Thread: The Art of Listening

This is a good article. I find streaming causes a lot of hopping around. With vinyl, you sure won’t do that and with a CD, unlikely, but you may grab that remote. One of the reasons I love vinyl is that it literally forces you to listen to an album from start to finish.

Coronavirus tips: Why you should listen to music in this way - Los Angeles Times


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Originally Posted by Mike

This is a good article. I find streaming causes a lot of hopping around. With vinyl, you sure won’t do that and with a CD, unlikely, but you may grab that remote. One of the reasons I love vinyl is that it literally forces you to listen to an album from start to finish.

Coronavirus tips: Why you should listen to music in this way - Los Angeles Times


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Well said, Mike. Exactly the same here. Vinyl calms the listening experience down.


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Originally Posted by Mike

This is a good article. I find streaming causes a lot of hopping around. With vinyl, you sure won’t do that and with a CD, unlikely, but you may grab that remote. One of the reasons I love vinyl is that it literally forces you to listen to an album from start to finish.

Exactly one of the main reasons I avoid vinyl. Life is too short to listen to boring tracks.

Originally Posted by Kuoppis

Well said, Mike. Exactly the same here. Vinyl calms the listening experience down.


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No calming effect when you are jumping up every few minutes to find a track worth hearing.

Originally Posted by still-one

No calming effect when you are jumping up every few minutes to find a track worth hearing.

Ha! Listen to the whole album.


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ADHD is also a trait .

But seriously, people’s preferences might differ. Some like the control, others prefer to immerse themselves in the album. Potayto/ potahto, I think Sinatra got it right.


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Originally Posted by still-one

Exactly one of the main reasons I avoid vinyl. Life is too short to listen to boring tracks.

LOL you sound like my teenage daughter with her playlists - same songs over and over again

Originally Posted by puroagave

The most irritating (neurotic?) habits I've observed are those that skip tracks or listen to only part of a track then play another the same way. I have to ask those people if they also watch a film from start to finish or do you fast forward to specific scenes, or when you read a book do you skip chapters? crazy.

When eating a “fine” meal I don’t eat things I don’t like just because they were served up to me. I don’t go to a museum and stand in front of a painting I don’t like to try and figure out what the artist point of view was. I don’t finish a glass (actually the bottle) of wine I don’t care for just because it received a high rating. Off the top of my head I can’t think of an album, including greatest hits compilations from my favorite artists that there isn’t a track I would skip unless it was just background music.

Bottom line I don’t consume crap just because it is presented to me.

Back in the ‘old days’ when I had a turntable I would listen to an entire album, at least once. After that I would mostly only listen to the songs I liked. More than a few albums, and styluses, got trashed as I accidentally dropped the arm on it. Granted, some albums, and genres, are meant to be listened to from start to finish, but most other albums are just a collection of songs; some good, some bad. Now I just add a downloaded or ripped album to a playlist, and I play it on random shuffle. This even works for classical music, which I think is interesting. Now I can sit comatose for hours just listening to music.

i listen 30 hours a week. in my dedicated 2-channel only room. about 1/3rd is multi-tasking, web-surfing and posting while listening, or reading. getting caught up early morning or early evening. mostly that time is digital playlist time, or could be anything.

but 2/3rd of the time i'm just focused on listening, but this can run the gamut of various agendas, which can include selecting tracks, or multiple versions of compositions. in other words i'm somewhat investigating or listening for something. but then there is pure all the way through vinyl or digital album lay back and music wash over me listening. i try to reach a zen state of my senses shut down and just connect subconsciously. i listen to albums all the way through, or with digital might be multiple albums. hard to get to the zen state if i'm switching tracks constantly. it's after these sessions that i'm the most satisfied......but i'm not always in the mood to go there. i just follow my feelings.

so the music can fulfill me on multiple levels in multiple ways.

no right or wrong, no rules. but after 20 years of this level of listening 52 weeks a year i'm as excited to listen tonight, or more excited to listen tonight, than ever before. it's a beautiful thing. and i never take it for granted. i'm lucky to be able to do it. i shut the world out and just do my thing. no worries.

Originally Posted by Mike

This is a good article. I find streaming causes a lot of hopping around. With vinyl, you sure won’t do that and with a CD, unlikely, but you may grab that remote. One of the reasons I love vinyl is that it literally forces you to listen to an album from start to finish.

Coronavirus tips: Why you should listen to music in this way - Los Angeles Times


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I think I must be somewhat different here, as even when listening to my digital gear, I still generally listen to albums all the way through, and rarely do snippets of music. There are times when I do not want to pick my music, then it is over to things like Radio Paradise, Linn radio, or others that are programmed choices. The analog/vinyl side of things do provide a sort of zen like thing for me, just a different mind thing I suppose.