How do you listen to music?

So. How do you usually listen to music?

Do you sit around on the computer during the record playing, in a chair, lie in bed, reading? Anything.

I recently discovered that I have a really hard time not doing anything during a record. I need to have something to do.

I don't want to browse the internet or do anything in the meantime when I REALLY want to listen to a record. I try to focus as much as my attention on it as possible. I usually lie in bed facing the stereo and listen with a cup of coffee or whatever, perhaps look at the artwork in the meantime or usually stare into the wall, which has an Oversteps poster, so that's usually what I see everytime. But it's hard for me to do this throughout an entire record. My mind might drift off and then I realize that I haven't paid attention the an entire track or something. I hate that. Because when I want to listen to music, I fucking want to listen to it. Listen intensely.

Some music demand more attention than others. But mainly I want to experience music, not just listen with one ear and do shit while listening.

i find some of my best listen sessions happen in the car. other than that, if i really wanna enjoy an album and explore it completely, i throw it on while i am painting.

Work, co-workers look at me funny when i start signing "I want your soul, i need your soul .. come to daddy" as a norwegian church burning metal vocalist.

mostly on the tube

In the car. I rotate 3 albums a week for my daily work commute.

On my home stereo while I clean up the nearby rooms. Or focus on the album if it needs that. Or while internetting, but that's very distracting.

If the band is known for having interesting lyrics I will sit down with the CD sleeve and read the lyrics along with the songs playing.

On my computer or in the car. I don't really listen to music in any other situations.

  On 4/2/2012 at 5:58 AM, usagi said:

ipod + PX100's (75% of my listening time)

or

at home on computer

or

in the car, but that's only when I'm overseas and not driving a total piece of shit

 

I try to focus quite deeply when I'm listening, it's relaxing and it opens your mind to hearing everything that a particular piece of music has to offer. I find I can't do that so much anymore because of distractions, shit to do, conversations with others, etc. when I was a loner and had no life (~5 years ago), I could properly listen the fuck out of something. I can't switch that ability on/off anymore, now I listen like some common pleb who just puts music on as mere accompaniment, unless I make a very deliberate decision to sit down and do nothing else but focus on what I'm listening to.

 

does anyone else get that?

you ever try going for an adventure outside with some headphones? i used to do that a lot, a great way to avoid distractions, and when things happen like bird flocks taking off to the climax of a song, it makes it ten times better than just listening in a room

With my ears.

Mostly with headphones at the computer or DAP when out and about.

I think of music videos or other things related to the music. Sometimes I just concentrate on the music and try to hear new things in it. Quite frequently I listen to music while looking for new music to listen to. I love browsing around iTunes listening to the previews of a bunch of music I haven't heard; I actually prefer it to mediums in which I can listen to the whole song because the previews usually get to the part of the song I want to hear to know what it sounds like.

In all possible ways.

I like background music. But often I just want to really get into the music and listen, and not do anything else.

Also, listening in the car is great.

Makes driving not shitty. I want to drive through empty cities at night listening to Rifts.

I very rarely listen to music without doing something else in the meantime. I find that most of the music that I listen to doesn't require that much concentration anyway. On the rare occasions that it does I can't really listen to it for more than 20 minutes or so at a time (nor do I usually want to).

The trick is to do something that isn't so engrossing that you completely forget about the music, and choose music to listen to that doesn't punish you severely for missing a few bars. If I had to rank the top 5 activites and the music I listen to by time spent they would be something like this:

1. Browsing the internet, forums, articles and whatnot (mostly idm, dubby/deep house, podcasts etc.)

2. Driving (mostly vocal based stuff like indie pop and vocal house. Used to be mostly bass-driven music when I drove a different car that actually had bass in it)

3. Walking the dog (usually avant garde stuff, musique concrete, EAI etc.)

4. Exercising (almost exclusively Black Sun Empire podcasts)

5. Dancing, at home or in clubs (house music, all kinds)

Very seriously, with a dour look on my face.

When I'm on the bus going to and from schoool. That's totally about 1,5 hours a day. Problem is that I always sleep there and don't remember anything that I've heard, but that's not so bad because I don't need much music.

Since I got my separates set up again I make a point of using them, fuck using my computer for music unless I happen to be internetting or whatever. Since I got my gear back up and running I also make a point of getting physical editions, I haven't exclusively downloaded any releases for ages now. Vinyl, CD and tape all the way.

I am genuinely surprised at how many listen to music in the car. I for one despise music while I'm driving. Or well, I've only had the 'pleasure' of listening to the radio stations, which are absolute and utter shit. I should make a mixtape for driving. Why haven't I thought of that before.

I try to do as much as my music listening on the stereo with proper sound, and I would like to go for walks with music in my ears, but I've come to rather despise the usual iPod earbuds. They just sound rubbish. I've thought about buying a pair of proper ones, but then again, then I need to limit myself to buying ones which aren't in need of pre-amplification. So yeah.

Walking and cycling in the countryside, I can do 4 hour cycle rides so I listen to a lot then, shorter rides would be a couple of hours. My mp3 is always in tow, though sometimes I just want peace and quiet.

Sitting in spots in the countryside. I know some nice quiet spots on a hills overlooking fields, trees and villages, so I perch up and listen to music and watch as the world goes by.

At home with vinyl, I just chill out on the sofa, sometimes looking through art/graffiti books or close my eyes and drift into my imagination.

At work. Lucky part of my job means I spend 4 hours of my working day alone, so I listen to music then. The other 4 hours are loud, noisey, chaotic hell lol.

Surfing the net.

A massive chunk of my day is spent listening to tunes. I am lucky.

I mostly listen in the car I guess, then also lots with headphones when walking/running everyday. If I'm at the computer working for long periods I'll put it on also.

When something new comes out that I REALLY care about (say, new autechre)... I'll either lay in bed in the dark or go outside at night with some nice headphones and just really listen to the entire album, no distractions.

When I'm on the computer, in the car, at my job, and on a walk. Basically anywhere I can.

in a house with a mouse on a train in the rain

I like to listen to my music on mute.

Even though there are no sounds coming out of my speakers, I pretend I am beethoven and that I can feel vibrations even though there are none. Then I jam out on my piano and eat reeses peanut butter cups wearing no pants. After that I usually ask my grandparents to leave the room.

^

I'm training my musical imagination so, someday, I will listen my favorite tunes without any fancy shit like ipod, sansa, radio, whatever... just me and my brain

Listening to ambient music in the cold rain while walking through empty city roads, streetlights illuminating the buildings around me.

  On 4/2/2012 at 5:38 AM, zaphod said:

On my computer or in the car. I don't really listen to music in any other situations.

Ditto. And sadly with headphones or earplugs at work most of the time. I need to get back to listening to stuff on speakers while I'm at home. The closest thing I have to pure listening without multitasking is lately is during roadtrips, on the highway with cruise control on.

Mostly in my car and I listen to a lot of downtempo when I program or do homework.

Otherwise headphones while at school.

Before I moved recently I listened to a lot more while just staring out the window.

I dont like listening to music while going for a walk/bike. I like to hear the ambience around me,