A Week Without Music

I'm usually listening consciously or subconsciously to music throughout the day, everyday: working, walking, wanking, etc. It's been so long since I've had long term silence, I'm gonna try a week without listening to any at all (and avoid some if I can), and I'll report the experience afterwards for interested parties.

i tried to do something similar for some new years resolutions, giving up things that formed a huge part of my life. first up was masturbation, couldn't last longer than 36 hours, experiment failed

Why would you do that?? music brings joy.

gotta agree with the yo-ster

that seems like a silly and arbitrary thing to give up

give up refined sugar or something

or meat

  On 1/20/2012 at 2:14 AM, YO303 said:

Why would you do that?? music brings joy.

To appreciate it more when it's there?

Also, silence can be pretty wonderful and refreshing, even invigorating.

And when you turn off the tunes, you cab find a world of sounds you took for granted.

Don't give up meat, music, masturbation, or anything good for you.

Give up drinking for a month. Or give up not exercising. If you want results, that is.

Something like that. Without music, I can listen to the environment when I walk, like birds and traffic. Then when you go back to listening again, it feels a bit refeshring. Sometimes helps you getting out of one perspective you get stuck with and allow you to be a bit more openminded about other styles and genres. Maybe it takes more than a week for that to happen.

There was a period of 3 month in which everyday I woke up having one of RDJ's music playing in my head. Then I'd listen to that music to reenforce it in my mind, and try to pay attention to all the details and stuff. Helps in listening, but easily getting stuck in that pattern. So I stopped listening to electronic music, and switched to classical, mostly Bach.

Now I'm curious what silence can bring to my life, so that I don't have to wake up every morning having a Bach or RDJ's stuff playing in my head.

Also natural sound appreciation (mainly textural rather temporal) is a good skill to develop.

  On 1/20/2012 at 3:42 AM, sweepstakes said:

  On 1/20/2012 at 2:14 AM, YO303 said:

Why would you do that?? music brings joy.

 

To appreciate it more when it's there?

Also, silence can be pretty wonderful and refreshing, even invigorating.

And when you turn off the tunes, you cab find a world of sounds you took for granted.

My vegan and vegetarian friends couldn't convert me.

  On 1/20/2012 at 2:51 AM, disparaissant said:

gotta agree with the yo-ster

that seems like a silly and arbitrary thing to give up

give up refined sugar or something

or meat

What century do you think this is? In case you don't know we are in the 21st century, Nature sounds like cars, contruction, sirens, gunshots and people fighting

tinnitus is shit without good noise in my ears.

  On 1/20/2012 at 6:10 AM, YO303 said:

What century do you think this is? In case you don't know we are in the 21st century, Nature sounds like cars, contruction, sirens, gunshots and people fighting

Depends where you live. There's places in my area where I can hear nothing but natural sounds and the distant, intermittent rumbling of overhead passenger planes.

I am a pretty touch and go obsessive compulsive and probably some other disorders too and one of the typical phases I go through every so often is not listening to music purposefully, there are some basic core reasons behind it but it doesn't really matter because hobbies are all pretty arbitrary when you get down to it and its important to practice adapting to different mindsets.

  On 1/20/2012 at 6:13 AM, chassis said:

tinnitus is shit without good noise in my ears.

yeah truthfully this is my main reason for not not-listening-to-music

pretty much always have something playing or some noise going to distract because fuck that ringing

I get really depressed if I don't listen to music for at least a couple of hours a day. Music helps me escape.

  On 1/20/2012 at 5:59 AM, pafr said:

natural sound appreciation (mainly textural rather temporal) is a good skill to develop.

textural, temporal, and spatial sound appreciation is a "skill" you'll carry for life

  On 1/20/2012 at 6:23 AM, RadarJammer said:

there are some basic core reasons behind it but it doesn't really matter because hobbies are all pretty arbitrary when you get down to it and its important to practice adapting to different mindsets.

  On 1/20/2012 at 6:20 AM, sweepstakes said:

natural sounds and the distant, intermittent rumbling of overhead passenger planes.

ulrich schnauss new album?

You should listen to EAI. It's like environmental sounds but interesting.

  On 1/20/2012 at 3:50 AM, Candiru said:

Don't give up meat, music, masturbation, or anything good for you.

 

Give up drinking for a month. Or give up not exercising. If you want results, that is.

troof.

  On 1/20/2012 at 6:27 AM, modey said:

I get really depressed if I don't listen to music for at least a couple of hours a day. Music helps me escape.

yea I'm the same way, it is a constant in my life and I will never be without it.

i don't see how you could do this apart from moving to the wilderness or never leaving your house. music is everywhere you go.

  On 1/20/2012 at 12:57 PM, keltoi said:

i don't see how you could do this apart from moving to the wilderness or never leaving your house. music is everywhere you go.

even then, you have eddie vedder as your soundtrack

  On 1/20/2012 at 3:42 AM, sweepstakes said:

  On 1/20/2012 at 2:14 AM, YO303 said:

Why would you do that?? music brings joy.

 

To appreciate it more when it's there?

Also, silence can be pretty wonderful and refreshing, even invigorating.

And when you turn off the tunes, you cab find a world of sounds you took for granted.

this

my experience tells that periods of silence is calming and makes music sound better.

Without music is like listening to a different kind of "music." Like where I'm sitting right now, I can hear a low wind sound outside. And then you can pay attention to different spatial things. Regarding spatial stuff with music, check out this presentation: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_byrne_how_architecture_helped_music_evolve.html

I listened to tons of Kahvi Collective stuff before finding out about WATMM. Over there, MigloJE has some really interesting and cool ambient stuff that's more of an ambient noise than anything else.

Like this release Ayesteeyah: http://kahvi.org/rel...ease_number=174

  On 1/20/2012 at 12:57 PM, keltoi said:

i don't see how you could do this apart from moving to the wilderness or never leaving your house. music is everywhere you go.

Why is this so hard to believe? I guess I take where I live for granted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse