Fundamentally meaning you just don't listen to much outside of your musical comfort zones. BUt also I would add that perhaps you find it *hard* to listen to anything outside of your musical comfort zones. You could also probably change listen to appreciate?
Can you reply with your comfort zone and the farthest you've gone out of it and found an enjoyable listening experience.
2. "Well... I lose virtually nothing by listening to music" In response to Reply # 0
especially now that music is "free"... so I don't think about it as a "risk" per se.*
That much being said, I tend to stay within my zone. Not only in terms of genre etc.... I mean, I listen to pretty much the same couple of records/tracks ALL THE TIME. I'm always open to being exposed to stuff that has some of the same qualities as the stuff I already like... even if it may not be the same genre per se. (eg I dig "deep" rhythm arrangements and pretty melodies... for that reason, I'm as eager to listen to Burt Bacharach as I am to roots reggae)
I listen to a lot of stuff outside of my comfort zone (especially these days since the J-O kinda necessitates that). I don't find it rewarding, for the most part. I guess I'm at that dreaded age where I know what I like and am not all that inclined to moving too far beyond that.
*I remember the early days of the Lesson, though, when we used to come in here on Wednesday morning to report our buys for the week. I would take notes and go out and buy fistfuls of CDs at $15 a pop, sound unheard--this was pre-YouTube, pre-YouSendIt. Now *that* was some risky shit.
And while I got burned many a time (especially from jefleejohnson recommendations) I really really miss that sense of adventure and what a high it was when you actually did stumble upon something amazing.
4. "I think time is the commodity now" In response to Reply # 2
>especially now that music is "free"... so I don't think about >it as a "risk" per se.*
like yeah there's no monetary risk, but at least for me i get pissed if i spend an hour listening to shit i don't like. that said I generally will give anything a shot. You got about three songs, so max fifteen minutes. I'm on a few promo lists so I'm constantly getting new shit, and while I was doing the podcast in essence I had to give it all a shot. That was the only time I was actually skimming through shit, because there was the mold of what could fit into the format which could be found by skimming. Now a lot of shit just goes straight in the trash. But I will give a lot of shit a shot based on tag, cover or something that catches my interest in the pr write up. That'll all get the fifteen minute treatment. I'd say the majority of it doesn't end up worth it, so I lose a lot of time, but it's also how I've found a grip of shit I'd never know about otherwise and I think the time I spend later on those makes up the difference.
>*I remember the early days of the Lesson, though, when we used >to come in here on Wednesday morning to report our buys for >the week. I would take notes and go out and buy fistfuls of >CDs at $15 a pop, sound unheard--this was pre-YouTube, >pre-YouSendIt. Now *that* was some risky shit. > >And while I got burned many a time (especially from >jefleejohnson recommendations) I really really miss that sense >of adventure and what a high it was when you actually did >stumble upon something amazing.
It's still hard to believe I used to have monthly music budgets over $200. Like seriously just copping shit. Now I probably cop 10-20 vinyl a year.
█▆▇▅▇█▇▆▄▁▃ Big PEMFin H & z's "I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles
"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."
14. "I'm still trying to figure out how I could spend that much" In response to Reply # 4
>It's still hard to believe I used to have monthly music >budgets over $200. Like seriously just copping shit. Now I >probably cop 10-20 vinyl a year.
I mean, when I was feeling bored I would look for a music store and just randomly go through the racks, searching for stuff that was completely unknown to me but just seemed interesting enough to cop. And that was even outside of my regular Tuesday hauls.
> >*I remember the early days of the Lesson, though, when we used >to come in here on Wednesday morning
ahh, was it missesjones who used to post the week's releases in those threads every week?
to report our buys for >the week. I would take notes and go out and buy fistfuls of >CDs at $15 a pop, sound unheard--this was pre-YouTube, >pre-YouSendIt. Now *that* was some risky shit. > >And while I got burned many a time (especially from >jefleejohnson recommendations)
oh shit tell me you bought the Robert Randolph disc!
I actually got jef to send me a copy of that in a CDR trade and was completely nonplussed compared to what I expected from the hype.
I also started out trusting official OKP recommendations no questions asked, but that jazzyfatnastees record put a stop to that... not that it's *bad*, but it's definitely not my cup o'tea.
I really really miss that sense >of adventure and what a high it was when you actually did >stumble upon something amazing.
I drove by my local used vinyl shop last week and realized I hadn't even been in it in probably 7 years. Their dollar bin was a source of a lot of amazing music for me for a while. And some duds, of course.
11. "lol I didn't buy the Robert Randolph" In response to Reply # 5
>oh shit tell me you bought the Robert Randolph disc! > >I actually got jef to send me a copy of that in a CDR trade >and was completely nonplussed compared to what I expected from >the hype.
jeflee sent it to me as a CD-R too... I listened to it once.
Thing is, I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had jef not hyped it up the way he did. He had a weird way of really inflating the experience of listening to certain records, and drawing comparisons between musics that were really not all that similar.
(I forgot all about missesjones until you mentioned her btw... ha!)
>I drove by my local used vinyl shop last week and realized I >hadn't even been in it in probably 7 years. Their dollar >bin was a source of a lot of amazing music for me for a while. >And some duds, of course.
I rolled by my local used vinyl shop and it was gone, so you're still doing better than me!
I haven't stopped buying vinyl, though... I just cop everything online. So ultimately, I'm probably part of the problem.
10. "Yeah, I recognize that time is the commodity at stake these days" In response to Reply # 6
but it's not like I'm listening to this stuff with absolute concentration (I mean, how music these days demands--or even can even withstand--that kind of attention?). Usually, while I'm listening I'm doing something else anyway, so it's not like it's "lost" time per se... the only thing that's really lost is the opportunity to listen to something else, which is not that big of a deal anyway.
You made a post some time ago about "overcoming our over-reliance on music" or something... I didn't agree with the overall thesis that this is a problem that needs to be actively combated but it is something I have thought about for some years. I had a boss way back in the day who disliked television because he felt that entertainment is cheapened in some way when it is supplied via a faucet directly into your home. He felt that entertainment should be a special event, for which you dress up and leave the house.
I've been feeling that way about music for some time. It's too accessible, too ubiquitous to even mean anything... the truth is that I don't even care that much about what is flowing into my ears while I am working. (I guess this ties into your ideas about music not even qualifying as a form of expression anymore--which again, I don't agree with altogether, but I concur with the root of the argument).
I find myself trying to restrict me consumption of music to times when I can really listen actively rather than just have it constantly on as a screen to protect me from my own thoughts.
17. "RE: Yeah, I recognize that time is the commodity at stake these days" In response to Reply # 10 Wed Sep-10-14 12:39 PM by fish_grease
let me just say THANK YOU for attempting to have a conversation with me regarding sentiments i've expressed that were largely ignored or not understood.
i really do appreciate someone taking the time to read and then actually type a response weighing the ideas presented, even years after the ideas were posted.
just to clarify those 2 posts:
the over-reliance on music post was more-so questioning the biological response of our generation constantly being inundated with auditory stimulation that other generations did not have the technology to allow for. music as a distraction/time waster is definitely part of the problem but that particular post was geared more toward questioning the short-term/long-term effect of constant auditory stimulation from music on the brain.
it's a shame the mods deleted that thread because i felt it was one of the most important questions i've ever posed on here.
secondly, the post i made about music no longer being able to be considered a form of expression was about questioning motivation behind acts making music. if there is so much proof-positive for music to be deemed "product" - can we even consider it a form of expression any more without deluding ourselves?
mrhood75 deleted that one because an article came out essentially saying the same thing and i bumped the post linking it. obviously lesson posts pre-dating op-ed articles from major publications = too hot for okp.
3. "I think it's a natural process with aging" In response to Reply # 0
I'll admit it's been a challenge for me to remain exploratory in my listening habits; I think the main challenge is that exploratory listening requires active listening, and I simply do not make the time to listen actively any more outside of my commute, which is all or 10 minutes. Most of my casual listening is in the office these days (a relatively recent development) but I have to concentrate on work, not music, so it's hard to listen to stuff outside of my comfort zone.
Admittedly, I have a pretty wide comfort zone, but it's one I think is pretty well described by my specific listening & appreciation experiences at a very young age.
Primary comfort zone is of course music that is in some way connected to traditional or neo-traditional 'roots' music forms or instrumentation.
8. "I'll give just about anything its day in court" In response to Reply # 0
It's weird, 'cause as I get older, I find I'm less tolerant in everything EXCEPT music. These days I'll listen to stuff that I would never bother checking for even seven years ago. I'm much more into rock, R&B, African music, electronic, etc., than I ever was before.
I mean, if I don't like it, then I'll quickly move on, and there's definitely certainly types of music than remain in my sweet spot. But I'm more apt to take risks now than I ever would when I was in college or grad school. And I don't feel bad taking those risks. Though I will say that during the Listening Room days, there was some stuff that got played that would get the extreme NO, but I think it usually came from participants trolling.
9. "Not sure I know what comfort zone means..." In response to Reply # 0
Personally, I find it very difficult to be offended by music unless it's very specific subgenres or acts that might still fall well into my "comfort-zones".
If you are talking about listening to music I don't like, I have done that in the past and got a lot out of it but due to now having a full-time job and two kids, it's hard enough as it is to find time to listen to the music that I *know* I like so I tend to prioritize; life is too short to spend on music you *might* like...
Anyway, I'm not sure I have any specific comfort-zones; I've always been more-or-less serie-monogamous when it comes to music and have a tendency to get stuck on something and then move on to something else and after some years, you notice that everything comes back even if new shit is discovered in every cycle so to speak.
That said, there's a *shitload* of music outside of whatever approximation of comfort-zones I might have I'd like to explore more but it's as I said an issue of prioritizing and due to my situation today, I can't do it like I want to so today, I stick to about ten-fifteen or so recognized "genres"/eras that I like for the most part...
21. "I don't have time to waste anymore. If it weren't for okp...." In response to Reply # 0
I doubt I'd discover new music at all.
Here is how it works. I don't listen to anything on a whim. Every post in the lesson where someone is like "yo check out this track" I generally ignore until there is a critical mass of people saying its worth checking it out. Then I check it out.
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson
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Their dollar bin was a source of a lot of amazing music for me for a while. And some duds, of course.
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