In planning a successful dinner party, there are so many things to consider. Choosing your guests is the first thing. The next thing is what you will feed them, and after that, what drinks you will serve. One of the most important parts in planning a party – and a part that is often overlooked – is what music to play in the background during dinner. Your choice of music can make or break a dinner party.
In The Healing Potency of Music, Huston Ray said, "Music does aid digestion and to such an extent that food and stomach actually respond to the vibratory sounds of music. Therefore, remember to choose your music as carefully as you should choose your food, and never listen to broken rhythm, loudly performed, or over-lively dinner music. These forms hinder digestion. Soft, melodious, contemplative forms ...soothe, and digestion more easily takes place."
In order to meld your music successfully with your dinner, you might want to do the following:
- Search for music that is easy to listen to. You want music that is unobtrusive and has a melody. You may love The Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the UK” or The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York,” but neither would make for pleasant listening during dinner; maybe some Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble would be a better choice. Or, keep the music instrumental.
- You also don't want to play music that is too sad. Billie Holiday is wonderful, but some of her songs may be too depressing to listen to during dinner. You can also have your friends bring some of their favorite dinner music. If it is a Christmas dinner party, some jazz renditions of your favorite Christmas music would be fitting.
- Keep the volume low enough that you can hear what your guests are saying. No one wants to have to shout over the table to be heard. Also, if some of your guests don't like a particular piece of music, they can ignore it more easily if the volume is low.
- Choose the music ahead of time and set your player on auto play. That way, you won't have to keep getting up to turn on the music or change what is playing.
- Enjoy your dinner and your guests. Your guests will appreciate that you thought of everything to ensure that they would have an enjoyable evening.
By following the above steps, you should have a very successful dinner party, music-wise. It's up to you how successful the food and drink you serve will be.
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