# Coming to grips with OCD issues - "The Collector - Order & Method"



## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

I envy those of you who have no OCD issues. To be able to just pull something off your shelves and listen to it because you feel like it. Or, to listen to FM Classical radio stations and let other people select your music for you. Or, to just randomly Spotify endlessly.

Must be nice....

Unfortunately, I'll never know.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Say what? What are "OCD issues"?


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. 

Sorry. Bad timing. Gonna be off-line for a bit. I'll explain later.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Yes, there is such a thing as too much cd's and I've been lessening my purchases recently & intend to go towards downloads, which I've avoided until now. The fact is the storage space. I've got 500 cd's more or less now, and they take up too much space as it is. In any case, I don't think it's of any use to own like thousands of cd's, as the average listener would not get to actually hear on a regular basis what he or she owns. Just owning things is one thing, but actually knowing your collection is another...


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2011)

I do like CD's of actual live concerts etc complete with coughs and scraping chairs. did vestra have to go to the loo??


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

I assume that Vesteralen is asking whether you can happily listen to anything pulled off your CD shelves at random, or whether you go through certain time periods when you are obsessed by one or a few composers, and nothing else will do. 

I don't suffer from OCD, and never have done, in any musical context. I'm quite happy to listen to a range of classical music drawn from different periods provided there's nothing too modern among the selection. Virtually anything from about 1100-1970 will suit me, provided it's good. That's not to say that I don't have favourite composers, upon whom I may focus at times, but being obssessive about any of them? No.


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## Taneyev (Jan 19, 2009)

I don't suffer from OCD. Have about 1800 CDs, and choose any of them I want to listen to at the moment.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

All right. I'm back and I'll elucidate. (Sometimes life gets in the way of virtual reality)

Many people have no conception of OCD except perhaps what they've seen on the TV show Monk, where it is played for laughs. I can assure you that, for the person who has it, it is no laughing matter. Happily, I have outgrown my worst OCD tendencies as an adult. As a child, I was almost classic. One illustration - the light switch checker. When I left a room I would turn off the light switch. I knew the switch was off, because the light was out, but that did not stop me going back two, three, four, five, or even six times to touch it again. I was compelled to do that until my brain let it go. If you haven't dealt with that, I assure you, you don't know what it's like.

As I say, I've conquered OCD as an adult - except in one thing - my collecting tendencies and the way I listen to or read things.

I'll skip the part about my book collections from the time I was a kid till now. You'll get the point when I talk about my record and CD collections.

I'm constantly trying to improve the way I organize the collection. Do I do it by record label? By composer chronologically? By work chronologically? Alphabetically? Works alphabetically within composers alphabetically? Works chronologically within composers alphabetically or chronologically? 

What's worse? What do I buy to complete the collection? What happens when I get something that fits in to a section I've already moved through in my sequential listening? 

How many times do I listen to a CD before I move on to the next one? If I've worked my way through to 1611, then I buy something written in 1609, do I go back to 1275 and start again, or do I restart at 1609? One result of all this is that I've relistened to some LPs or discs numerous times and never gotten at all to ones that fall later in whatever listing method I'm using.

Laugh if you like. (I think it's kind of funny, too)

But, I tell you it's no blessing..it's a curse...


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

By Jove V, I believe you are obsessive/compulsive. Your description is rather painful to read. If you were to look at the shelves where my CD collection lies (thousands of CDs still, after selling over a thousand of them) you would be dismayed. They are in no order whatsoever. Usually I choose what to listen to by a quick scan, stopping when I spot something I'm in the mood to hear. When I'm trying to find a specific CD I have to look until I see it - along the way pulling a few others out to listen to later.

I have probably described another 'condition'. The disorder disorder? But I am comfortable with it.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I see, Vesteralen what you mean by the obsessive compulsive disorder regarding the music collection. Sorry to read of your condition. I hope you can also conquer it.

Thankfully, I do not suffer from any such condition, to answer your question. My collection has some order sorted according to record label, out of convenience reflecting my purchasing habit, which tends to be by label (because internet shops tend to go on sale by label). The observer will notice rows of CDs that appear to be related because the CD jewel case sides standing on the shelf all tend to have very similar designs etc. belonging to one label. Organising them in shelves take surprisingly little room, and is an efficient way of housing them.


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Vesteralen said:


> But, I tell you it's no blessing..it's a curse...


Clearly so. I didn't realise from you first said that the problem is so severe. Presumably you have sought treatment. I don't think anyone here could help you deal with it, or even try to do so.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

I have the solution to all of your problems.

Rip all of your CDs to iTunes.
Then reorganize your collection to the fancy of the day instantly by clicking the sort buttons at the top of the list.


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## Machiavel (Apr 12, 2010)

Well it is not true OCD but I suspect many here with their Beethoven this Beethoven that, he is the best, every work of his trump every works of others have some kind of OCD or Maybe it is just Biased totally subjective love. In any case some of them should seek Help.:devil: :lol:


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## Artemis (Dec 8, 2007)

Machiavel said:


> Well it is not true OCD but I suspect many here with their Beethoven this Beethoven that, he is the best, every work of his trump every works of others have some kind of OCD or Maybe it is just Biased totally subjective love. In any case some of them should seek Help.:devil: :lol:


 That's not OCD. It's noobieitis.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Failure to submit to the supreme divinity of Beethoven is just a childish display of castration anxiety.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2011)

Couchie said:


> Failure to submit to the supreme divinity of Beethoven is just a childish display of castration anxiety.


Hear hear, much better than that ********* :lol:


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## graaf (Dec 12, 2009)

When I first noticed that I am a bit too much obsessed about MP3 tags, always rearranging them, adding data, sorting out this and that - I realized how annoying that habit is and one day I had to do what I had to do... 
Select all, right click, remove all tags.
By the end of the day I already saw that it was much better that way, decided that names of files and folders will be enough for me to efficiently search for music, and never looked back.
So, as Couchie said, go iTunes - but don't use too much tags!


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Artemis said:


> Clearly so. I didn't realise from you first said that the problem is so severe. Presumably you have sought treatment. I don't think anyone here could help you deal with it, or even try to do so.


Wow. Even I didn't think it was this bad!  I guess I'm more unusual than I thought.

Don't get me wrong, it is a curse. And, I do sort of envy people who don't have it. But, there are a lot worse problems people face everyday than an obsession with order and method.

At least, I always_ thought _there were.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I just sort my cd's by composer surname alphabetically. I'm not very an*l or pedantic/systematic about things other than that. But then again, I've only got around 500 cd's. As for collections, I just put them in a seperate section, in random order. For cd's with more than one composer (eg. 2 or 3 composers) I put them in the alphabetical order of the composer first listed on the spine of the cd...


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

V, you're not alone. For years I listened to my collection alphabetically by composer, chronologically for each composer. I would check that my door was locked five times before going to bed! I would always read 50 pages in a novel at a spell even if I wanted to read less because I was bored or more because I was interested. 

I am much better now, but if I don't watch myself I will slip into constructing patterns and rules for everything in my life.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

haydnfan said:


> V, you're not alone. For years I listened to my collection alphabetically by composer, chronologically for each composer. I would check that my door was locked five times before going to bed! I would always read 50 pages in a novel at a spell even if I wanted to read less because I was bored or more because I was interested.
> 
> I am much better now, but if I don't watch myself I will slip into constructing patterns and rules for everything in my life.


Y'know, I hadn't realized there were such 'orderly' people around. I could use a smidgeon of that. Doing things slapdash works fairly well, if one can remember what hasn't got done...


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Hilltroll72 said:


> Y'know, I hadn't realized there were such 'orderly' people around...


I'm quite familiar with these people, some call them "an*l" (or an*lly retentive). If you've lived in a shared house, you'd know what I mean. They are the ones who vacuum clean obsessively every day & get into a state if there's a bread crumb left on the table, etc. There's orderly & then there's obsessive...


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Sid James said:


> I'm quite familiar with these people, some call them "an*l" (or an*lly retentive). If you've lived in a shared house, you'd know what I mean. They are the ones who vacuum clean obsessively every day & get into a state if there's a bread crumb left on the table, etc. There's orderly & then there's obsessive...


I had to read that a couple times to figure out that you were camouflaging '****' and 'anally'. Seems like those words are too 'medical' to be obscene. We'll see what TC's censor says. [Aha! The first word is verboten, the second is OK.]

Anyway, I'm getting the impression that you may have an issue with a domestic partner.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2011)

Sid James said:


> I just sort my cd's by composer surname alphabetically. I'm not very an*l or pedantic/systematic about things other than that. But then again, I've only got around 500 cd's. As for collections, I just put them in a seperate section, in random order. For cd's with more than one composer (eg. 2 or 3 composers) I put them in the alphabetical order of the composer first listed on the spine of the cd...


I do basicaly the same, but for compilations which I avoid as much as poss I keep at the end of the row in no patic order and recitals etc are under Artists Surname and still I loose CD's?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Andante said:


> ...and recitals etc are under Artists Surname...


That sounds pretty logical to me, never thought of that, but then again, I don't have that many recitals.



> ...and still I loose CD's?


Well, it's a bit like the odd socks you keep on getting in the wash, where the hell has the other one gone?... :lol: ...


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2011)

Sid James said:


> Well, it's a bit like the odd socks you keep on getting in the wash, where the hell has the other one gone?... :lol: ...


 So I am not the only one it must be more common than I thought, The things these sock manufacturers will do to sell more socks


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

Hilltroll72 said:


> Y'know, I hadn't realized there were such 'orderly' people around. I could use a smidgeon of that. Doing things slapdash works fairly well, if one can remember what hasn't got done...


Well it's not that good for play, but it is for work. I'm one of those teachers that has nothing on their desk due to having it all organized (there are many teachers that have an office that looks like a dust devil hit it knocking papers all around lol!).


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

For what it's worth, there are new ways to be obsessive/compulsive if and when you rip all your music into iTunes. I have added the year of composition to almost all my tracks, I have struggled with coming up with appropriate groupings for everything (Baroque, Concerto Piano, Concerto Cello, Symphony, Orchestral, Solo Piano, etc). And now I rue that I can't come up with a consistent way of rating all my tracks. 

Oh, and I am currently nearly done with a project to listen to all my music (about 800 albums) at least once in 2011.

Having said that, it is fun to play (or even just browse) music chronologically.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

I regret ever starting this thread. I've made myself into some social pariah, the poster other posters look askance at. 

Look at me now! Ending sentences with a preposition! What next? 

So what if I watch my DVDs in order (TV shows one episode at a time), listen to my CDs by a system, read books chronologically by author? At least I don't go back to check light switches again and again. I'm cured, I tell you! 

It's all just consumer-guilt/justification.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Vesteralen said:


> I regret ever starting this thread. I've made myself into some social pariah, the poster other posters look askance at.


Staaaaay baaack!!!!!!!!!!!












Vesteralen said:


> Look at me now! Ending sentences with a preposition! What next?


OMG!!!!












Vesteralen said:


> So what if I watch my DVDs in order (TV shows one episode at a time), listen to my CDs by a system, read books chronologically by author? At least I don't go back to check light switches again and again. I'm cured, I tell you!
> 
> It's all just consumer-guilt/justification.


What is *normal* anyway?

I will happily spend £100 on a crummy hotel just so I can spend another £100 to watch a load of people yell at other people on stage.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

*I*


Vesteralen said:


> I regret ever starting this thread. I've made myself into some social pariah, the poster other posters look askance at.
> 
> Look at me now! Ending sentences with a preposition! What next?
> 
> ...


Hey-hey-hey! *I* watch series DVDs in chronological order, read an author's books in chronological order if possible, and *there is nothing wrong with me!* Just be careful how wide you set your weirdness box, guy.

[Jeez, one never knows where the attacks will come from.]


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## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

I’m quite a methodical person with my music, It’s on my ipod in composer alphabetical order, I just scan down though the list until I come to composer I fancy or haven't heard much recently, then the works I have.
I never struggle to make my mind up over selecting a work.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

sospiro said:


> ...so I can spend another £100 to watch a load of people yell at other people on stage.


Well, if it all ends happily with champagne as in Viennese operetta, then I won't call you mad (or "abnormal"). Eg. people end up yelling _with_ eachother in harmony/unison, not _at_ eachother in cacophonic discord. But if you are going to see any of that horrible Wagner rubbish, then I can't understand why at all :lol: ...


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2011)

*@ Sid James*, another thing we have in common (I think) I like most of the music of Wagner even if some is stretched out and out and out but the opera's are not for me.


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