched our lives. He will probably always live with us due to different struggles, but I have gone so much deeper into realizing how precious life is and who God created us to be, His beloved children because of my son’s suffering. Depression can be a horrid time, and the distorted, ear-piercing sounds of heavy metal was dragging him down to the pit of hell.
! Our class motto is “Learn to love like Jesus”. Instead of repetitious class rules, that focus is our guiding light. God bless you all for listening and sharing honestly what you think at this point in your lives. I simply leave you with one scripture—....for apart from Me, you can do nothing. Jesus (look it up and be blessed)
I have worked with elementary kids for several years, and I can see for myself up close and personal the effects that music reaps be it healthy or unhealthy. Jehovah blessed us in the first place when He gave us voices to praise Him. I can also use that same voice to be silly with my kids and just laugh!! Music should produce life and not death.
I have an adult son who is bipolar and has obsessive-compulsive disorder. In the 9th grade, we took him out of school because that is when the suicidal tendencies began. He was a very fearful person full of anxiety and was extremely drawn to heavy metal. I refuse to call it music. God gave me an intense course in all kinds of music because I needed to KNOW what was going on in my son’s head and heart. It fueled his anger big time
I teach music to children kindergarten through 6th grade. I listen also to what they have to teach me each day which is alot. They cause me to grow in the Lord, and they love to sing. God has given me a huge responsibilty so I take it very seriously. We have also been known to go outside with huge bubble wands and listen to Christian music. And yes, like some of you so aptly stated, I even have to be aware of that music even though the words are encouraging and uplifting. Do I have all the answers to this question??? NO! But is God the One in control of my journey, YES
I understan where you are coming from with this article, but I can tell you from another point of view I am a 16 year old girl who grew up in church I am a firm believer in christ. I have seen some negetive results from friends listening to rock but I have also seen youth listen and have no affect. I firmly believe that it depends where the person is at in life, which will affect wether or not it affects them. A friend and I love rock music but we are also both singers at our church and we both love classical, worship music. So this music has had no affect on us what so ever.
i don’t get it. i’m doing a project on the effects of heavy metal on adolescents. does it influence them into bad behaviors such as drugs, sex,suicide, and alcohol? comment back to help this poor person figure this out =]
You all speak about distortion as if its a tool invented specifically to make things evil. Distortion is just where you have an electrical signal and the signal becomes too big for the amplifier its being run through and so the amplifier clips off the top portion creating that beautifully out there sound when you play an electric instrument with such a signal. I cannot see why your brain would react so horribly to just a way that electricity is modified. If anyone can supply me with a reason that sucha signal would damage your brain I would love to be told because I play electric guitar and my sustain and sound just sounds soooo much better when I play it with a clipped or distorted sound but if that is going to damage my brain I’d quit immediately.
Does Hip hop and pop affect people just as much as rock and classical?
How?
This was really well written and it helped me understand the risks of listening to rock and heavy metal. Thanks!
-Stargirl
hello.
im in school right now and im doing wokr on how music affects you.
to be honest we arent mice. and rock music is not always so bad there are so many different genres . its annoying that people always say that the Emotional rock is only for depressed people when infact it isnt. im not depressed and i listen to it , but i just like listening to the Smart lyrics.
i dont have a grudge against classical i actually think its calming unlike rock i agree.
But i always listen to rock music and doesnt make me angry and want to go an kill people to be honest.
i thought i would say that . i feel quite smart :) haha dotn be mean to me for voicing my opinion LOl im only 15 and sticking up for rock music. :)!
Bye xxx
I do not think that metal is all that bad because I know many metal heads like myself who r very bright.
also it is not the music that causes people to have weak hearing… it is that they have the volume turned up to high so that it is blasting through their headphones… that is what causes them to lose their hearing not the genre of music.
As a believer in self-progression, and self-improvement, I am extremely concerned with this talk of ‘harmful’ music – not because of any moral implications, but because my precious and one-off mind may be under aural attack!
My musical tastes are truly varied and widespread; I happily dip into more-or-less anything, though not heavy metal, techno,or rap/hip-hop. Now, surely any such deteriorating effects on the mind are produced from the volume of specific sounds – and an extreme duration of exposure, overall? In any case, what I consider to be soothing or stimulating may indeed repel another and lead to a difference in opinion.
Listening to classical, orchestrated, and generally peaceful music is something I happily do; but, I would never wish to apply my ears solely to this branch of sound. In any case, I find symphonic progressive rock to be just as satisfying a style to slip into, when desirous of relaxation.
I was beginning to feel the pleasures of smoking, upon realising that eventually, cells (and in the long-term, my overall IQ) would suffer as a result, – I promptly ceased participating in this pastime. I was happy to so; I lost nothing. However, the idea of avoiding various categories of music, which can reach to far greater levels of creativity and influence, than the classical genre, seems to me to be absolutely extreme. We can talk of saving brain cells…but eventually, we must begin to wonder: what for? It makes sense to seize life and live for a little, than prolong and endure through a shallow existence of self-imposed limitations.
Actually, upon further inspection of the posts in this topic, it is apparent that many of you are afraid of ‘trance-like’ states of mind, and perceive a real danger. I think you are, for the most part, simply opposed to a temporary expansion of the consciousness; to ‘lose yourself’ in a hypnotic stream for a brief spell, can be highly satisfying, possibly rewarding, and always interesting.
Hey thanks.. this was a big help for a bias school project i had to do…. i know what you think of pop music, but whats does rap do.. i would think it to be the same
my favorite band are the beatles… that is classic rock.. is it still bad?
I would like to state that your article is very interesting, but I would like to know where you get your facts such as “hard rock” killing brain cells while classical rejuvenates them or a kid going into trance while listening to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and killing his aunt. I would also like a list of various band’s which you consider “Hard Rock” because Pink Flody is anything but “Hard Rock”. I have been a fan for Pink Flody for years and have found such songs as “Wish You Were Here” to be inspirational in losing a loved one and they have a soft tone like 3/4 of thier songs. With me, Music has to have meaning behind the lyrics(although you stated plants can’t understand English), but what about bands with piano’s or other instraments associated with orchestra’s. Do those band’s such as The Fray, The Wallflowers, Keane, etc. count as a Hard Rock influence.
The things I do not like about christian study is that they seem to put all music into one catagory when their are multiple sub-catagories which different types of music can fall upon. Like for Rock-Punk, Metal, Hardcore, Alternative, Trance, Acoustic, etc.
i think that this article needs some serious editing…i happen to be a fan of hardcore/heavy metal rock music and nothing has happened to me. There are certain reasons why i listen to it and it DOES NOT make me want to stab my aunt to death! I also happen to be black and that has nothing to do with me listening to hardcore/heavy metal rock. I actually listen to christian bands like UnderOATH, and Inhale/exhale and sevral other hardcore/heavy metal rock christian rock bands. I dont think that the music does anything do you and that maybe you should listen to OTHER alternatives than just basing your article on some kid who did an experiment and some kid who stabbed his aunt to death listening to Pink Floyd. That’s just one band who isnt even heavy metal!! just a thought from a 17 year old black girl who listens to heavy metal
I think if you look at the aspects of rock music you have to remember… Rock music did not just come out of nowhere. It was revolutionized from other forms of music. And most of the music that came before rock was Blues.
And Classical even if it’s just instrumentals some we’re happy or sad effecting the brain just as much as any other types of music.
I know there were impacts on animals when they were tested with music. But if you remember they are not the same species as we are. The same as when scientists do testing on animals with ingredients and such, they will have a different reaction then what we do. They cannot tell us their feelings about music.
I’ve listened to rock music all my life, I was grown up on it. I haven’t felt like I wanted to kill myself or anything like that, or get into drugs.
If you ask me a person cant be judged by the music they listen to because you are responsible for your own actoins I think music is just an easy target to blame it all on.A person can listen to hard cora rock then also like poetry or rap because thats just the style they like and its just what there in to and like to here.thats like how they say you cant judge a book by its cover, you cant judge a person bye what they listen to.
Thread seems kind of old, but I’ll post anyways.
Your article seems to re-address “heavy metal” and “hard rock” in reference to “damaging” music sounds. I partially agree, but not totally and here’s why:
A sizable amount of heavy metal and hard rock (or any form of popular music, really) is monotonous. That is, it’s crushing, repetitive, and sonically uninteresting. This is in contrast to classic music which is marked with complex dynamics and sonically consistent harmonics. Your mention of animal studies doesn’t carry any weight with me in it’s application to humans, as our brains take in and synthesize music differently than lab mice. However, I do think that low-tuned, bass driven, repetitive noise blasts can numb the brain to certain degrees (and even then the results are largely negligible).
There is a way to have distorted, “jungle beat” influenced rock music with all benefits of classical music and none of the bad supposed side-effects: the answer lies in “alternative rock.”
Real alternative rock differs from run-of-the-mill heavy metal and hard rock in that it smartly applies the same start-stop/loud quiet dynamics found in classical music. The compositions can be highly abrasive one moment, soft and melodic the next. The musical compositions tend to be more complex when dealing with harmonics and sonic variety is used in ever more compelling ways.
The correlation is simple: interesting music stimulates and captivates the mind, and monotonic, monotonous music adds no benefit at all. I postulate that there is intellectually conducive rock music and that the decision ultimately lies in your taste for
smarter music in general. There is art. And then there’s noise.
But art-driven noise? That’s having and eating the cake too ;)
Yo, I know this whole thing is really old, but I couldn’t help but leave my two cents.
I read most of the comments above and what I’m confused about is how rock music is generally equated with modern sludgy nu-metal bands and hardcore/metalcore bands. I can understand people calling a lot of those bands negative. On a tangent, I do think it’s interesting that a lot of the more popular bands in the metalcore genre do seem to be Christian in nature.
Back to my point though. How is that covering all of the rock music spectrum? I don’t know if any of you have heard the song “Guiding Light” by Television, but that has to be one of the most uplifting songs I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song with this wonderful guitar line that comes in about halfway through the song and again at the end. It always puts a smile on my face.
Another example would be “Mogwai Fear Satan” by the band Mogwai. It’s instrumental and relies heavily on distortion, but once again, it’s an amazingly beautiful song. It has a very positive sound. It’s really hard to put it into words. However you get your music, be it p2p file sharing, iTunes or Wal-Mart, you should hear at least those two songs.
I’m also offended by people disregarding rap music as a viable art form. There are a plethora of rap artists that don’t do the whole gangster and violence thing. Blackalicious has a great song called “Shallow Days” when it’s their way of telling everyone why they AREN’T a gangsta rap outfit.
Yes, music is powerful, but when it’s good, it’s quite possibly the most wonderful thing on Earth. I can listen to any genre of music from the most basic pop music to the most brutal grindcore, but if it’s good, it’s good.
If anyone has no other way of obtaining those songs, I’ll send them via e-mail to any interested parties. Just drop me a line at frumpleorz@gmail.com. I’m always happy to help people find something good to listen to. I’m terrible at ending things, so here’s the end.
-Ian
Is there an eleventh commandment? Thou shalt not listen to rock music? Did Paul mention in Revelation that when rock music comes in the late 50s=early 60s, we shouldn’t listen to it? I think this was lost on all of you.
What about hip hop and par. i listen that tpe of music and i dont see any diffrence in myself
wow this is very interesting. i am currently doing a project on plants and music and i am finding similar results. keep working hard
!
i listen to hard core rock and well anything that would be classified under rock and i have the music on all the time so thats 24 all day everyday and during school i have the ear buds in my ear all the time and i am not violent or attepmted to kill any one…well i get that way and think about killing is when im mad. When i dont listen to rock then yeah i play classical music on a violin and sometimes i listen to it and im not smart or nice or anything. so i woulndt say it balences out. I would say that im more “violent” then classical but i do listen to more rock.
I think that Heavy metal music is realy good and that people who kill other people while listing to it are not killing cause of “the music hypnotised them”. They know that they are dind it and they want an excuse to do it when they get caught by the police. also kids dont kill there self cause of the metal music they want to hear there favorit song one last time before they die. so who every says i am wrong is stupid for saying that i love listing to heavy metal music and i am not santanic i am agnostic and dont realy care for religion were all just going to die.
Huh…thats funny because i’ve conducted an experiment twice on plants where one set is listening to nothing, one set listening to classical, and one set listening to a wide range of rock/heavy metal, and the heavy metal set grew the most in both scenarios.
Even in the popular TV show mythbusters this was proven…the classical plants died off and the heavy metal plants looked like they were on plant steroids and grew SOOOO much more…and the peas on them “tasted better”.
So where is this mice experiment where they “try to kill eachother” and since when has heavy metal killed plants? Every other experiment contradicts yours my friend. Lets see some sources bud…
And for what it’s worth i’m a metal head achieving a 3.68 GPA at a college prep private school…metal isn’t killing my brain cells, if anything metal stimulates them.
I cannot agree with this. I have grown up listening to metal, and it has had absolutely no negative effect on me. I am not a violent person with brain cells that have rotted out. I am an honor student, a devout Catholic, and a Boy Scout, as well as a devout metalhead. This article comes across as very mean-spirited. I appreciate the fact that you did not draw religion into the mess, or call metal and hard rock “devil music”. I have seen this brought up far too often. The idea thast it destroys one’s brain is a new idea…one that I find false.
Metal music made me who I am, and I am a proud metalhead. Metal is music that comes to life. It is a brotherhood, a sense of family. It is not just screaming guitars and blast beat drums. It is a message, a blessing…it is an art. It has never hurt me. It has made me stronger, made me have a good reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Ms. Seaward, I will not judge you. Your article is well-written, and you seem passionate. My only advice is this: if you dislike metal and hard rock, don’t listen to them. But please, do not enforce your opinions on the rest of us. Please do not grab hold of paranoid, strange, and likely untrue theories about our music. It only offends us, just as a devout Catholic would be offended if you said that the Church seeks only to make money off of its members.
Thank you,
A Metalhead