How do you listen to music?

[Hook]

Seems like a stupid question but it's been on my mind lately.
 For the longest time I haven't been listening to any music outside of songcrafters. In the car I have NPR news on or Jazz at night and I would rather spend my time making music rather than listening. Somewhere in those years a type of my enjoyment of music disappeared.
Now that my parents have passed (both in the last 2 years) after many years of difficulty, i'm having to sort through there things. I've set up a record player that I gave my Dad 15 years ago and have all his albums and been buying some new and used. Vinyl has brought me back to music in a major way. Sitting in my studio or cranking it up and sitting on the porch, I'm enjoying music again like I haven't in almost 30 years.
Just wondering where everyone is in there enjoyment of music?

[Johnny Robbo]

For me it varies... I have a compilation album I put together called "Tasty 70s Cheese". It's full of all the stuff that was on the radio or in the charts when I was a kid... Showaddywaddy; Slade; ELO; Manhattan Transfer; Starland Vocal Band etc etc... I listen to this album when I want to get all nostalgic & misty eyed.

Other times I want something more cerebral, so I'll opt for either classic prog rock (Camel, Yes or Pink Floyd) or classical music. I enjoy the multiple layers and textures you find in these genres.

I also enjoy a good old bit of foot-stomping rock n roll. Turn up the volume and hang on for the ride. When I'm listening with my "musicians ears" on, I'll dig out some jazz... I love being able to hear the chord progression at the core of what's being played and marvel at how the bass, piano, trumpet, sax & so on all weave in and out of it but still keep it on the rails... like being in a car that's drifting: you're almost on the point of crashing but you keep on skating along without losing control. It's almost the same adrenaline rush.

Above all else, melody is a big factor. I don't like a tune that I find too predictable - I lose interest, but if it throws me too many jarring curves, I also get bored.

That's pretty much it as far as I'm concerned. I can't live without music, and I can't create music without listening to it... I could easily live without a TV, but listening to music is essential. It keeps me sane... I think 

[cuthbert]

I've also begun listening to music on vinyl again, in a big way. When my old reliable Sony turntable started acting up (shortly after moving to the house in 2005), that seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for vinyl in this house - at least at the time.

But in the last year, I got a reconditioned Pioneer turntable (nearly all manual operation), learned how to set it up (what a difference that makes) and started playing the old records again. Nearly all of my recorded music purchases since then have been LPs and 45s, so I'm back in.

[Hook]

Cuth- very cool!
Johnny- dig it all but how are you listening. Are you kicking up your feet by a old record player, MP3's on a phone, CDs and a boombox, hiring individual bands to play Private concerts in your living room?

[Mike_S]

Me... 80% of the time on mp3s coming out of my iMac which is connected to a fairly decent but very old set of hifi speakers. Only thing is I have to listen at a lower volume than I would like as I live in a terrace house with a guy that does night shifts on the adjacent wall to my little home office / studio

The rest of the time - when I listen to songcrafters mainly - is on my headphones at night sitting in front of the TV. Volume as high as my ears can take it! I have decent headphones (Samson).

I listen to as much variety as I can, so although centred around rock music, I can veer off into a bit of country, pop or jazz quite happily (although not classical quite so much).

Mike

[bruno]

CD's in the car mainly. Sometimes on Alexa wired into the HiFi speakers, often on youtube :-)
Got my Dual 505 turntable set up - so very occasionally listen to vinyl, but not often
B

[Johnny Robbo]

Cuth- very cool!
Johnny- dig it all but how are you listening. Are you kicking up your feet by a old record player, MP3's on a phone, CDs and a boombox, hiring individual bands to play Private concerts in your living room?

Sorry mate... I was having a senior moment & misunderstood the question   

I wouldn't go back to vinyl for all the tea in China, I'm afraid. I understand that some folks enjoy the "ritual" of reverently putting the big black plastic thing on the turntable, using the special brush to get rid of any dust, then lifting the needle onto the record & enjoying the few seconds of surface noise before the music starts. Not me... I have all my music on a hard drive & backed up, scattered around various Google Drive & Dropbox accounts. That;s how I store my music. For listening, I have a 16GB Sony NWZ series Walkman MP3 player. I change the contents every now & then as I get sick of an album and replace it with something else from the storage hard drive.

The MP3 player plugs into the AUX socket on the sound system in the living room so I can listen that way, or through my old faithful Senheiser headphones when I need to keep the noise down.

I did try that lossless audio (FLAC) thing a couple of years ago, but couldn't hear the difference between that and a decent MP3, so I gave up on it. I'm not one for shuffling playlists though - I listen to an album from beginning to end. A good album is like a book & each song, a chapter. Listening to them in the wrong order (or listening to songs from different albums jumbled up) just doesn't appeal to me.

[dasilvasings]

Ah! I am out from my lurking just to answer this question. I was thinking on asking you exactly the same question yesterday night!


Last December I bought a 1971 Dual record player. After almost 6 years without listening to music at home, I am now playing old records on my old Sony hifi.

My kids are currently obsessed with Abba (super trouper), and I think my 5 yo Jaime is in love with Agnetha... been there, done that... 


When I am at work, sometimes I hear mp3, or music from youtube. On youtube, I will hear either records I want to listen, or just anonymous people with enormous talent. At work I use closed headphones. Unfortunately I cannot access songcrafters- it is blocked by my company. Says it falls under the category "games" (?!?)

At night I may listen to youtube again, but on the ipad, with open headphones. I also try modestly to make music again. Mixing has become a nightmare. I use Cubasis, then I mix the song, then I master it with Positive Grid's "Final Touch". I export my wonderful mix to dropbox. Next morning I listen to it at work with closed headphones, and it sounds like rubbish with things I could not hear the night before with my open headphones.

I heard somewhere that open headphones are more appropriate for mixing, but I am starting to disagree.

I listen to CDs and radio only in the car.

Last month I had the pleasure of having some time on my own, so I just lay on the sofa listening to The Visitors and Super Trouper whole albums, from beginning to end, while reading the lyrics. I would occasionally grab the ipad to search the net for comments on the songs and meaning of some of the lyrics. After all, XXI century i-vinyl listening 

Miss you all!

Miguel

[IanR]

I mostly listen to mp3 songs on shuffle on my Samsung tablet when I'm commuting to and from work - 40 minutes each way. It helps screen out the inane, or insane, conversations between other commuters. I have about 5,000 songs on the sd card.

Otherwise, I occasionally go to hear live music.

I also have about 500 vinyl records and about the same number of cds. They hardly ever get used. I often borrow cds from the local library to hear a new artist that may have come to my attention.

I also love community radio and there are a few folk/alternative/americana music shows that I try to listen to if I can.

And of course, there is always new music on Songcrafters - but I can't keep up with it, so I waft in and out.

Ian

[Lurker]

Most of my listening is at work these days.  I play mp3s on shuffle from my computer through an old receiver and good speakers in my classroom.  My students like listening while they work.  After hours, I really crank it up.  I like to rattle the walls.

I still have over 300 albums on vinyl, and more on CD, but play them less often.  I still have my old stereo from 30 years ago.  My wife doesn't like it too loud.  My kids like it.  Otherwise, what's the point, right? 

I listen on the computer in the den when I'm working at home.  In my car, I have a 16 gig flash drive.

A comment by Johnny Robbo hit home.  I miss listening to albums from end to end.  I used to know all of my albums by heart.  I'll have to cancel the shuffle for a while.