How/When/Where do you listen to music?

I used to focus on listening to music, or put music on while browsing through the internet, but lately I haven't had much time for either of those things. So the only chance I get for music is combining it with other activities.

For example, I'll usually try to listen to an upbeat album while cooking/cleaning, or sometimes if I have the time to paint I'll put on long albums that require a lot of attention (because those help me paint for some reason...).

Are any of you in similar situations? I know some people listen to music while working/studying, but I've always found it breaks my concentration. And I know people who listen to music while commuting, but I've never got this to work either (I don't have a car/there's too much ambient noise on the bus).

So WATMM, how/when/where do you usually listen to music?

Ambient while doing any kind if academic- desk work.

All kinds of stuff when wandering about the city or commuting.

Really I've got music on constantly in the house, otherwise I'll zone out on video games or watch the news till the reports start looping.

  On 5/19/2015 at 1:06 AM, doublename said:

Ambient while doing any kind if academic- desk work.

 

All kinds of stuff when wandering about the city or commuting.

 

Really I've got music on constantly in the house, otherwise I'll zone out on video games or watch the news till the reports start looping.

Do you wander about in order to listen to music? Or would you go wandering either way, and you just take it as an opportunity to listen?

Also, do you commute by bus? Does the noise limit what types of music you can listen to?

All kinds at work in the office, though usually without lyrics because unless it's something I've listened to already I might not be too focused on it. If I need to work on something quickly and without distraction, metal and techno and stuff like that often helps.

I worked in the field as a surveyor for almost a year and couldn't listen to music as much as I wanted to. In the work truck or outside it was often Tejano (which I didn't mind) or the radio. Thankfully I usually got to change it to decent local stations - college radio or NPR, etc. On one shitty day though, a coworker I grew to despise (he's in jail now actually lol) played Staind through his phone speakers when the radio was out. We didn't have A/C in that truck either, so the windows were down and he turned it up all the way. It was hell. All the other guys I work with either listen to anything (even black metal and d'n'b and stuff like that), or stick to classic rock, or put on this local morning radio show that's actually decent.

I can't read and listen to music, unless it's ambient or soundtrack stuff, and then that only at a lower volume. I'm skeptical and/or weirded out by people who can.

My favorite environment to listen to music is on road trips. It's completely different than when I'm commuting for work. That's usually when I put on my favorite albums or put on something more melancholy and introspective like old country music or dream pop. My wife and I always get a bunch of stuff loaded on Spotify (or in the past, MIX CDs or ipod playlists) before we go on such trips, especially through West Texas.

  On 5/19/2015 at 1:19 AM, joshuatx said:

All kinds at work in the office, though usually without lyrics because unless it's something I've listened to already I might not be too focused on it. If I need to work on something quickly and without distraction, metal and techno and stuff like that often helps.

 

[...]

 

I can't read and listen to music, unless it's ambient or soundtrack stuff, and then that only at a lower volume. I'm skeptical and/or weirded out by people who can.

 

[...]

What type of work do you do? Does it involve writing?

A lot of my work involves writing documentation, and so music with lyrics is basically impossible.

I've heard that Stephen King uses loud metal while he writes just to block out the world so he can focus on what he's doing, but I'm kinda with you on being weirded out by that.

Ambient when trying to sleep.

Electro and techno when programming.

In public transports anything really.

When just relaxing at home or backgroung music for chores etc: IDM, p-funk, dub..

I usually always have my headphones on when I'm at my computer (which is often). So I have hiphop in my ears for a few hours everyday. If I'm doing difficult work I'll put on something like RDJ Album that I've heard a thousand times before and so won't distract me too much.

In the car it's a 75/25 split between listening to albums vs. the radio.

Always have music with me on walks and runs although running does limit the selection to a certain kind of suitably energetic music I guess, can't listen to just anything.

At home I do a lot of listening to files while I'm on the computer but every now and then I get in the mood to put on some records or CDs and really sit back and listen to them and then I'll make a habit of that for a week or so.

right earbud while riding to/from work or on errands (left ear is empty to listen for traffic). all day on shitty workspeakers at desk. at home on a 12 yr old hifi system when doing chores/not playing videogames or watching netflix. most music is curated through my google play music account which basically accounts for my entire non-vinyl collection. in the car i usually am forced to listen to npr but if i have to drive i usually put on music. listen to music when i run (1-3x/week).

Oh yeah, running: drum/drill'n'bass or jungle works great.

To expand my coding music comment: In general if I have to concentrate a bit, mainly at work, I've found that midtempo techno works the best. I find both overtly complex (IDM) or overtly minimal (ambient etc) too distracting. Ambient is too hypnotizing for me to listen to while I'm working. I start to stare at the screen and my brain gets stuck. Just give me a steady beat and some lush pads.

Various moods & whateverthefuck at home - 35+yr old turntables, amp, speakers, comp, digi turntable, cd,,,,,,less of a vinyl puritan than a decade ago, but its still a sweet buzz placing a needle down on a record and that brief pause after a long day,,,,,like any1 it differs from sifting thru new gear to cross-referencing people/labels etc cos there's always things to learn & unheard gems to discover. Older classics, metaphorically endless, until death anyway.

The Pillars of Faith have always been proper house, headfuck electronica, acid rock & far too many krautrock bits on vinyl (an acceptable vice), anything really....its like dial-a-mood, add family inheritances of jazz n blues records (a treasure trove) & my ma's complete catalog of Luke Kelly & other traditional Irish music.

At work & study,,,,, around a music dept so hear a lot of classical + random sounds, strangely never a cacophony and you can just listen some days while a piece plays thru and enjoy it for what it is.

Old skool favourite though is in the mountains, dans le motor with the olde chilling posse, tunes of any variety, too far up for polis, certain shrubbery, watching the sun set and the night come in, roadtesting mixes, chewing the fat & freaking out about the passing of time. Occasionally sprinkle this process with valium.

Alternatively, driving longer distances when working, 1 of the best ways to immerse yourself in sound, especially if the views en route rrock too.

Generally I listen to music while browsing the Internet, studying, or driving somewhere. Especially long road trips, those are when I really delve into stuff I haven't listened to yet. When I was a big time book reader, I'd put on an album as a sort of soundtrack to the book.

Unfortunately I rarely ever just sit there and listen to an album. I usually have to be doing something else while listening. Makes me a rather shit music fan in that regard.. haha

So we have the following use cases for listening to music:

• Studying
• Office work
• Programming (I'm guessing this is what most of you do in the office)
• Wandering/Walking
• Running/working out
• Commuting on transit
• Riding a bike (aka, having a death wish)
• Doing chores/cooking/cleaning
• Browsing the internet
• Just playing all the time in the house
• Reading books
• Driving/road trips
• Trying to go to sleep

Can we get some YouTube links in this thread for good music for these use cases (or any other you might do)?

For me, this is the music I turn to when I need to do some serious house cleaning and get my energy levels up:

[youtubehd]B5uIaZHXDvw[/youtubehd]

For more general cleaning, I'll just play whatever I most want to listen to. Lately it's been a lot of Wagon Christ, but really it could be anything.

[youtubehd]YUDMtKvZ0gs[/youtubehd]

For reading, I've found nothing better than the collaborations between Brian Eno and Harold Budd:

[youtubehd]6-Zj4LvNvqo&list=PL5CC786FE9C94E2A0[/youtubehd]

  On 5/19/2015 at 1:18 AM, Root5 said:

 

  On 5/19/2015 at 1:06 AM, doublename said:

Ambient while doing any kind if academic- desk work.

 

All kinds of stuff when wandering about the city or commuting.

 

Really I've got music on constantly in the house, otherwise I'll zone out on video games or watch the news till the reports start looping.

Do you wander about in order to listen to music? Or would you go wandering either way, and you just take it as an opportunity to listen?

 

Also, do you commute by bus? Does the noise limit what types of music you can listen to?

I take long walks specifically to listen to music mostly, definitely one of my favorite pastimes.

I commute by train mostly, but sometimes take a bus, which I agree is way too loud.

  On 5/19/2015 at 1:38 AM, Root5 said:

 

  On 5/19/2015 at 1:19 AM, joshuatx said:

All kinds at work in the office, though usually without lyrics because unless it's something I've listened to already I might not be too focused on it. If I need to work on something quickly and without distraction, metal and techno and stuff like that often helps.

 

[...]

 

I can't read and listen to music, unless it's ambient or soundtrack stuff, and then that only at a lower volume. I'm skeptical and/or weirded out by people who can.

 

[...]

 

What type of work do you do? Does it involve writing?

 

A lot of my work involves writing documentation, and so music with lyrics is basically impossible.

 

I've heard that Stephen King uses loud metal while he writes just to block out the world so he can focus on what he's doing, but I'm kinda with you on being weirded out by that.

 

Drafting of surveys, specifically property and residential surveys with autocad. Before I had this job I worked at a library for 5 years and most of the time I spent was digitizing and cleaning up archived bills and other legislative documents. Now that was monotonous that I could practically do it in my sleep and I could easily listen to music all day or fart around here while getting tasks done. One co-worker of mine was quite productive and would literally watch documentaries all day while doing it. I don't get online much anymore, autocad is too involved.

Hehe, I once worked in a library for a few months. The most monotous thing I had to do was rewinding cassettes. Usually though I worked in the book repairing. But I couldn't choose my music there. Had to listen to Finnish schlager music 6 hours a day..

Lots of librarians!! I work half the time at a university library (doing digitization, but fortunately I'm on more coordination/metadata/quality than scanning all the docs. And we work more with old/rare documents than with archival records...

Blast my choons driving on the highway 80 to 90 percent of the time. The remainder is online @ home basically.

I would actually love to work in a library - sounds loads better than the rental business I've stayed with for nearly the last decade. Working with the public for so long makes one rather cynical of humanity after a while.

Lately I've discovered that when I want to work concentrated in something, music is prohibited unless I'm trying to create stories (mainly for writing). Let's say Lustmord for dark, apocalyptic stuff, etc.

But when I want to listen to music, I only listen to music. Mostly while commuting.

late @ night in the dark, losing yourself completely in sound, temporal anomalies abounding

What about with noise music? How do people consume noise music.

I find with me, if it's very ambient, then I can let it play. If it's more "upbeat" or whatever the equivalent is for noise, I usually just want to listen to one track at a time. Listening to a whole album of noise creates listening fatigue. That's why that single noise track in the middle of Quaristice is so brilliant. It's just as much as I want.

  On 5/21/2015 at 7:30 AM, Root5 said:

What about with noise music? How do people consume noise music.

 

I find with me, if it's very ambient, then I can let it play. If it's more "upbeat" or whatever the equivalent is for noise, I usually just want to listen to one track at a time. Listening to a whole album of noise creates listening fatigue. That's why that single noise track in the middle of Quaristice is so brilliant. It's just as much as I want.

there is a noise track on quaristice?

  On 5/21/2015 at 7:30 AM, Root5 said:

What about with noise music? How do people consume noise music.

 

I find with me, if it's very ambient, then I can let it play. If it's more "upbeat" or whatever the equivalent is for noise, I usually just want to listen to one track at a time. Listening to a whole album of noise creates listening fatigue. That's why that single noise track in the middle of Quaristice is so brilliant. It's just as much as I want.

I definitely have to be in the mindset for noise stuff, it's not like I throw it on in the background. Just sometimes I get that itch to hear it, not much different to, say, watching a horror movie or something.

  On 5/21/2015 at 7:30 AM, Root5 said:

What about with noise music? How do people consume noise music.

 

I find with me, if it's very ambient, then I can let it play. If it's more "upbeat" or whatever the equivalent is for noise, I usually just want to listen to one track at a time. Listening to a whole album of noise creates listening fatigue. That's why that single noise track in the middle of Quaristice is so brilliant. It's just as much as I want.

Noise and extreme metal actually makes for very consistent work music for me, just not at full blast...more like background music. That stuff live and loud in person is pretty fucking intense and I can see how it's tiring. Or on headphones instead of half-volume speakers.

I remember actually listening to black metal all day on headphones at work (Darkthrone's discogs specifically) and I actually got drained, almost sick feeling. Mentally fatigued and down. I had a webpage tab open with the lyrics too. It was too much dark, dreary and depressive shit I suppose.

Which is why this makes sense. (1:10)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzOYebQlALE

lol fenriz