How do you listen to music?
 

Hello! I have a bit of a vague question for anybody who feels like answering: How do you listen to music?

With the question being so vague, I suppose there are quite a few ways to answer this question. Here are a few examples of what comes to mind for me...

What do you use to listen to music? Speakers, headphones, etc?
Do you like to listen to single songs, whole albums, playlists, etc?
Do you play music in the background while doing something else, or do you focus on the music without distractions?
When you listen to music, what do you listen for? Certain instruments, chord progressions, lyrics, etc?

These are just a few examples, but don't feel constrained by them. As I said, it's a vague question.

I'm interested to hear your answers!

I listen to songs with my ears for the music.

i usually listen on my laptop through the speakers and sometimes headphones. also sometimes with headohones thru my phone. i dont really listen to anything tbh, i just kinda listen and i either like stuff or i dont. i dont really think about stuf like that, i just enjoy the tunes cause most the time im not listening to make some kind of statement about it or analyze it, just to relax

and usually just songs but sometimes full albums at a time

I suppose I'm a lot different. I tend to analyze the music I listen to quite a lot, and always aim to listen to full albums if I can.

sometimes i do

usually music is background noise for me while im doin somethin else. i dont have music in my car either which sucks cause i would listen deeper probab;y while drivin

Why is this question asked so many times by newbies on this forum? It's so strange. Are you doing marketing research or something?

Like Mondo said, I use my ears to listen to music that comes from various places in the world.

I mainly use headphones. I put (some of) my albums on my iPod and use it to listen to them. I listen to a lot of single tracks, but sometimes whole albums (especially Diary and A Night at the Opera). Music tends to be in the background, but sometimes I sit down and listen to it without distractions. That's usually when I listen to a new album and I want to get the full experience. Lyrics are important, but I rarely catch them all (sometimes I read the album booklet while listening for the first time), so the musical quality is just as important.

Haha, no, I'm not doing any marketing research. I tend to be rather strict about how I listen to music, so I was curious if other people were the same/different.

What do you use to listen to music? Speakers, headphones, etc?

Mainly headphones or youtube

Do you like to listen to single songs, whole albums, playlists, etc?
A bit of everything but mostly single songs most bands for my taste aren't consistent enough but when they are i listen to their full album

Do you play music in the background while doing something else, or do you focus on the music without distractions?

Both but i rather like using it as background music
sometimes i like putting an album on loop as background music especially if i feel the album has a nice complex ambience

When you listen to music, what do you listen for? Certain instruments, chord progressions, lyrics, etc?

It needs to surprise me in some way if i can predict the hooks in the songs or the chord patterns i don't like it
all im really looking for is something that truly reaches me personally and that i can listen to it again and again until it becomes like a part of me.

What do you mean by complex ambience? Nice username, by the way. :thumb:

thnx ^^
i take it you know the pixies right?

it's like a personal thing but you know how some music artists feel like they have more depth than others?
well it's those kinda artists i like to put on the background until i completely familiarize with them.. this is how i got into david bowie, The misfits, Guided by voices and lots of artists

Yep, Doolittle is a great album!

Hmm, sounds interesting. I might try listening to music in the background sometime, as I usually like to sit down and focus on it.

Personally I listen to music on my iPod mp3 player (Nano 4) and with a decent pair of headphones. I also listen to lots of music and documentaries on YouTube. My computer speakers aren't the greatest but I mainly watch YouTube videos for the visuals.

I shuffle a lot but also go through to my artists list of albums and shuffle through them or pick the songs I want to hear.

A lot of the time I'm just on the internet with headphones on and an album on. Apart from that I listen to either CDs or vinyl through my Hi-Fi system or hook my mp3 player up to it and just chill out, or hook my my player up to my car stereo when I'm driving.

I find listening to music while working, reading or studying distractive so I usually avoid it.

I'm curious, do you feel that you take in the music fully when you listen while surfing the internet?

I don't feel I 100% take in the music fully while browsing, I don't think anyone really does. Unless you are doing absolutely nothing while listening to music and have an excellent attention span I don't think you can fully take in the music because other things are competing for your attention. My attention to the music tends to zone in and out depending on what I'm viewing or interacting with, sometimes it becomes background music and other times I'm paying full attention to it.

It's a good question though and I'm interested in what other people think.

The first time I review a song or album I listen to it on the laptop using earphones, then if I like it I keep it, and if I don't I get rid. I only have rock and metal on my ipod, which I listen to while running/working out.

When I listen to music, I try to remove as much as I can that might compete for my attention. Usually, I turn my phone off, sign out of Skype, and even close my eyes to remove visual distractions. Even with all of that, I do still zone out sometimes, especially during longer albums, or newer albums that I'm not familiar with. Personally, I just don't like putting music on in the background. I'd rather listen closely, and try to take the music apart. I like to ask myself questions while listening: What is the general mood/purpose of the piece? What instruments are present, and how does each contribute to the music overall?

I like to do that too when I throw on a CD or record. I usually just lie back, forget about everything and just take it all in (although switching off your phone seems a bit too excessive but each to their own). However I try not to fall into the trap of over analyzing the technical aspects of music itself. Things like the mood of the music you don't have to try too hard to work out and you can latch onto melodies and rhythms without much effort. It also depends on the type of music you're listening to. If you're listening to classical or jazz then yes you would tend to pay close attention to what the individual instruments are doing and taking the music apart etc as well as enjoying the moods and melodies. If you're doing the same to a Motorhead album then you are completely missing the point of it. I prefer not to over-analyze music and just let my enjoyment of it come naturally.

I see a lot of validity in that. I've always wanted to get into classical and jazz, so I might have to really put some effort into that! I imagine there is a lot more to "take apart" in that style of music, compared to more modern things. Although, I am interested in trying to listen to music in different ways as well, so I may try listen without over-analyzing, and see what happens.

Speaking of classical/jazz, are you familiar with either at all? If so, do you have any recommendations? :D

Well you are suppose to listen to the scale degrees and the exact tones.

Earphones on iPod if I listen to music late at night when i'm in bed. All other times, loud through computer speakers and base unit :)

I believe good music is perceived in the ears, not through the hardware.

Yeah, I agree with that, though nicer hardware can help with the enjoyment of music, I find. How do you perceive good music?

that's not a bad idea either but i think some artist you won't get right away unless you familiarise yourself with them first and how do you that? repetition.

And what better way to not get bored of repetition than putting the music as a background while you do other stuff? this way you can go on with your mundane routine WHILE familiarising yourself with the artist

Plus think of it like this, has a song ever grown on you because you heard it a bunch of times?
Some stuff you don't like right away it takes awhile to sink in that's why i think BOTH your way of listening to music and my way to listening to music work, we can have both!

we can put it on the background OR strictly focus on the music at the end they both work

Yeah, quite a few of my favorite songs/albums were not very enjoyable on the first listen or two. I think this is a great idea, and I just bought some new music the other day, so I'll have to try it out!

At one point, I think I may have been under the impression that either listening to music in the foreground or background would "train" your brain to listen to it one way or another, but now that I think about it, it sounds kind of silly. :crazy:

It's not that silly actually it's 2 different ways to process music..

for exmpl,
let's say a good friend recommends you a band but you don't quite them at first.. just put that their music on the background and let it sink in for awhile most likely by like the 3rd time you do this you will already have a fav song or even a fav moment in a song and that's it! that's all you need that initial hook to start getting interested on them

on contrast if you're listening really carefully to a new band and all your focus is on that your appreciation also come with expectations and if those expectations aren't met right away you may dismiss the band and years later eventually like them (That happened to me with Stone temple pilots i used to hate them)

in a way, you never know why you might be into.. you know what you like but there are other stuff to like ya know?

Yeah, also when I throw on new music and try to listen to it without distractions, I tend to zone out easily. I don't know if it's just me, or the music being new.

As far as dismissing music, I know what you mean. I'd hate to blow off an album, only to find I like it in the long run!

I just listen to music on my iPhone.

My favorite place is in my car. It's a sound cocoon.

I listen to music on CD. I have over 500 albums on CD and I listen to them on my Sony Walkman CD player, with Grado SR80 Headphones, and usually without any distractions so I can really absorb the sounds and lyrical messages, and even get lost in it if it's a particularly good album.

I'm pretty much the same, though I use my computer instead of a Walkman.

Ever since my Ipod broke I have been really diggin Pandora

Pandora is nice cause you just put in your favorite artist(s) and it just kind of stays within that genre and artist type

I want to get a new Ipod though. Regardless, music while I am working out brings me to a great place

Why dont you burn your cd to your computer then put them all on an iPod?

Well, where do I start, man?

Wow..well, first of all..I like to grab some chocolates, some Bud beer, oh yeah! I get my Nickelback collection and I play Silver Side Up at least two times a day whilst drinking my Bud beer. Oh, and also..Theory of a Deadman, here and there. Thank you, Chad! :)

I usually listen while working or gaming through the headsets.

The music source depends on my need for control - Pandora, if I want to control tone/mood, Grooveshark if I want to control playlist, KEXP (College station in Seattle) if I don't want to be in any control.

Nice. Headphones like that deserve a dedicated headphone amp:

http://audioconsult.dk/old/images/an...n/hmsttopr.jpg

it depends on my mood.

If I just want to lay down for a long time I'll put a few records on (phonograph in the bedroom). If I'm not in the mood for anything in particular, last.fm. And if I want to listen to a specific artist, Grooveshark. I don't actually own any CDs that I've used for any other reason apart from file storage.