Is Music Neutral? What do you think?

• Fabian wrote on 2011-10-23 16:24
  So I was looking around in google regarding liking music without understanding its lyrics and I came upon this essay:
  
  http://www.av1611.org/neutral.html
  
  Even thought it's from 1995 (?), it still intrigued me and I'm currently looking around google for more information regarding this.
  
  Please ignore the things regarding religion since although ironic, they have nothing to do with the topic.
  
  What do you think?
• Sumpfkraut wrote on 2011-10-23 17:23
  Well I'd love an explanation for how wave movement can possibly be the leading cause in the death of plant life. Or, at the very least, a source, because that claim is more than doubtful. Also, average rock music hardly even comes close to some of the more aggressive classical pieces in... aggressiveness.
  
  And yeah, music is thousands of light years away from being emotionally neutral, but there is not really a inherent moral aspect to it. Scary music may give goosebumps, but it doesn't make you an angsty nihilist, marching music may make you rush with excitement, but it doesn't make you a political follower of dubious ideas, hard metal music may give you a rush of adrenaline, but it doesn't make you a raging wifebeater. Those changes in emotion are all momentarily, even where they do occur to an extend that an excessive action as the listed ones may occur, those changes will be undone after you stopped listening to it and the hormonal balance has been normalised again, it's the same as with the adrenaline rush when playing shooters.
  
  
  Also, it's kind of funny, some exemplary googling for this Dr. Adam Knieste didn't yield anything besides references from sites such as these, all referring to either none or the exact same source, which in itself is merely an alleged quote which I boldly assume to be made up.
  
  
  It's a piece of deceitful ****.
  
  
  And the things regarding religion do have to do everything with the article you provided, because baptist extremism is the sole raison d'être of this scribbling.
• Fabian wrote on 2011-10-23 17:37

  Quote from Sumpfkraut;632277:

  Well I'd love an explanation for how wave movement can possibly be the leading cause in the death of plant life. Or, at the very least, a source, because that claim is more than doubtful. Also, average rock music hardly even comes close to some of the more aggressive classical pieces in... aggressiveness.
  
  And yeah, music is thousands of light years away from being emotionally neutral, but there is not really a inherent moral aspect to it. Scary music may give goosebumps, but it doesn't make you an angsty nihilist, marching music may make you rush with excitement, but it doesn't make you a political follower of dubious ideas, hard metal music may give you a rush of adrenaline, but it doesn't make you a raging wifebeater. Those changes in emotion are all momentarily, even where they do occur to an extend that an excessive action as the listed ones may occur, those changes will be undone after you stopped listening to it and the hormonal balance has been normalised again, it's the same as with the adrenaline rush when playing shooters.
  
  
  Also, it's kind of funny, some exemplary googling for this Dr. Adam Knieste didn't yield anything besides references from sites such as these, all referring to either none or the exact same source, which in itself is merely an alleged quote which I boldly assume to be made up.
  
  
  It's a piece of deceitful ****.
  
  
  And the things regarding religion do have to do everything with the article you provided, because baptist extremism is the sole raison d'être of this scribbling.

  
  
  Truth be told, I was expecting more of a answer regarding the health of the plans, but it's good enough.
  
  After typing "Music kills plants" in google, I came upon some links to a mythbusters video on youtube. It disproves the things about plants dying, but finds that they still grow faster than plants not exposed to music.
  
  Here's the link:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMiVNPXR5qw
• Sumpfkraut wrote on 2011-10-23 17:53
  Well I don't know much about that.
• Adelynn wrote on 2011-10-25 16:46
  I don't think any music can be truly neutral ,because it always comes with a feeling, even if there are no words in the song, or even if there are words, and we just can't understand them. If music were neutral, I'd be bored with it.
• Zid wrote on 2011-10-25 17:24
  Since I see music as art, and also that art is the language of emotions, I can never think that music is emotionally neutral.
  
  It does not lyrics, it does not need words. It doesn't need rational ways to grasp or comprehend it; it reflects our senses and thus inspires emotions.
• Leopher wrote on 2011-10-26 20:56
  The part about rock music made me smile. I'm not quite sure what they're trying to "prove" with it. I suppose that plants don't like rock music... therefore??...
  
  I think I disagree with the idea that music is never neutral. On the one hand, since music is (in most cases) created by intelligent beings that are trying to communicate something, it usually will wind up non-neutral. On the other hand, I think that an intelligent being could choose to communicate something neutral if they wanted.
  
  But what exactly is meant by "neutral" in this case? Is it referring only to emotional neutrality? I am uncertain. Also, what is the alternative/opposite to whatever kind of neutrality we are talking about?
• Mrlucky77 wrote on 2011-10-26 21:34
  Recently, some University student put some mice into a maze. He played heavy metal music on them for multiple days, and instead of completing the maze, they killed eachother.
  
  It was for the luls.