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We're all curious about trying new stuff, because we're creative people, right? High values are variety and learning new things.
But I know from my research with people in the arts that their lowest value by far is "A predictable routine". Yes, we burn out through over-listening. In my case, Mozart is gone completely and Chopin is perilously close. Beloved composers like Debussy, Falla and Ravel are a bit stale. I'm sure you all have versions of this.
So what works for you in those jaded times when you really don't know whether music is better than silence?
Follow Ups:
but I get bored with my system every now and then. And music on the radio can fill the void. I like the void too.
But my collection is as diverse as the universe...fathomless music, without boundaries, music unknown known life. (-:
Listen to Royal Blood as loud as the neighbours allow and play air guitar.
Sure is fun and warms those drivers up nicely too.
But you've got to have the amp and speakers to do that Andy.
Cheers
Only kidding.
You know, a listen to FM radio can be a head opener in many ways -- no, not target practice again. I have some great radio stations here and my SansDisk picks them up better than my high-end tuner -- for ear bud listening, at least. I think most of the stations stream as well.
Reviewing your list of music preferences:
"60% Classical: Stravinsky, Scriabin, Sibelius, Ravel etc
20% Modern Jazz: Ed Bickert, Mehldau, Jamal, Bill Evans etc
20% Soul, R+B, Steely Dan, Dr. John, Latin, Gospel, Ragtime"
All terrific stuff for sure. I suspect your brain needs a reset. Brains can be so amazing how well they can not only recall, but also auto-fill / interpolate. Your brain is what is boring you - predicting the music as you listen. It gets ahead of the moment, and thus, no surprises, nothing new/fresh. Classical, Mehldau, Evans, soul, Latin, etc., all too predictable for an experienced brain.
To reset your brain you need to scramble it up a bit. Shock and Awe it. F*#k it up. Beat it with some nonlinear music. For this, I use recordings such as: Miles Davis (Agharta, Pangaea, Jack Johnson, In a Silent Way, etc.); John Coltrane (Complete 1961 Village Vanguard, Meditations, Stellar Regions); Ornette Coleman; Sun Ra; Pharoah Sanders; Eric Dolphy; etc. Free jazz. Put on a disc and listen to the entire disc. Not as background music, but concentrate on the performances/performers. Single out each performer for a good amount of time. Stick with it.
You don't need to abandon your current music. Just scramble your brain's synapses maps for a day or two once in a while. Works for me.
would certainly scramble MY brain and make me appreciate real music even
more, that's for sure ...
Needn't be too awfully out there. Just different enough from standard-type jazz to force your brain to make an effort to follow and/or appreciate.
I've played free jazz in my time, and also really got a lot out of music therapy groups for musicians - that's a good clean-out. It's true that research shows that professional musicians become progressively more left brained, picking out musical details rather than the big picture. Music therapy groups took me back to the right brain response that amateurs get, and that was good.
My 2014 New Year's Resolution was actually to be more right brained.
My 2015 New Year's Resolution is actually for my brain to be more often right. ;^)
and shift your focus from music to audio gear, where it belongs.
Just a small handful of reference audiophile LPs and CDs and you're set!
Spend the rest of your life fussing with cables and isolation tweaks and forget about music.
Indeed! Dennis and Low Mu can listen to Jazz at The Pawn Shop on a desert island!
The 'Tube Wrangler' is all about 'Cowboy' music.
.
By far!
LOL!
Dave
I spent probably 30 years building all kinds of amps, preamps, loudspeakers etc. I don't fuss with cables and tweaks - I design and build things.
But I stopped about 2 years ago - I built my "perfect" amp - 4P1L PSE. I'm happy with my system and this has been the first time ever I haven't touched the system for 2 years.
I don't know if I want to start again - it's so peaceful to just have a hi-fi that works!!
I realise your post was ironic, but like all good irony there's truth in it too!!
ivan, you've definitely got your priorities where they belong! ;-)
There exists far, far, too much Music to become jaded.
I have 2 terabytes of music files (mostly 16/44 FLAC and mostly classical), so if I get bored with my collection, it's because I'm getting lazy about exploring all that music.
Unfortunately, I have only about 0.78 TB capacity left on my RAID drive, and I'm nowhere near getting all my existing CD's up on the drive (1214 albums, less than half!). Maybe I'll have to go to 6 TB soon. (I've also got multi-channel files on the drive (again, uncompressed AIFF's, which I store separately from iTunes).
It's so funny to speak about "only" 0.78 TB of storage. I had a student who was a manager at IBM when the first PC's came out and he told me about one meeting he attended where I guess they were trying to help determine the specs for the new PC. Somebody suggested 16 KB of RAM. But then someone else suggested 32 KB. The first guy was shocked and responded, "What would anybody ever DO with 32 KB of RAM??? - Why would you EVER need it???"
Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer: Pasacaglia in D minor
If you (or others here) have not heard this, prepare to be amazed and ask yourself, "Why don't I know this piece?". It has the grand tragedy and humanity of similarly structured pieces by Bach. The only thing I keep thinking is how much better it could sound on a modern piano! ;-) (Of course, I grew up with the iron-framed Pleyel harpsichord as played on recording by the greatest harpsichordist of the 20th century, Rafael Puyana - bet you thought I was going to say, Wanda Landowska! In any case, I'm not alone in this assessment by any means.)
Dr. John while sipping a decent single barrel and wearing my sunglasses upside down.
n.t.
There is always sex.
Seriously.
I absolutely don't ever get bored by truly well played music.
{;-^)}
But I do struggle with tempered pitch. Which kind of sounds wrong, most of the time.
Try some of Jordi Savall and co's recordings.
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
At the end of each year, a local university radio station puts on an around the clock Bach marathon. One feature is always a show with a fellow who specializes in Werckmeister III, the temperment he feels Bach had in mind for the Well-Tempered Clavier, for example.
But when I hear his Bach performed in Werckmeister III, I can't help but think of Chinese or Indian music -- it doesn't sound right, it sounds like I'm in a Far Eastern restaurant. My ears have been too heavily trained (polluted?) with equal temperment.
and is not a foreseeable concern. There's a day or two I may not listen to anything, since that IS an option
and silence IS golden at times, but getting bored with my collection would be akin to getting bored with the sky...
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I've been fortunate to receive a number of LP "hand me downs" from people that knew I listened to vinyl, and between that and a few bulk purchases I have several thousand and a lot of records that I have yet to listen to. So there's always something I haven't checked out at hand.
Dave
I'd say just search the net and use free Internet radio to try and find new music. To me new music is the answer. I ran into no radio, no good stores within 2 hours drive and getting bored with searching the net and listening to samples at places. Also as an audio dealer which I was for many years until 2005 I was exposed to new music by customers and fellow employees. I also had two friends that owned record stores where I used to live. All the "support" is gone now. Silence only goes so far......
E
T
with Charles Mingus. Speaking of which, I don't know why he isn't more widely considered the equal of composers such as Duke or Count...
but, to my knowledge no one considers Count Basie to be a composer anywhere near the level of those three, God Bless him.
Unless, of course you are referring to a different count?
Those in the know know about Mingus' compositional skills and where he fits into the pantheon.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
Jazz from the 20's to current, "classical" from Dunstable to 21st century, Brazilian, African, Salsa, R&B, Indian, Flamenco, oldies, some selected pop.
Bored with my collection? Hell no.
Add a healty dose of folk and rock, and you've got my collection in a nutshell. I'd have to be bored with music itself.
dh
I normally don't go out of my way to listen to something by Dunstable (although I do admit that for composers of the early 1400's, he's very good indeed, based on the little I've heard). Your taste is much more all-encompassing than my own more conservative hankerings, although I do share many of your other musical enthusiasms just at the toe dipping level. ;-)
I was patiently waiting for a post like that. With a broad approach, there is always something new to check out, especially if you're willing to consider any part of the contemporary music scene.
"Western Suite" reboots my listening sensibilities. At least superficially straightforward and uncomplicated, it bronco-busts the ennui in a hurry. And, no, to those who wonder, it's not a chorale.
Jim
http://jimtranr.com
Thanks for the recommendation Jim, if it's half as good as your recommendation on "Oscar Petersons Lost tapes on vinyl I'll be a happy man. I just ordered the "Western Suites".
Thanks ; Dick
Seriously.
. . . with certain repertoire (or even with the whole classical repertoire)? I think tin posted about this a few years ago, but he now seems to be back in full force and gusto. Besides, ennui itself can be so douce et délicieuse! Didn't Debussy write a song about this? ;-)The repertoire is so vast, it allows for periodic vacations from parts of it, as well as almost constant new discoveries, if one is so inclined. One thing I'm always amazed by is how a really state-of-the-art recording can renew my enthusiasm for certain repertoire. For instance, you mentioned Debussy: I remember a couple of years ago when the complete (or almost complete) Debussy orchestral works came out on the Chandos label in such spectacular hi-rez multi-channel sound, it really renewed my enthusiasm for this repertoire and started me listening and re-listening to other performances of some of the same works. And I like to flatter myself that I'm getting to know the music better and better every time something like this happens, whether I'm following with a score or not (mostly not!).
Of course, it's inevitable that one's tastes will change over time: when I was a kid, I liked Haydn and Mozart somewhat better than I do now (in fact, they've dropped pretty far down the list); but over the same period, certain music which seemed completely obtuse to me when I was a kid (say, works by Chausson) now exert a powerful appeal. And there are still some substantial works by Chausson I haven't even heard yet and which I know I can still explore if I get the urge. In my particular case, there's also the added factor of playing some of this music - what a difference it made actually to play the piano reduction of Chausson's "Počme" as opposed to just listening to it.
Overall, I kind of feel we live in the best of all possible worlds (well, except for the rise of HIP over the past half century!). ;-)
Edits: 01/26/15
LOL!
or perhaps it could be the effects of tempered pitch finally coming home to roost, at long last? It is at least possible that they both really are truly musical, and deeply so, and are trapped but don't know why.
Perhaps it's the disjunct / contrast between close-miked mono mix-downs and more distant and simpler miking.
Me? I just feel more ennui coming on about this particular thread/topic/ serious issue!
;-) and ;-).
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
IIRC most Decca recordings use a lot of highlight mikes, since the 1960s. But that most used the Decca tree three-omni-array for the basic stereo image.
I haven't had a chance to read / search on the web about those particular recordings.
Can you share the ones you found!?
I've also just manged to get my PC out of what looked like another bout of 'permanent sleep mode', so I'm not at my best! :-)!
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
This statements in my post below came in the booklet notes for the Respighi Feste romane and Pini di Roma / Rimsky-Korsakov Le Coq d'or (Suite):
Other Decca series with US orchestras (LA and, especially, Chicago) from these years seemed more agressively recorded (to their detriment!), so in that sense I liked the Cleveland series better. Just sticking with Decca recordings, I remember comparing Maazel's La Mer with Solti's one day and having a real hard time figuring out why Solti's recording was so acclaimed in comparison (again, this was at the time) - the Maazel recording just seemed so much more natural. But even so, I just never heard these Cleveland recordings as exhibiting the purity of what I hear in the best minimally microphoned recordings (without spots). Maybe that's it and maybe you've already answered the question: all those extra channels on the STORM consoles were for the spot microphones.
Look, unequal temperament is fine, it has its place. I don't particularly like it when applied to Bach and beyond, but I guess that's just individual taste.
It is at least possible that they both really are truly musical, and deeply so, and are trapped but don't know why.
Not sure I'm getting your meaning here - does "both" refer to tin and Alan? If that's the case, then, sure, I would agree with that possibility.
Perhaps it's the disjunct / contrast between close-miked mono mix-downs and more distant and simpler miking.
Yes. . . well, in general I agree with this. However, I think recent multi-mic'd recordings are much more convincing than they used to be and many of them now give minimally mic'd recordings a real run for their money. And simple miking does not have to be distant - in fact, the art of it is to get to that sweet spot where the direct and reflected sound mutually support each other. Really, that's a matter of taste for each individual listener or engineer. I've heard VERY close minimally mic'd recordings (say, that 35mm Paray/Detroit recording of Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole and other selections on Mercury) where the three microphones are very close indeed and yet the total effect is extremely satisfying in balancing direct vs. reflected. To me, it's just a great recording.
Speaking of specific recordings, I want to bring up a series that you commended to me as being particularly outstanding: the Maazel/Cleveland recordings on Decca. I believe you were under the impression that these were minimally mic'd recordings. They've never seemed that way to me, and when I look at the booklet for the Decca Legends CD of Maazel's 1976 recording of Feste Romane, Pini di Roma and the 1979 recording of Rimsky's Le Coq d'or, I read the following:Mixing desk: Decca STORM (see note below)
Microphones: Neumann M50, KM84, KM83, KM56. . .
STORM (meaning Stereo or Mono)
Designed and built by Roy Wallace, it came into service c.1966. Each unit of STORM comprised 6 channels, with each channel fully pannable left to right with high frequency and low frequency equalisation and group faders. 4 units each of six channels were used to obtain a maximum of 24 channels. . . 4 sets of STORM were eventually in use with Decca for many years (1966 to 1986).
In general, I like these Maazel/Cleveland recordings, but as I read the above, it certainly suggests that Decca was NOT using a minimalist microphone technique during this 20-year period. Is there any other information we should be aware of with these Decca recordings from this period?
There are many very good composers who are largely forgotten today. The assumption that, if you've never heard of them, they can't be any good is just wrong. Many of them were immensely popular and influential during their lifetime, but got washed away in the modernist movement or through political erasure.
CPO and other labels like BIS, Hyperion, Toccata, etc, have recorded lots of these composers. The problem is where to start, as the number of composers and works is huge. The Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto series now includes 64 CDs with 2 or more concertos each. The number of composers most people have heard of in that series is likely pretty small. There are some exceptionally fine ones in that series. But which ones?
There are a couple of discussion boards dedicated to lesser known composers. The Unsung Composers board is strictly limited to lesser-known composers from the Romantic era. The Art-Music Forum includes lesser-known composers from all eras, including living and contemporary.
If there is interest here at Music Lane, I can begin posting some of my favorite "forgotten composers" and recommended recordings.
"Life without music is a mistake" (Nietzsche)
I'm suspicious about digging out lesser known composers - I typically find reasons why they've been forgotten, though I do admit to being pleasantly surprised by some.
But there's no doubt that there are major composers I've been overlooking. I've just started on Alban Berg and have been really enjoying his work - some exquisite orchestrations. And I've been enjoying Poulenc's piano music, and Janacek's On an Overgrown Path. All recent.
But yes - I do have this ennui Chris speaks of - I'm another professional musician who's done a lot of playing and listening. I try and get around it by improving the hi-fi and listening to multiple recordings of the same piece. It all works up to a point.
But silence is interesting me more and more......... I was always a big fan of it.
The pace is glacial, and if you are so disposed you can say that it doesn't really count as music, just arbitrary sounds.
But... unlike conventional tonal music that you have heard 200 times already, you cannot predict where the music is going.
Seeing as Feldman's 1979 string quartet takes about 90 minutes, the pictured recording includes an audio-only DVD so you can listen straight through.
Not the most photogenic CD cover art in history, to say the least. I guess a piece of modern art would have been too expensive.
But even on streaming the sound quality is arresting.
jm
/
There are at least a dozen exciting modernists you likely haven't heard yet, Babbit, Fernyhough, Auerbach, Rochberg, Schnittke...get your butt out of the nineteenth century for a while.
Well, for me renaissance or baroque doesn't work at all. And when it comes to plainsong I'd prefer to spend the time in a dentist's chair. So that's out. Bach is OK.
But it's not "get out of the nineteenth century" - I spend most of the time in the 20th century. But not specially with the modernists. I go up to Bartok, Stravinsky, Janacek. Not very atonal. But I'm starting on the 2nd Viennese school for instance, really liking Berg. Could go much further than that, no doubt at all.
I suspect that a big answer is world music. I had a day with Indian and Pakistani singers on Youtube. Marvellous stuff.
With me it's a question of matching moods. That's the main issue. I want the music I listen to to be in synch with the mood I'm feeling.
nt
.
IMHO one of the 20th-c.'s masterpieces.
jm
Or bach to baroque, Renaissance and early music. I have been exploring Handel Operas, Vivaldi choral music, keyboard and solo instrumental music by Biber, Couperin, Marais and early sacred music of Victoria and others with great pleasure. Much has displaced my love for 18th and 19th century music-- at least for now:)
Harry z
Many of us got so much mid and late 18th century and nineteenth century music growing up (it still dominates most concert halls) that it's lost its ability to surprise and please us. It'll be back. There's also a cultural explanation involved but for many it doesn't figure in as much, I expect.
?
jm
No was I dittoing your recommendation and responding to Evans.
nt
Funny, my first experience listening to any music by Feldman was a couple of days ago, when I listened to 2/3 of "Triadic Memories" on you tube. The track was silent for the last 30 minutes, but by then I was so mellow that I hardly noticed! ;-)
.
You're trying to provoke me??
I had to suffer the horrendous experience of trying to play Dittersdorf's Double Bass concerto while at music school. Playing a concerto on the double bass is like tractor racing - not impossible but basically ridiculous.
Having said that, Božo Paradžik gets very close to sounding properly musical in this. Amazing stuff and I take my hat off to him.
Try a free streaming service such as I Heart Radio, Pandora, Spotify.You may find some new music in a different genre than you typically listen to.
I predominantly listen to rock, however, a few years ago I discovered through "I Heart Radio" that I like Bluegrass and Reggae as well. In my case I discovered that there was so much more reggae than Bob Marley and UB40.
If that doesn't work; Turn your stereo off for a month and then go back.
Meat; It's the right thing to do. Romans 14:2
Edits: 01/26/15
Not that any such thing actually exists.
It's no surprise that John Cage deliberately showcased silence, because as you say above, nothing is completely silent. In fact when you get into a state of mindfulness you start hearing all kinds of noises you didn't notice.
Ambient sounds are fascinating - I don't listen much to music in the car and never when walking. And call me weird but I really like the sounds a hospital scanner makes - musique concrete.
and let the world be your source of music. It's everywhere.
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