Convoluted listening: A new music analysis project
Posted by: shocked on 28 August 2009
I have 200-300 CD's. 500-600 LP's. Both rough estimates.
What if one were to walk up to one's CD collection in the dark, pull out one CD without identifying it, and listen to it at least twice critically? I'm 60 CD's into this process and find it revelatory. The alternative--choosing alphabetically--tended to burn me out on particularly well-collected artists.
The rules are these:
* I remove the newly listened CD's to a separate storage from my organized shelving so that I don't digress into short playlist rotations.
* I allow myself to choose either specifically, or semi-randomly, because the alphabetical storage arrangement compromises true randomness.
* I listen critically at least once, which means staying awake (!), not becoming deeply immersed in a book, and noticing as many characteristics about the music as possible (instrumentation, bass lines, studio effects, liner notes, producer and supporting musician names, atmospherics, et.al).
* Almost always, newly awakened curiosity makes me listen at least twice through critically.
* I try to avoid listening to more than CD by the same artist serially, except for double CD collections.
* I'm committed to listening to every CD I own during this project.
* I'm not interspersing any vinyl LP's with the CD's during this project period in an effort to reduce variables.
* I'm having fun, and learning a lot!
Has anyone tried similar listening endeavors?
What if one were to walk up to one's CD collection in the dark, pull out one CD without identifying it, and listen to it at least twice critically? I'm 60 CD's into this process and find it revelatory. The alternative--choosing alphabetically--tended to burn me out on particularly well-collected artists.
The rules are these:
* I remove the newly listened CD's to a separate storage from my organized shelving so that I don't digress into short playlist rotations.
* I allow myself to choose either specifically, or semi-randomly, because the alphabetical storage arrangement compromises true randomness.
* I listen critically at least once, which means staying awake (!), not becoming deeply immersed in a book, and noticing as many characteristics about the music as possible (instrumentation, bass lines, studio effects, liner notes, producer and supporting musician names, atmospherics, et.al).
* Almost always, newly awakened curiosity makes me listen at least twice through critically.
* I try to avoid listening to more than CD by the same artist serially, except for double CD collections.
* I'm committed to listening to every CD I own during this project.
* I'm not interspersing any vinyl LP's with the CD's during this project period in an effort to reduce variables.
* I'm having fun, and learning a lot!
Has anyone tried similar listening endeavors?
quote:Originally posted by mikeeschman:
A lot of the music I devoured ten years ago now sounds flawed to my ears. Richard Strauss is a glaring example. I used to eat him up ten years ago, but now find him unbearable. Mahler, a longtime favorite, now seems beautiful, but fatally flawed. Tchaikovsky, loved for decades, sounds crude.
Flawed, crude and unbearable? You are so cruel to your former lovers!
Now that all my music is stored a digital file of some sort my approach to such projects is a bit different. I either let the system choose music randomly based on some parameter (music I haven't played in a long time, music I haven't rated, etc) or I follow an emotional/memory lane path consciously letting what I'm currently listening to influence my next choice. I've rediscovered forgotten classics an discovered great music I didn't even know I had this way.
I'm not particularly critical in terms of venue, studio effects etc. I just focus on melody, instrument lines, atmosphere and how I feel in response.