How to listen .........

To me there is nothing wrong in listening to a particular part of the performance if we so desire .. .. How else are we really to marvel at an intricate drum break .. or a stellar bass line ... if we do not follow it through .. And there is nothing wrong in analysing how well produced is that bass line or that cymbal crash ... as long as it is helping us to develop our systems to enable us to ENJOY the music more.
If we never listened to our systems with a critical ear sometimes then all of us would be stuck with the same kit for a lifetime .... and we certainly would not be on a forum to discuss it ... So we are ALL guilty of system analysis at some point ... The important part is to be aware of that and keep a balance between pure enjoyment .. and sometimes a critical ear for some fine tuning when something feels/sounds out of kilter ...
I like to jump in and listen to certain instruments sometimes .. and yes .. obviously you cannot then give other instruments the same attention ... that stands to reason ... but equally .. I like to drop back and take in the whole ... I think we all alternate like that to an extent especially for great vocals and solos ...

Yes my experience is often similar but sometimes the music will naturally draw me to certain parts of the whole but this is often just a natural flow process
I can have my general mood listening following my muse or the music where it takes me, and when I need I can have more anylitical listening part of me engaged

Okay Clive and anyone else who cares to read.

Imo music shouldn’t be an intellectual exercise unless you’re reading it or playing it.
I admit, I’ve never been an analyzer of music and I try not to do it with my stereo either unless I’m trying to assess a recent change.
Music, it’s for dancing to, for bringing out emotions, for enjoyment, not some dry analytical pastime.
It’s about sex and passion and rebellion.

And yes I do bang on about it because it’s a constant debate I have with a couple of friends who tend to have listening sessions and in there cases at least they might as well be listening to a Hi Fi test record. Why do I say this? Mainly because all they go on about is the quality of the recording or how their system isn’t doing an acceptable job at certain frequencies. My opinion, they don’t actually like much of the music they listen to; they enjoy the process and the fidelity, but the soul of the music just goes right over there heads.
I’m not saying contributors to this thread are doing the same, but we civilized westerners have a horrible habit of “doing it wrong” imo.
As an example, take the Western culture approach to dope smoking. A group of smokers get together, skin up like its some major ritual and then hammer themselves insensible.
Go to Asia and only the old men sit about smoking, the younger smokers have a couple of joints and then DO stuff, sport, sex, dancing, etc.

So, music I believe is a social activity and only technology has turned it into some solitary pastime.
The music I enjoy most is live, or playing with my mates. It’s a fun activity we share.
All over the world people make and listen to music in groups, often dancing and maybe singing along.


I have music on most of the time I’m at home, or I’ve got the sax out and I’m giving it some on that.
I listen in two modes to music reproduced on my stereo, concentration and casual.
Concentration usually means I’m sat down and relaxed and I listen as a whole. If a particular instrument grabs my attention I may follow that more than the sound bulk but in general I listen to the music, not particular instruments.
Casual means I’m doing other stuff; probably half dancing around the at the same time.
Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but somehow I think not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zanash

or teaching your grandmother to suck eggs !

It may seem a bit basic but in my experience people tend to listen to hifi in two ways ...

the first ...like my wife ...listens in a holistic way ...ie to the whole of the music ...and will often not know when asked if there was even a vocalist involved. Though she does know what sound good and what 's bad ...we have often been to friends or partys ..and when she leaves will say ..."how bad was that sound system ...!"

The second way ..and I feel I listen this way... is to be able to isolate a thread of the music or an instrament from the whole . I'm able to still appreciate the whole to ..but I'm able to zoom in on a feature or aspect of the music .

Its to do with how you listen .....are there otherways That I've not considered ?

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Hi Pete ..... have you listened to Roger Waters "Amused To Death" .. there is a phenomenal amount of detail there ... I only just got the 180 gm vinyl last time I was home and didn't have enough time to really get into it ... but it would be a great album for "selective" listening .. ;) ... Pretty good album too .. a little acknowledged masterpiece of his IMHO of course ... .. :cool: ....... and I cannot resist plugging in my Strat and trying to join in when I have it turned up to 11 .. :mental: .....

John,

I don't disagree with you. Sure there are bound to be people who obsess about their system, just as there are with cars (technology, 0-60 etc) vs a great road or track drive enjoyed for the holistic experience.

When something is a hobby, ie the hifi reproduction part of listening to music, then there are times to be analytical but for myself I hope these times are rare vs simply listening to music.

Maybe it's easier to talk about the technology than it is the emotion from a piece of music so that's what get talked about. I can remember recent musical experiences that really moved me but these are very personal and dependant on my mood so I tend not to talk about them. I will however generalise and then talk about the reasons why an album sounded so great, eg capturing a tremendous music event (maybe 50s / 60s jazz recordings vs manipulated sounds today). When I enjoy something I revel in it at the time and so that I can re-create this enjoyment I make sure I understand why I was enjoying it.

Hope this make some form of sense.

great replys ...keep em coming

I've not disagreed with anything yet .....and absolutly agree about sex passion ..emotion etc ..

but I took that as a given !

For me it was never really about the kit and more about the music. I just found that kit I enjoyed more gave me a closer emotional connection to the music. That's what it's all about for me.

From the Grave

Some interesting points made in this thread, which I missed the first time around. I certainly subscribe to and practice 'zooming in' (nice analogy) on a part of the performance and listen to a particular instrument as well as listening to the whole.

It's nothing to do with hi-fi systems since I do it at classical concerts. I often find myself focussing on an individual player - maybe he or she is playing the key melody or is augmenting it in some way, or possibly it's an instrument the sound of which I particularly like, or maybe she's just pretty. It matters not, I zoom in and out all the time during the performance and do the same when playing the music at home (frequently concentrating on the same aspect). At other times, zooming in on a different part of the performance gives me a refreshingly different viewpoint.

Surely this is why playing music is so repeatable - always hearing something new?

A very interesting read and a great thread to dig up Chris :)

I am 100% in John's camp here (Welder) and pretty much approach my listening in the same way, minus the dancing! For me my big thing is live music and when listening to music at home, I don't think I ever listen to my gear anymore, as I love how it sounds. I listen to the lyrics and musical composition, the voice in particular especially if its female. I try to understand what the artist is saying, what is the meaning of this and why did they write it etc. When folk talk about the recording quality or say listen to this instrument or wow that sounds good with this amp, I must admit to being a little baffled, but then I don't really consider myself to be an audiophile, my mates do, but I just love music at the end of the day, my gear is nothing more than the transport.

I have to say I would never ever approach listening to music in the way the OP has described. There was a time (before AoS) that I listened to my gear, but that was because I didn't like how it sounded and I was always trying to improve it and enhance my enjoyment. I'm totally over that now thank goodness, which is a huge relief as it often drove me nuts and even stopped me listening to music for more than a few hours at a time. Mind you, I used to get a lot more sleep in those days!