Do you listen to non-jewish music?

gryp

Wed, May 24 2006, 7:44 pm

Quote:

but the amazing thing is I could actually feel the connection to the music was dragging me down.

absolutely!

and the scary thing is, ive watched people do this too, listen to non jewish music and then rebell, try to listen to only Jewish music and then stay more on track. shock

especially if the person is very very into music, the effects are shocking and obvious.

HappyPurim

Wed, May 24 2006, 7:59 pm

It became an addiction for me, once you listen to it, you totally get hooked on it, I listen to non jewish music all day (its less jazzier then the jewish music in my opinion) but I do not listen to it, while my 2 boys are around.... its not a matter of being a hypocrit (as opposed to what somone wrote previosly) its just a choice not to listen in front of my kids....

chen

Wed, May 24 2006, 8:15 pm

Really? I happen to like Beethoven, Bach, Brahms...I like classic American folk music ...I love old Broadway show tunes...I have some gorgeous tapes of Peruvian flute music...and can happily dance to pretty much any sort of folk dance music. I see nothing in any of this that I would hesitate to have my children listen to. Of course my children wouldn't listen to any of this because no one ever likes their parents' music--or if they do, they won't admit it.

There have been times , OTOH, when I was prepared to be offended by the opening bars of some loud, metallic, heavy-on-the-bass composition, when suddenly I heard part of a possuk being sung by some very popular frum singer. Suddenly the obnoxious music was not quite so obnoxious.

It's not the music, my friends--it's the lyrics.

southernbubby

Wed, May 24 2006, 9:17 pm

All of the tapes and CDs in our house were bought by our kids from Judaica shops. They buy what they like and I listen to their stuff. My favorite song at the moment is the Friendship Circle song by chanala. It is still in my head from the dinner. I don't have the words at the moment but they are beautiful so if someone has them they should put them on the site.

ILOVELIFE

Wed, May 24 2006, 11:21 pm

Thanks for starting this topic during sefira when I'm stuck w/out my music!!

I had a short period in my life where I was addicted to Yanni. I was addicted until I read a write-up about him and his methods of how he composes and I realized that the music is coming from the lowest point. I gave it up.

I love women singers. I have moods where I go for only niggunim and then I have times where I enjoy listening to a jazzier style Jewish music.
but yes, to answer your original ques: I now listen to Jewish music only.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, May 25 2006, 4:23 am

chen wrote:

It's not the music, my friends--it's the lyrics.

I totally agree, the lyrics are what make a song bad or good.
some Jewish song lyrics, in my opinion, are so corny that I just dont want to listen and there are some non Jewish song lyrics that are so beautiful, about life, nature, beauty of the world. and then there is music like yanni, kenny g, enya, celtic, just emotionaly charged music that just gets into your neshama...

amother

Thu, May 25 2006, 5:46 am

I used to constantly listen to non Jewish music, then after I got married I tried really hard to break this habit. but it is so hard for me. When I was pregnant I was very careful, but now...
I do have lots of Jewish CDs, but sometimes I feel I just need something else. Especially when I'm doing the dishes or driving at night by myself. It's a real stuggle for me. Rolling Eyes

tzivi

Thu, May 25 2006, 5:53 am

Quote:

chen wrote:
It's not the music, my friends--it's the lyrics.

I definitely disagree with that statement. Try listening to niggunim - music without lyrics. You can actually feel your neshomo being inspired. You feel closer to Hashem, just from listening to music. Imagine what happens to your neshomo if you listen to non jewish music - even classical music.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, May 25 2006, 6:25 am

tzivi wrote:

Quote:

chen wrote:
It's not the music, my friends--it's the lyrics.

do you actually hear what you are saying? you are controdicting yourself. you are saying that even niggunim can lift you up to a runiut place. I agree with you, but so too, think of classical music, non Jewish, it can get into your neshama, the tunes can actually take your neshama away to such a high place.
when I listen to celtic, or music from ireland, my neshama just talks to me and says wow, and you know what I think about when I hear such music? I think about how beautiful ireland must be and how amazing HaShem is and how he makes places in this world that are beyond what any of us can even imagine in terms of beauty.
can you explain what you mean by listening to non Jewish music, even classical music...what can be wrong with classical music?

tzivi

Thu, May 25 2006, 8:21 am

Please explain the contradiction in my words.

Someone posted previously that it wasn't the music that was uplifting, it was the words. My point was that it is not just the lyrics, that are uplifting. Even listening to music without lyrics effects your neshomo. Classical music does effect your neshomo - but, not in the correct way.

I hope I explained myself better now.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, May 25 2006, 8:34 am

tzivi wrote:

what do you mean by that classical music does not effect your neshama in the "correct" way. what is the "correct" way? is there one one way that is correct? I feel that when I listen to some non jewish instrumental music is effects my neshama in the correct way.

chen

Thu, May 25 2006, 8:39 am

tzivi wrote:

ah, sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant to stress exactly the opposite side of the coin, that it wasn't the music that was corrosive, it was the lyrics. Of course you are right that uplifting lyrics affect your neshomoh in a good way just as degraded lyrics affect your neshomoh in a negative way. My point was that the music itself, IMO, is neutral, and that what makes it good or bad is the lyrics as well as any associations one has with the music. If a certain type of music brings to your mind tref images, then the music is tref for you. The same music may bring to someone else's mind totally kosher images. I see music --just pure music--as neutral, like a piece of wood. The wood itself is neutral; one can use it to carve atzei chayyim, or to carve, lehavdil, a weapon or a lewd statue. It's what you do with it that makes it tref.

shabbatiscoming

Thu, May 25 2006, 8:47 am

chen wrote:

tzivi wrote:

but you were still saying the classical music is still not so great to listen to. but if there are no lyrics, then what could be bad about such amazingly beautiful music?

Quote:

I will I"yh ask my husband for the source. I know that the Rebbe said that one shouldn't listen to such music.

what type? english with lyrics? or anything non jewish?

chen

Thu, May 25 2006, 9:22 am

ytwh1 wrote:

but you were still saying the classical music is still not so great to listen to.

Not I! That was tzivi. I think classical music is great to listen to--at least the works I personally like. There is plenty of classical music I don't like at all, because I consider it depressing, or creepy, or just plain boring! On the other hand, what I consider depressing, someone else may consider intense and thought-provoking. To each his own. I simply do not believe that the fact that a piece of music was written by a nonJew automatically makes it a threat to my neshomoh, any more than I believe that the fact that a piece of music was written by a Jew necessarily means that it is going to benefit my neshomoh.