comment: >
  
  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
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.