Originally Posted by: earthman buckSorry if one of you already mentioned this, but do you think there's a relationship between exposure to something and liking it? My dad is a bluegrass kind of guy, so I've grown up listening to Flatt & Scruggs and all that jib. I wouldn't say I like it, but I'd choose it over, say, jazz fusion. Do you think that's because of the constant exposure factor, or is it simply a preference of mine?

Man, this crap makes my head hurt.

Sure, why not? But there's more to it than that I think. You are exposed to certain music and by that exposure, you link that music to certain experiences. You may not like bluegrass but it was the soundtrack playing during your youth. You can't help but have a bit of a soft spot for it. Look, I graduated high school in 1978. You know what music was HUGE back then? Disco. I HATE disco music. Really. But there are songs that even know kinda make me smile when I hear them. And when they come on the radio, I don't immediately turn them off. Because they take me back to that time. When I was in Korea, New Wave was king. Duran-Duran and Billy Idol and such were very popular. I still don't own a CD by anyone from that era but they still mean something to me. But as you grow, your tastes change and mature and you become much more willing to go out on a limb and tell your buddies, "No, I don't care for that" or "Yeah, I like that" even if everyone else claims not to like it. You become much more willing to start trusting your own ear and your own instincts.

That's the greatest plus to growing up. You get to make your own choices.