[Kiki]

... how would one go about improving their own? Is it as simple as listening to the most albums or are there other ways to improve it? How can anyone say someone has a worst music "taste" than that person over there?

[JMan]

Based on what I've been through, I'd say the only way to improve your tastes is to relisten to albums you'll find an album you once considered overrated to be fantastic. This goes without saying, though. You could try out new ones, but how will you grow unless you understand the truly great albums of each genre?
A lot of the albums one my chart took three listens to get there (Loveless, Elephant, Leftoverture, Blue, The Joshua Tree, Pyromania, Point of Know Return, DSOTM, Sgt. Pepper, Nevermind, Highway 61 Revisited). You must revisit albums. IT'S A PUN!

Considering the second question, I'd say whoever understands the most genres has the better music taste.

[Jasonconfused]

Just because something exists doesn't mean it has to be good or bad.
_________________

[Guest]

[mnorris75]

It's kind of an interesting question. Like, supposedly, there's no objective way to decide if something's better or worse than something else, but then if you practice, let's say, the piano, for several years, does that mean you only start to sound different, but not necessarily better?

[Guest]

[Evandar]

Yeah, it's all subjective, though I don't mind rolling my eyes sometimes when I read or hear certain opinions, haha. That's part of the fun, you know!

[Applerill]

It's sorta like food taste. When you're a kid, your tastes are rather limited. You love pizza, and you love chicken fingers, but that's it.

As you get older and are exposed to more "grownup" food, you probably will (and should) still love pizza and chicken fingers. But you learn to appreciate the taste of a good organic coffee bean or liver sandwich, even though you may have thought these things were gross as a kid.

It's the same way with music. Some artists and genres are just more accessible, and it's great to like those. But someone with good taste doesn't musically eat chicken fingers every day. They try the turtle soup (AKA: Heart of the Congos) and can find good things to say about every genre.

So "bad taste" is when you musically ONLY consume a few things. "Good taste" is when you can notice the nuances to everything.

[paladisiac]

It's all subjective. There's no "improving" one's musical taste. It is what it is. People agree or don't, just like any other art form.
_________________
fav artists NOW | ALL-TIME favs | i listen 2 more music than u so u don't have 2!

[Defago]

Much like what lethal said, the only possible conception of "good" or "bad" taste is entirely subjective, based on how much I agree with other people's tastes (nobody thinks he/she has a bad taste). Because of this, I don't really see a way to "improve" your taste if we interpret "improve" as "make better".

However, it is certainly possible to be able to appreciate more music, not necessarily making your tastes superior. Along the years, we start being more receptive to more kinds of music as we're exposed to them. I'm way more appreciative of hip hop and ambient now than a year ago - while it's not certainly a taste improvement, it's definitely a taste expansion. In having more listenable genres and music, you add variety to your taste.

SO. If we go by this interpretation, what I'd do - and what I've been doing - is to listen to music I don't understand (and which I don't necessarily like). Music which I don't enjoy easily, but which I still find interesting and leaves me thinking. Music which at first listen leaves me confused, and gradually grows into being comfortable to my ears. When that happens, I've grown accustomed to new musical ideas and my taste, while definitely not better, is definitely covering more ground and allows me to make more informed opinions.