comment: >
  
  You are/were definitely a band kid btw, it shows
context: After reading some of your responses below, I do feel that your initial post sounds more gatekeepy than you may have intended. However,  I still don't entirely agree by virtue of its attempt to quantify a purely subjective experience. 
  Perhaps a less contentious way of conveying this idea would be to say that musicians have another avenue to appreciate music that isn't available to non musicians. >
  
  I think that it's true for certain genres and or songs.
  Take jazz as a genre for example, a lot of the subtlety is lost if you're not trained in the field so to say >
  
  It's true for almost anything you can study or take an interest in. We're generally blind to the details of things until we take a closer look. >
  
  I think assuming that knowledge = appreciation is an iffy prospect. Plenty of people know a ton of shit about stuff without appreciating it at all.
  And chord changes? Is that all you got? Chord changes are actually one of the things most people can easily notice about music, even if they don't know what it's called.
  Also, I used to play an instrument some years back and no longer do. But I think I actually appreciate music more now because I'm more attuned and experienced with the kinds of emotions that inspire good music, instead of just the technicality of it. >
  
  That is a tough one because I feel as though knowledge and appreciation in music are generally correlated. However, in tech it seems like the less knowledgeable the more “magical” everything feels. >
  
  So what your really saying is "since I play an instrument, I appreciate music on a level that your tiny brain couldn't comprehend." as you sip your drink with your pinky stuck out. >
  
  I am also someone who plays an instrument and I do not agree with Op. But i agree with this comment. >
  
  Multi-instrumentalist here, there absolutely is a difference in perception of music. I listened to a German (iirc) music theory book a while back that discussed psychologists (PHDs) doing MRIs during musical playback for both musicians and non musicians. 
  I don’t recall exactly what the differences in the study were, but anecdotally the difference between my wife (who plays two instruments) and myself is noticeable. When we listen to songs together she will often ask “what instrument is that?” 
  OPs post seems geared toward technical knowledge, however I would argue that knowing the difficulty of creating a good sound, whether simple or complex does give you an appreciation for the artist performance.
  I think any person can adequately discuss the emotion and the quality of a song, with respect to their personal taste. However, many people that listen to pop music simply shrug off classical, despite it often times being multitudes more complex, and knowing how difficult some classical music can be does give you a better appreciation for it, even if it’s not in your go to playlist. >
  
  Honestly that's a beautiful way to put it and I totally can see it from that perspective. Actually I agree with this I wish the OP would have said it as eloquently as you did. He said it in a very condescending way. >
  
  Learning music theory ruined music for me. I can't listen to music anymore, without having to analyze the composition and it fucking sucks.
  I know that I'm not alone in this. >
  
  True also not everyone who plays an instrument is knowledgeable in music theory lol so if anything (and no i don't agree with this, but if anything) OP could say if you didn't study music theory you can't enjoy music or smth >
  
  If I'm not mistaken, Mozart didn't play any instruments. He "only" wrote music. Pff... Did he even love music if he didn't play?! >
  
  Dude what the fuck??? Where do you get your information from 😂😂😂 mozart was an incredibly proficient pianist and violinist
  Are you trolling? you must be trolling
  Edit: omg sorry i thought you were that other person that thought composers don't play instruments, I would have answered wayyyy nicer if I didn't mix it up >
  
  I forgot who the composer was, but the deaf one didn't play music if I'm not mistaken.
  OP's arguement about "you can't properly enjoy this this and that, unless blablabla" is stupid. It's like saying that you can't enjoy a beer unless you're an alcoholic. >
  
  Beethoven was deaf and he was an incredibly good pianist, very talented which is exactly how he could keep composing once he went deaf - because he was so deeply familiar with the instrument and music generally that he didn't even need to hear the notes anymore 
  Oh and definitely OP's argument is stupid and I don't agree but I have never heard of a composer who didn't play an instrument, I also have education in classical music and most of my mom's side of the family are professional classical musicians >
  
  I believe that John Powell (Kong fu panda and How to train your dragon) didn't play any instruments up until he took his degree in composing, no? Mostly because you get forced to play the piano for your music degree, despite it not being your main instrument. >
  
  That might be I don't know much about modern day composers, interesting topic though! But still he plays an instrument now, and there's good reason why they get forced to learn piano imo >
  
  you can't fully appreciate a movie until you've directed one, plebs >
  
  I don’t think you can appreciate it as much as someone who understands the nuisances of directing, no >
  
  There is nuanced difference between understanding and appreciating though. If OP said understanding that would make more sense, but anyone can appreciate art, or engineering, skill, talent, etc, to any degree. A film or song can be so complex that only those with intricate knowledge understand it, but it doesn’t necessarily make it more or less appreciable. 
  Basically I’m thinking that understanding is an objective measure (either you do or do not understand how something works/is made), and appreciation is a subjective measure that entirely depends on personal preferences. A fragrance chemist, for example, can fully understand the intricacy of how the scent of a perfume/cologne is made, but personally have 0 appreciation for the actual smell. >
  
  Grew up playing piano, guitar, and violin - you’re wrong. How does me knowing what a chord progression is have anything to do with my enjoyment of music? If you hyper focus on chords and can’t genuinely enjoy the music, that might be a you problem >
  
  Listening to one of your favorite songs, you've never wondered why a particular melody/passage/chord sequence etc has given you goosebumps? I don't know why everyone keeps reading this as "YOU CAN'T ENJOY MUSIC EVEN ONE IOTA UNTIL YOU PERFECT AN INSTRUMENT" The same music that gives you goosebumps - you can create it yourself on an instrument and delve deeper into that emotion. Maybe I'm the only one that's happened to, and thus, a most very unpopular opinion. >
  
  No, I enjoyed it because I liked the way it sounded. I don't need to go into the specifics or details to fully understand why I like it to continue enjoying the song. It sounds good, I enjoyed it, that's enough for me >
  
  Fair enough!