Music is important to a vast majority of people, not just highly sensitive people.
But I wonder… do you feel it like I feel it?
Sound, volume, pitch, tone, melody, harmony, rhythm…
Music is incredible and diverse and it can awaken all sorts of emotion and deep thinking.
I’m selective about my tunes, and there are certain sounds that really irritate me.
For example, if there’s too much suspended cymbal, I can’t handle it. Drowns out the harmonies.
And lyrics! Words hold a lot of power on their own – and setting them to music can be magic! But singing the same phrase over and over again (like in church) isn’t my cup of tea. I want words. Lots and lots of rich, deep, meaningful, poetic words.
(I’m aware that my preferences are likely just as annoying to somebody else out there who really likes the things that I dislike!)
I’m sure HSPs are not united in our musical tastes.
But I’ll bet many of us have musical preferences that are super important to us – just because our minds and emotions are so deeply affected by music.
The great thing about music is its power to evoke emotion. For HSPs, the recalling of emotional memories tied to music may be overpowering. Sometimes a song comes on the radio that is difficult for me to listen to without feeling an aching longing for someone or something from my past.
Here’s a song that encourages and uplifts me. This song brings me back to a time when God was trying to show me that I was “on purpose.” It’s one of those songs that still strikes me deeply every time…
NOTE to parents: One curse word at the beginning.
Personally, in my music I like a lot of acoustic, a variety of rhythms, lots of harmonies. And I really like the sound of a piano.
Some of my all-time favorite musical sounds come from Alanis Morissette, James Taylor, Jewel, The Indigo Girls, Cat Stevens, Sister Hazel, Andrew Peterson, Sandra McCracken, Ginny Owens, and Alli Rogers.
Share some of your favorite kinds of music in the comments – and tell us what sounds you really don’t like!