It is possible for sad music to be more enjoyable to those who are receptive to it, than gay music. Nevertheless, other things being equal, gay music is apt to give a greater degree of pleasure to those who wish to hear it than sad music gives to its devotees. The enjoyment of music depends not only upon its pleasantness, but also upon its familiarity. This recognition may be one of identity or of idiom. Most people like popular music because they are familiar with its form or tempo; or because they can hum or name it. The musical taste of the patient can readily be determined by offering him a check-list with the names of fifty or more selections including the entire gamut of musical forms. A general idea of the popularity of classical selections can be determined from the sales records of recordings and the frequency with which certain pieces are performed by the better symphonic orchestras. The popularity of contemporary offerings can be learned from surveys published in such magazines as _Variety_ and _Down Beat_ or by listening to radio shows such as “The Hit Parade.” Musical taste is closely allied to performance. If chosen selections are played improperly or without regard to certain elementary considerations, the use of music will lose its value to the patient. A brief consideration must include the effects of arrangement, tempo and volume with which the selections are played, since these have been seen to influence the effects of the selection. Many people when asked to name their favorite music will name a performer or a band rather than a specific piece because they have come to desire the characteristic style of the artists preferred, and style in an orchestra is closely related to these factors. Some listeners prefer loud music, but it must be remembered that even though sound does not become painful until the level of 125 decibels is reached, there are some people for whom the painful level is much lower, and hypersensitivity to sound is an important source of irritation. Others may be disturbed by music which is too fast, which must be taken into consideration. The role of expectation plays an important part in taste. Most people who have been conditioned to expect the classic use of the scale and traditional harmony cannot find joy in the unusual tonal structure of the moderns as exemplified in Schönberg or even Stravinsky. Hospitalization is not the proper period of life for indoctrination in the beauties of innovations.