i'm just a little guy

We started writing down ratings for each song on a scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being completely without anything redeeming and 7 being the best song possible

Songs rated with a 1 are rare, because those are mostly eliminated in the process of seeing if the song sounds good enough to add to the playlist. But songs rated above a 5 are also very rare

Since the last thing I posted about it, I listened to over 100 more songs found by Foraging for Music, and I haven't found a single other song that I rated higher than a 5

But I doubt myself on my ratings.

If I find a song that is my first experience with a certain genre, it seems I would rate it higher than normal because I am unfamiliar with it.

On the other hand, if I listen to too much of the same genre, probably my ratings would start to drop.

Maybe if I am getting tired of listening to music in general, the ratings will drop.

Butcher Brown- No Way Around It

Thrailkill- Cattywampus

Songs with a 6 rating

Death Threat Cassette- Use Your Delusion

Benny Bleu- Five Miles from Town

SPILLINGS - Terminal Agitation

Gábor Szabó - Some Velvet Morning

I haven't counted all the songs we've rated, but it's probably a couple hundred since we started the rating system (out of thousands we screened for inclusion in the playlist by listening to 10 or 20 seconds of them) and these are the only ones that rate above a 5.

Why so few? Am I getting pickier as I listen to more music?

The past several days I listened to songs on my own instead of with my brother. We want to see how different our ratings are when we rate them separately instead of coming to a consensus.

So far the major differences in our music preferences seem to be: I like techno, industrial, ambient, and music with droning as a major component more than my brother does, whereas my brother likes r&b a lot more than I do and is more favorable toward songs that emulate 1960s and 1970s sounds.

On principle, we are openminded in terms of genre (which the above list indicates very well). But how can you judge how "good" a song is separately from personal preferences about genre?

On top of that, how can you judge how "good" a song is separately from how many similar songs you've been exposed to, the mood you're in, and the activity you're doing as you listen?

On this kind of scale, (screening thousands of songs, listening to hundreds) judgments about a song's "goodness" start to revolve a lot around whether it's putting together unique elements in a distinct, artistically-driven way, rather than the technical excellence of the execution.

Or is it? We don't come across technical excellence very often. (these are chosen from random samples of human musical expression after all...at least random samples of what exists on Bandcamp.) But I'm very surprised to learn from this exercise how much music is extremely similar to other music.

I feel certain that this has a lot to do with the social environment of music, where artists create and collaborate, and fans listen, in environments (festivals, shows, etc) dedicated to particular genres or subgenres.

Environments for music to grow seem vital for the development and cultivation of a genre, but they also seem to be very stifling and limiting as they promote tight clustering of music with shared elements and characteristics. Genres and subgenres evolve and cross pollinate within those tight clusters, but there is minimal outcrossing, and when outcrossing occurs it happens along certain social and political strata.

Music, as an art form, is virtually infinite in possibility: every distinct cultural group on Earth, no matter what distinguishes them, seems to have its own form of music, and those forms can be freely hybridized with all other forms of music, usually creating something even cooler than its parents.

Music genres are so closely connected to social interconnection of people, it makes sense why music genres exist, but listening to Too Much Music makes you desperate for more people to get silly with it. Just doing something weird is enough for you to think the song is good. After so much guitar, synthesizer, and drum machines, you become a cut above the rest just by having the guts to throw in a church organ.

Executive dysfunction comes from a lack of available dopamine. Common advice is wrong. You need to provide your own dopamine before you can start. Otherwise you're trying to run your car on empty.

"But what if I still don't do it" well you already weren't getting it done anyway. Now you have a little treat. Try again later.

You deserve kindness and care even when you aren't being productive.

I usually suggest this technique as a "Reverse Pomodoro." In the original Pomodoro, you work for 25 minutes and then take a break for 5 minutes (the times vary, but that's the essential ratio). People with executive dysfunction often find this insurmountable, and they get even more frustrated, and then the task seems even more difficult. So instead, flip those times.

FIRST, spend 25 minutes doing something energizing and engaging that you like to do. Not scrolling social media passively, not watching tv, not napping. Try something like colouring, doing yoga, running/walking around the block, talking about your favourite tv show with someone in real time, playing with the dog or cat, making and eating a lovely sandwich, hula hooping, something active. Having a little treat absolutely falls in this category!

(on the subject of little treats: refusing yourself food until you do work is for fucking Puritans and you can be kinder to yourself)

Then, after 25 minutes (or however long it takes to eat the sandwich or finish the yoga routine, it doesn't have to be exact), spend 5 minutes writing (or doing whatever you're struggling to start). Most people can coax themselves into doing something they find difficult for five minutes, if they have already filled up the joy/energy/engagement bucket. You can put a timer on for the 5 minutes if you want, or if you find that annoying, just work for as long as you like.

The other key is: don't push yourself to keep going when you're frustrated or tired—that will just reinforce the negative belief that you already have, which tells you that this task is painful to do, and needs to be avoided. If you've commonly had to force yourself to do this kind of task, that's likely part of why you think of it as painful and have trouble starting it now. Also, you should just, at a basic level, try not to put yourself in pain for the sake of productivity. So just do it till the good feelings run out. Then start hula hooping or colouring again for another 25 minutes. When the tank's refilled, try another 5 minutes of work, if you can. Adjust times to taste.