# Listening to music vs. practicing



## Praeludium (Oct 9, 2011)

Hello,

this thread is mainly about an instrumentalist problem but is *not* reserved to instrumentalists.

I love music so much that sometimes I get carried away and end up listening to huge amount of it - new music, old favourites, a break, then I read something about music, then I'm listening to music again, etc.
The problem is that an instrumentalist (particularly someone who is professional or who is studying to be professional) is supposed to work a lot most of time - lots of repertoire to learn, improving your technique, maybe a second instrument, etc. - and it's sometime, paradoxically, quite difficult to practice when you really love to listen to music.

Am I the only one loving to listen to music so much that sometimes I don't practice enough even though I spent the whole day in a "musical bubble" ?
How important is listening to music, in your opinion, for the development of a musician ?

But there's also an other side to it : does being a professional musician/having spent a lot of time learning music deeply in its every aspect hampers your ability to "just listen" ?
I sometimes notice musicians that are speaking to each other (very quietly, because they know how bothering it is) during a performance, and it seems strange to me. Maybe they're hearing too much thing, and can't really enjoy it because they're listening with a crictical ear ?
Has it ever happened to you ? Do you wish you were virgin when it comes to musical training so that you'd listen to music without asking yourself too much questions ?

edit : ahhhhaaah it's practising, not practicing. sorry... I never know with this one. Can a moderator edit it if he/she has the time, please ? English isn't my mother tongue...


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## Llyranor (Dec 20, 2010)

I tried playing the violin for a little bit. But, it turns out I didn't nearly practice enough to note any sort of substantial progress. More importantly, I realized I loved listening to music much more than playing the violin badly. So, I'm taking a break from it now 

Practicing is the American spelling, btw.


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