Why You Like It

The Science and Culture of Musical Taste

By: Nolan Gasser

Narrated by: Nolan Gasser

From the chief architect of the Pandora Radio’s Music Genome Project comes a definitive and groundbreaking examination of how your mind, body, and upbringing influence the music you love.

Everyone loves music. But what is it that makes music so universally beloved and gives it such a powerful effect on us?

In this sweeping and authoritative audiobook, Dr. Nolan Gasser - a composer, pianist, and musicologist, and the chief architect of the Music Genome Project, which powers Pandora Radio - breaks down what musical taste is, where it comes from, and what our favorite songs say about us.

Dr. Gasser delves into the science, psychology, and sociology that explains why humans love music so much; how our brains process music; and why you may love Queen but your best friend loves Kiss. He sheds light on why babies can clap along to rhythmic patterns and reveals the reason behind why different cultures across the globe identify the same kinds of music as happy, sad, or scary.

Using easy-to-follow notated musical scores, Dr. Gasser teaches music fans how to become engaged listeners and provides them with the tools to enhance their musical preferences. He takes listeners under the hood of their favorite genres - pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, electronica, world music, and classical - and covers songs from Taylor Swift to Led Zeppelin to Kendrick Lamar to Bill Evans to Beethoven - and through their work, introduces the musical concepts behind why you hum along, tap your foot, and feel deeply.

Why You Like It will teach you how to follow the musical discourse happening within a song and thereby empower your musical taste, so you will never hear music the same way again.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Nolan Gasser (P)2019 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Nolan Gasser is brilliant at explaining the beautiful machinery behind your favorite songs without taking away any of the magic." (Conan O'Brien)

"A sprawling, packed-to-the-brim study of the art and science of music, as monumental and as busy as a Bach fugue... Gasser's enterprise has a pleasingly mad-scientist feel to it, one that will attract music theory geeks as much as neuroscientists, anthropologists, psychologists, and Skynyrd fans." (Kirkus Reviews)

Great introduction to music science

I bought this book when I started my musicology studies. Passed the good-to-know first part with the story behind the music genome project and the company I discovered plenty of useful information parts to understand music 'musically' and 'scientifically'. Also, interludes are quite useful in that they sum up lots of research and state of the art scientific opinions on these topics.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to dig into the ingredients of music or just simply discover what music is made of (musical theory side). All type of music concerned.

For Music Afficionados

It is a really well written and thought out book about music, it approaches it in all directions and facets.

That said, it is a really dense book (you should notice when you see the 39 hrs lenght), and its not a book for people that only like a single genre and have a narrow mind when it comes to music.

This is a book for Music Afficionados, not the regular music lover.

Comprehensive answers on why we like certain music

As a classically trained adult piano student and an amateur performer, music has always been a huge part of my life. I dabble in both Indian and Western music, but there were always these nagging questions I had about why certain music resonated with me, questions that most music experts seemed to skirt around. Plus, a lot of them held strong opinions about what constituted "good music."

Enter Nolan Gasser's "Why You Like It," a breath of fresh air in the world of music exploration. Gasser doesn't fall into the trap of musical snobbery. Instead, he offers a comprehensive and fascinating look at the elements that make us tick when it comes to music, regardless of genre.

Now, I'll admit, there were moments where the audiobook got a bit dense with music theory. (Maybe that's what all those years of music theory classes were for!) But the beauty of the audiobook format is that you can slow things down or even skip sections if needed. The real magic lies in the way Gasser explains these concepts. He uses clear, jargon-free language that even a casual listener can understand.

But what truly elevates this audiobook is the inclusion of well-chosen music samples. Hearing the theory Gasser discusses come to life in real music was a revelation. It helped me connect the dots and understand why I'm naturally drawn to both pop and classical music. Now, when I listen to new music, I find myself dissecting the different elements at play, a skill I owe entirely to Gasser's insightful exploration.

Whether you're a seasoned musician or simply a curious music lover, "Why You Like It" is a must-listen. It's a joyride through the science and culture of musical taste, and it might just help you understand why you like the music you like – and discover a whole new world of music to love in the process.

Textbook-lite

I am a music therapist with an extensive background in the academic side of music. This book reminds me of books by Neil deGrasse Tyson, in that if I am not somebody in this field, I don't come in expecting to understand every single concept, but simply to expand my mind to the degree it feels like being expanded at the time of reading. I think people without music backgrounds can enjoy this book with that in mind.

I think that people with music backgrounds can also enjoy this book, it's plenty of food for thought. It inspired my interest in music taste science several years ago, and I've now had many opportunities to apply what I learned from this book in my practice. I'm about to finish a year-long project that explores how music therapists can more deeply discern the music preferences of non-speaking individuals (developmentally disabled, autistic, dementia, etc.), and this book is one of my primary resources. I return to it often, and recently gifted a copy to my favorite professor. I find it much like a very readable textbook.

Also, for what it's worth, liquid is a poor conductor for sound. Whales are the loudest animal in the world, and many aquatic animals have better hearing than bats, which they need to hear things underwater, because liquid is a poor conductor for sound.

Disappointed

Great topic and very thorough. Unfortunately, the writing is overwrought with excessive parentheticals and unnecessary language. I found this incredibly distracting. Over time, this style of writing made it very difficult to stay engaged. Instead, I kept wishing he would simply get to his point and move on.