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Music and socionics
¶
Most, if not all socionists would agree that information signals
relevant to socionics can be conveyed not only through words, but also
through images, sounds, and art. Here we will collect music samples
from the public domain
which appear to convey certain
types of
information
or represent the preferences of
different
quadras
or other socionic groups.
For a discussion of the intricacies and challenges of applying
socionics to music, read
this article
.
Musical Typology
by
Olga Tangemann.
Rock
¶
Rock music that is focused on
ethics
is typically
expressive, emotional, and full of embellishments, and less “functional”
or structurally focused than
logical
music. Here is a good
example from Steve Vai:
Tender Surrender
(Steve Vai)
Vai’s guitar “wails” like a human voice, which produces an emotional
connection. His own mimicry and body language heighten the sense of
expressiveness and passion contained in the music itself.
For a contrast to Vai’s passionate delivery, here is an example of
logical music:
Fracture
(King
Crimson)
This “mental” music is dominated by repeating patterns. Very little
attention is given to sound texture, and the focus is on notes and
rhythm patterns. This music focuses more on the internal logic
(
) of the music and produces a thoughtful state rather
than an active one. Here is another logic-dominated song, but with an
external,
focus:
Surfing with the
Alien
(Joe Satriani)
This music certainly has elements of
(functionally
“superfluous” expressive playing at the end of the song), but
seems to dominate. The song has an active, even beat that
makes one want to move and do things. In addition, the chord changes are
predictable and purposeful and occur at even intervals of time. The lead
guitar lines are rarely emotionally expressive, but are driven and
purposeful.
Here’s some music that betrays an
emphasis with strong
elements as well:
Bad Horsie
(Steve
Vai)
The
aspect of this song is the plodding, heavy base line
throughout most of the song that conveys a state of physical strength
and vitality. On top of this, Vai adds his typical
flourishes and embellishments, imitating the sounds and spirit of an
unbridled horse.
Here is an example of a song that conveys a
focus:
Won’t Get Fooled
Again
(Pete Townsend)
This music (putting lyrics aside) is basically composed of many
different autonomous sections that aren’t very musically connected. The
rhythm and strumming style of these sections is often quite different,
and transitions between sections are abrupt. This creates a mentally
stimulating effect – “What is this song about?” “What is he trying to
say?”
Here is some music with an
Alpha
emphasis – specifically
and
:
Shiny Happy People
(R.E.M.)
The chords here are simple and straightforward, and the music is free of
any dissonance that would create apprehension or alarm.
seems to be conveyed mostly through the lyrics and the music video.
Birdhouse in Your Soul
(They Might Be Giants; see
TMBW
entry
)
This song and video are centered around the Alpha quadra elements, which
is probably a reflection of the performers’ types (though it need not
be).
Fe
: At the beginning and middle (~1:37) the camera focuses on the
performer’s face, putting the focus on its distinct emotional
expressions. The trumpet sounds like a person throwing a temper tantrum,
and in the video the trumpet itself even has a “face”, which imbues it
too with an human emotional quality.
Ti
: A constant beat permeates the song. The video depicts people
with robotic, clearly delineated movements. There is an array of light
bulbs, which, although individually of different shapes, are of the same
form and occupy the same rectangular grid. There are no extraneous
visual elements.
In addition, both the lyrics and vocal style have a strong
focus, with an emotionally flat, talking-out-loud singing
style and lyrics that make use of repetitions and somewhat convoluted
logical structures that create a “mental” atmosphere (quite similar to
the style of David Byrne of the Talking Heads). For example:
“I’m your only friend. I’m not your only friend, but I’m a little
glowing friend, but really I’m not actually your friend, but I am.”
Ne
: The lyrics specifically reflect Ne. Mundane, uninteresting
phrases such as “not to put too fine a point on it” and “say I’m the
only bee in your bonnet” are juxtaposed to create an intriguing effect.
“My story’s infinite” conveys a sense of intellectual freedom.
Si
: Si is represented by the topic of the song: a nightlight
(represented by the birdhouse) that “watches over you”, giving a sense
of coziness and protection. The use of words like “little” de-emphasize
Se
forcefulness. Alliteration as in “bee in your bonnet” gives
the song a child-like feeling of playfulness (also related to Ne). In
the music, dissonance is avoided.
Jazz
¶
Here is a piece of jazz that conveys a sense of inner seeking and
mystery related to
.
Above the Treetops
(Pat Metheny}
The smooth, flowing sounds throughout the song (especially the beginning
and end) in the absence of clearly defined rhythm heighten the feeling
of inner space and freedom. At the same time, there is a bit of tension
or anticipation, as the chords are never fully resolved as they tend to
be in music with a
focus. There is also a good deal of
in the song, especially in Metheny’s solos, which produce
a sense of rejoicing within the overall
atmosphere of the
piece.
Here’s a song in between jazz, soul, and pop that clearly conveys
:
I Love You Just the Way You
Are
(Billy Joel)
The beautiful, tender, endearing melody and touching lyrics all
contribute to the introverted ethics of this piece. If you listen to the
lyrics, he is singing about stable feelings of attachment that “never
change” and don’t depend on any outer influences. Here in concert it is
played slightly faster than in recordings, which convey the
(
) a bit better because it is quieter and more tender.
Pop
¶
This song by David Hasselhoff focuses mostly on introverted ethics:
Hooked on a feeling
(David Hasselhoff)
This song is all about feelings of attachment (
) and
tenderness. Some might interpret the song as sappy.
Soul
¶
Here is a piece that is brimming with ethics (mostly
),
even if you disregard the heartfelt lyrics:
Love Ballad
(performed by George Benson)
Benson modulates his voice and wails on the long high notes just like
Steve Vai’s guitar wails in
Tender Surrender
(see “Rock” section). The
focus is not on musical structure or “functionality,” but on the
emotion-filled embellishments Benson adds to the music to convey strong
feeling and passion.
Classical music
¶
Bach’s fugues are an example of music with an overtly logical
(
) focus.
Fugue in B-flat
minor
(performed by
Stephen Ham)
Here, the focus is directed inwards, at the internal structure of the
musical lines. With few exceptions, one note is produced per each unit
of time (just like much of
Fracture
in the “Rock” section – see
above). In addition, there is very little variation in volume or
expression. This focuses the listener’s ear exclusively on the harmonic
structure of the composition.
Here is a piece of music with a sensing (
) focus:
Morning
(Edvard
Grieg)
Somehow this music effectively evokes nature imagery, as it is intended
to do (hence the name of the piece). The sound texture is soft and
flowing, but – unlike that with a
focus – sticks to
rich major and minor chords that are most “comfortable” to the ear. In
doing so, it avoids feelings of mystery and apprehension or
anticipation, bringing instead gratification and satisfaction.
Here’s a piece that expresses the searching reflectiveness of
, combined with an expressive outlook of
:
Adagietto from Symphony
#5
(Gustav Mahler)
Although the music often expresses intense calmness (like some Si or Fi
examples), it always has searching, reflective quality, constantly
finding different harmonic nuances at every turn, and dwelling on subtle
dissonances and ambiguities, such as the fact that C&A don’t uniquely
define F major without the F (i.e., could be part of A minor). The piece
makes extensive use of extension in timing, pauses, etc., appearing to
make time slow down, in a way to help induce a reflective state. The
listener is drawn to the symbolic potential of the harmonic lines, such
as hopefullness in a gradual resing in pitch, or distress when the
melody suddenly sinks into lower notes.
Here’s a piece that appears to express an
focus:
Piano Concerto #1
(Franz Lizst - excerpt)
Note that the music is able to express a showy, powerful quality without
necessarily always being loud. After the opening, the music appears to
dwell primarily on Fi.
Here’s a piece that expresses
, but this time combined
with a sense of external order characterized by
:
Polovetsian dances
(Alexander Borodin)
Here, the Ni doesn’t seem mystical, but it’s still reflective. Some hint
of Fi appears in the oboe solo. The faster, exciting portions suggest a
reflection of Se.
Beethoven’s 7 as an example for fuller analysis
¶
Many examples understandably focus on individual information aspects
(sort of like paintings that are based on a given primary color).
Naturally, just as paintings may feature a wide palette of colors, music
can involve a much more complex interaction of information elements.
Here’s an example of a piece that seems to focus on achieving a sort of
transcendent interaction of the information elements:
Beethoven, Symphony No.
7
Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 (1st movement - Carlos Kleiber conducting)
(Sorry…though it’s important that the recording be with this conductor
so as to show a comparison later on, unfortunately the poster cut off
the ending in the most inopportune place and put it up separately,
except that this starts several minutes before the place where the first
part was cut off:
:[
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzHt-_i_FcE&mode=related&search=
The
rest of it
])
Primary values
From the opening chords, there seems to be a clear emphasis of
(though it is possibly other than acc-
,
given the highly ordered nature of the music). Nevertheless,
immediately after the strong “attacks,” the music is much more
peaceful and congenial. This may indicate an
/
combination. (An alternative view is
that
is emphasized but as representing the “struggle”
with a weak or even unfavored function, such as an emphasis on the
vulnerable function, or an apparent
that’s actually
there to emphasize the rational aspect (Fi/Te).)
The piece also appears to show a great deal of value on creating an
environment of external order, strongly suggesting
.
Again, this does not appear to be acc-
because of the
impression that decision points come only through a process (even a
struggle), rather than as a starting point. That would tend to indicate
crea-
, but the music has a more rational character than
might usually be expected with crea-
.
The more peaceful sections (e.g., with the woodwinds) seems to be
forshadowing something. This may be seen as an indication of Ni values;
over-all, the music tends to focus on long-term rather than short-term
satisfaction.
The melody played by the winds is also indicative of
. In
fact, through the whole piece, there is an undercurrent of
, but it is highly different from other examples
displaying
because of the very strong influence of
.
Secondary values
Ti, Si, Ne, and Fe aren’t left out, however. There appears to be a
strong concern for how the individual pieces are put together with
perfect voice-leading (Ti); the excitement of the crescendi may seem
Fe at times; the bucolic, folksy quality may suggest Si.
Ne appears to have a role in a sort of inverse way: The music seems to
strive for such a perfectionist ideal that it suggests that many options
were considered in order to find just the right ones. We know this is
true of how Beethoven worked; however any evidence of different ways the
music could have gone is excised from the final product, which is
presented forcefully and authoritatively. The strong use of Ti and Ne,
together with the comparatively stronger emphasis of Gamma-related
information aspects as values, roughly suggests an overall outlook of
ILI; however the information aspects are more balanced than in a usual
case, with particularly strong emphasis on
together with
as a unit, and on Se.
Note, in particular, the sense of anticipation in the upward runs in the
beginning; they suggest an
/
submissiveness
to the external elements (
and
) that
dominate the structure of the piece. Notice also how structure always
seems to be projected outward, as if there is great value placed on
being surrounded by order.
Same piece, different conductor
Although the main issue here is the information aspects expressed by
the piece, the fact that so many information aspects play a prominent
role allows different performance interpretations to affect how these
are heard. To show how a piece may be interpreted in more than one
way, here’s a recording that appears to completely transform the
information aspects:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8eigkwmMEo&mode=related&search=
(Same
piece, but with Herbert Von Karajan)
Although sonically more polished, this recording seems to change the
nature of the information aspects highlighted. Notice the subtle thing
Von Karajan does with the upward runs: He makes the tempo slightly
faster and has the strings play the runs with a very precise staccato.
This tends to emphasize the Ti aspect of the piece. Similarly, the solos
in the woodwinds are more outwardly expressive, suggesting a mild form
of Fe. Also, notice how the precise, staccato repeated notes again seem
to emphasize Ti/Se, whereas with other conductors the repeated “E” notes
may suggest more of a hopeful anticipation of something to come.
As this unique recording demonstrates, different interpretations may
shift information aspects. In this case, what appears Gamma in nature
with some other conductors seems here more Beta, suggesting an LSI
perspective.