Whenever someone meets a new person, a likely question between young adults in their quest to decipher the characteristics of a person, is to ask their style and genre of musical taste.

We relate music to persona and, depending upon what type of music the individual listens to, tend to judge what kind of person they are. Certain sounds may express certain emotion and feelings.

Musical theory and composition professor Stephen Blumberg says that there are many aspects to music to suggest a certain mood.

“There may be too many things to consider saying this key means this or that key means that,” Blumberg said. “In baroque music, there were different sorts of general types of moods that were suggested through the music and some of that was associated with specific keys. Others had more to do with tempo and character of the music.”

The organization of notes, dynamics and loudness of the tone, rhythm, pace, time signature and instruments are all aspects to be accounted for to describe and express certain moods and emotions.

People tend to gravitate towards the music they favor because it is relatable to the outlook of their lives and how they feel about themselves and others.

The listener is stimulated by what they are surrounded by.

Freshman music major Nick Nolke, thinks the relationship between sound and emotion directly relates to the individual and his or her culture.

“We associate the perception of sound from our culture and environment, “ Nolke said. “We are programmed to perceive sounds a certain way because ever since we were little, we listened to things that came from the television, radio or the movies.”

Musical taste could be influenced by parents, siblings, friends, media, the community and the Internet. Wearing certain clothing, speaking a certain type of slang or hanging around certain people is heavily influenced by music preference.

The emotion expressed within a song may denote a certain experience and outlook of the artists’ perspective when creating the music.

Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, conducted the largest study of musical tastes and personality type. He believes that his study shows why people are offended when others criticize their favorite music, as it is like criticizing their outlook on life.

People listen to different kinds of music but the one thing that is certain is that we all can relate to music in general.