Wrong X

When a person recommends music to me, but I just don’t react favorably, I tend to ascribe it to one of three possibilities.

Wrong Time: I might love it in five years, I might have loved it five years ago; right now is the wrong time for me and that music.

Wrong Performance: I have heard lackluster performances of pieces that have turned me off to that piece – only to later hear a great version and reconsider my position.

Wrong Set of Ears: Some music just isn’t for me. Some music isn’t for you. That’s okay.

What I don’t do is make that determination after one listen. If I have a negative reaction, I reserve judgement and listen again, if possible. I listen when I’m in a different mood, or with a different sound system, or just in a different moment.