[fordgtlover]

I was thinking recently that listening to music seems to have been relegated to a background activity. Or, to put it another way, it's something to do while we do something else.

With the explosive popularity of portable music players, portable amps and IEMs etc, it seems that so many people want the convenience of taking their music with them and listening to it while they travel, study, jog, mow the lawn, work or whatever else.


Has the activity of listening to music as a discrete activity become passé?

What do you think?

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Although I do use music as my background while doing other stuff, I always make it a point to LISTEN solely to music an hour or two before I sleep. 100% of my concentration is dedicated to LISTENING at this point. The household is also very quiet at this time.

But, yeah, I agree with your point. I have many friends/family who love music, but they never really take the time to LISTEN to it properly. Most of the time they are singing along or enjoying it while being occupied with something else. Driving, surfing the net etc.

During the past week or so, I've got a friend to sit down and really LISTEN to his music. I asked him to drop everything he was doing and just concentrate on the music. I asked him to listen to the little details in the music, the positioning of the instruments, the decay of music instruments, and how they all blend in harmoniously.

He was surprised at what he was missing out on.

Next on the list of people to "convert" is my cousin.

 

[Inz]

I largely agree with you but that the same time the question could be rephrased to:
Has activity whilst not listening to music become passé?

I guess I am trying to say that in some cases (potentially a lot of them), the 'activity' (travel, job, mow the lawn) is ancillary to listening to music. This is more likely the case when the individual does not inherently enjoy the activity (mowing the lawn, sitting on a train…) but chooses instead to focus on music to distract them from the other task at hand.

I do this but also listen to music as a discrete activity. What I have found now is that I am unable to watch TV as a discrete activity; I will always have my laptop in front of me.

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I largely agree with you but that the same time the question could be rephrased to: Has activity whilst not listening to music become passé? I guess I am trying to say that in some cases (potentially a lot of them), the 'activity' (travel, job, mow the lawn) is ancillary to listening to music. This is more likely the case when the individual does not inherently enjoy the activity (mowing the lawn, sitting on a train…) but chooses instead to focus on music to distract them from the other task at hand. snip

I can't disagree with your take on this issue, but I do think it is a different issue. The thinking underpinning my view is that while music is a subordinate activity, one can't really focus on the music in all its glory. My interpretaion of what you are saying is that 'people can't do anything without music as a distraction'.

I agree that people do use music to distract them from the mundane activities, but many of those mundaine activities require some level of focus eg. driving, studying or working; sitting on a train doesn't require a great deal of focus, but does tend to be noisy and distracting. Thus, the primary focus remains the task at hand, and the music becomes the 'backdrop'. I am proposing that music as the 'task at hand' has largely become redundant.

 

[vcoheda]

maybe at work.

but if i'm home listening to my main rig, i'm usually pretty into the music. i may be surfing or something, but that activity is secondary and not the other way around.

 

[Akathisia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrecked_porsche /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have many friends/family who love music, but they never really take the time to LISTEN to it properly.

I hope I am listening properly...

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif maybe at work. but if i'm home listening to my main rig, i'm usually pretty into the music. i may be surfing or something, but that activity is secondary and not the other way around.

I think quite a few headfiers enjoy listening to music as a primary activity. Do you think this is representative of the broader community?

 

[xenochimera]

well to be fair i dont think its a background activity. i mostly listen to music while excerising, traveling to school, or playing counter strike. its as important as doing whatever activity i listed above. otherwise, running wouldn be rather boring and grueling, traveling would be boring as well, and counterstrike would make me sick with the gun sounds.

 

[Uncle Erik]

I have background music on when I can, but I set aside time to listen to an entire record or CD every night. I'll turn out the lights and settle back with the music. I usually use headphones for this - they're more intimate and take me closer to the music.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akathisia /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope I am listening properly...

Oh come on now... you know what I meant.

Just like Uncle Erik has said, dedicate some time for listening to music; kick back, relax, and really get into the music.

 

[Al4x]

vast majority of my time goes to background, but its hard not to get involved with the tf10s

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordgtlover /img/forum/go_quote.gif With the explosive popularity of portable music players, portable amps and IEMs etc, it seems that so many people want the convenience of taking their music with them and listening to it while they travel, study, jog, mow the lawn, work or whatever else. Has the activity of listening to music as a discrete activity become passé? What do you think?

I do often listen to music while travelling, or doing chores outside, but the majority of the time I listen to music is still a discrete activity for me. When I am sitting inside, I cannot do anything while listening to music, because I end up putting aside whatever I may be reading or working on to focus entirely on the music.

 

[FallenAngel]

Sounds about right, but I'm wearing my headphones at least a few hours a day, while walking somewhere or surfing the net, I'm listening to music. What I like is the few tracks that move you so much that you can't but stop and listen.

 

[soundfreq]

guilty as charged! i always have music playing whenever i can. i got started in headphones when i started to study, as in really study hard, for hours at a time. studying is really boring, especially on my case as i think i have attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (hahaha) so having music on the background really helps me stay sitted on the chair for hours. guess it paid-off really well as i haven't have any setbacks.......yet. this was using a portable rig, as i study in the library, coffeehouse, or at a friend's place.

but now i moved from portables to desktop, and yes, i'm still studying with music on the background. and since making that move, i seem to listen more and more critically to the music. i don't know if that can be attributed to the move to desktop or the move from public library to house. some will definitely disagree with me on this one, but having music really helps me study. not only on the concentration part (remember the adhd part?)

but as others have already stated, i don't do critical listening while doing something else such as study. and i do reserve a few hours for that, with my open cans at night, and when i'm about to sleep.

 

[webbie64]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordgtlover /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't disagree with your take on this issue, but I do think it is a different issue. The thinking underpinning my view is that while music is a subordinate activity, one can't really focus on the music in all its glory. My interpretaion of what you are saying is that 'people can't do anything without music as a distraction'. I agree that people do use music to distract them from the mundane activities, but many of those mundaine activities require some level of focus eg. driving, studying or working; sitting on a train doesn't require a great deal of focus, but does tend to be noisy and distracting. Thus, the primary focus remains the task at hand, and the music becomes the 'backdrop'. I am proposing that music as the 'task at hand' has largely become redundant.

Your points are taken, fordgtlover, but when I'm on my ride-on mower (each Saturday it seems at the moment with the weather we're having over here in Australia - rain then hot then rain) I have an hour and a half of music without much focus on 'driving' the mower. Sure, even with the Livewires and ear protection there is still the drone of the mower's background noise (which is why this is ultraportable 320 kbps mp3 territory) but I choose louder music - rock/pop/etc (very little orchestral music here) and simply 'enjoy': this is 'fun', not analytical, music time.

Like others I also make time simply for sitting/lying and enjoying the music in all its glory, but that's not to say that at those times my mind doesn't also wander and imagine and think on life and its happenings, just as I do whilst rocking along on the ride-on LOL.

On the train it's a higher quality (FLAC) reproduction and at times I might be laptop-ing but at other times I'll simply close my eyes and fully listen (the background noise with good IEMs is really minimal and you can find seats that tend to protect you more from external sound as well

).

What really shows my age, or perhaps my monty-python-ised (i.e. 'warped') sense of humour, though, is that each time you guys are mentioning listening whilst 'surfing' in this thread I truly am thinking of waterproof IEMs LOL. Now that activity would be a serious distraction if I could be truly 'listening' whilst out on the waves