# How do you choose what to listen to?



## neutralcharge (Jan 24, 2018)

I recently signed up for Google Play Music All Access, and now have tens of thousands of classical music recordings at my disposal. I already owned a sizeable collection of classical music on CD and am familiar with all of the major works of well-known composers. But I'm a bit overwhelmed by my options now. Should I focus on a particular composer, or era, or type of work (e.g. piano trios through the centuries)? Should I pick a single piece and listen to many different recordings? Should I select at random? I'm just curious how others come up with a "listening plan," if at all, or if you don't have a systematic approach I'm interested in how you choose. I'm happy to be able to dive into this treasure trove, but at the same I don't know where to start.


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## JeffD (May 8, 2017)

I used to concentrate on one composer, and listen though all of his different epochs and life time of musical evolution.

I have just started working on listening across a specific time. Now that so very much is available, I want to listen to each piece in context of its contemporaries. What else was in the hears of the musical aware public at the time they heard Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, for example.

I haven't been doing a good job of it, because there is so much research to do. I haven't found a useful time line of classical pieces. Maybe I haven't looked in the right places. I am tempted to get out the shelf paper and a pen and just get to it.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

I had the same feeling of being overwhelmed when I signed up for Spotify. 

My listening is very, very unstructured. I listen to whatever strikes my fancy, and go wherever that takes me. Right now I'm listening to Andrea Bacchetti's recording of the Goldberg Variations; when I"m done, I'll either listen to more of his playing, another recording of the Goldbergs, or something completely different. Or I might dip into one of the various enormous boxes that I've accumlulated.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

neutralcharge said:


> I recently signed up for Google Play Music All Access, and now have tens of thousands of classical music recordings at my disposal. I already owned a sizeable collection of classical music on CD and am familiar with all of the major works of well-known composers. But I'm a bit overwhelmed by my options now. Should I focus on a particular composer, or era, or type of work (e.g. piano trios through the centuries)? Should I pick a single piece and listen to many different recordings? Should I select at random? I'm just curious how others come up with a "listening plan," if at all, or if you don't have a systematic approach I'm interested in how you choose. I'm happy to be able to dive into this treasure trove, but at the same I don't know where to start.


It's a nice problem to have.
To give your sampling some kind of focus, how about starting with a work that you do not know by a composer whose works are familiar to you? Then swap that round: pick a genre or form (e.g. piano trio) and browse through at least ten examples.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

I generally listen to either whatever pieces I am on the hook for playing next, or the piece that is stuck in my head at the moment.

At work, like now, I love to set up a play list of pieces I will be working on that evening and listen to that over and over all day

then tonight when I set down to practice, the music is in my ears


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

My listening plan is a mishmash of the following:

1. I really like this. I'll listen to it again.
2. I haven't listened to this for a long time.
3. Someone on TC speaks highly of "this" on Current Listening.
4. Who is this composer? I'm curious.
5. Maybe I'll turn on the radio.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Usually a tune a sticks in my head, hear part of a piece on the radio and want to hear the rest of it or depending on mood. But if I'm really stuck as to what to listen to, I look on this forum, see what everyone else is listening to and it gives me inspiration.

Also have a diary on what I listen to so don't repeat too often or listen if it hasn't been on for a while!


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I make my selections on the spur of the moment. I don't use a plan; my experience tells me I never adhere to it.


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

Judith said:


> Also have a diary on what I listen to so don't repeat too often or listen if it hasn't been on for a while!


I've never heard of that before. that's interesting...can I ask if you play an instrument? I've known of players keeping a journal of what pieces they practice and making a schedule just so they maintain their repertoire, but not a journal of what they listen to

if you are that dedicated as a listener, then it is yourself and people like you that I work hard for in the practice room because I know you will be able to tell the difference if I don't

either way, cheers :tiphat:


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

I usually make a batch of recordings to hear on YouTube and/or Spotify from the following:

1. Pieces recommended by other TC members
2. Gaps in my knowledge of a composer I like

Once that is set up, I will listen to something from that group that I have the time to listen to. I am not too strict about depleting a batch before listening to something else, but I do try to make it so nothing sits out there forever.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

bharbeke said:


> I usually make a batch of recordings to hear on YouTube and/or Spotify from the following:
> 
> 1. Pieces recommended by other TC members
> 2. Gaps in my knowledge of a composer I like
> ...


Both 1 and 2 for me. Also unfamiliar recordings by performers whom I like. And performers recommended on TC with whom I am not familiar.

And sometimes the quirkiness of the search engine (Tidal in my case) just leads me somewhere completely unexpected.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Nate Miller said:


> I've never heard of that before. that's interesting...can I ask if you play an instrument? I've known of players keeping a journal of what pieces they practice and making a schedule just so they maintain their repertoire, but not a journal of what they listen to
> 
> if you are that dedicated as a listener, then it is yourself and people like you that I work hard for in the practice room because I know you will be able to tell the difference if I don't
> 
> either way, cheers :tiphat:


No. Don't play an instrument. Just love classical music. Sometimes I can't remember if I've listened to something recently or if played on radio, can look back to when I last heard it!


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## Nate Miller (Oct 24, 2016)

Judith said:


> No. Don't play an instrument. Just love classical music. Sometimes I can't remember if I've listened to something recently or if played on radio, can look back to when I last heard it!


well, that's a very unique approach. That sort of diligence is uncommon. I live to play music, and I don't even do that

as a musician it is great to hear that there are people who are listening who put that much into it


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I have tried to broaden my listening since having Spotify
Last year I had had a informal American and Russian theme. My time to listen is limited so it was not extensive. I can now say I have more knowledge and familiarity with several composers e.g Barber, Ives, Copland, Glazunov and Prokofiev. 
This year it is Scandinavian year with some dedicated Sibelius, Nielsen etc
Trouble is I get distracted by all the other stuff that gets recommended around here


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2018)

No systematic plan as such. Just things like time of day, mood, whether I want familiar or unfamiliar, recent acquisitions, curiosity, following rabbit holes on Youtube or Spotify...


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Just picked through my collection, chose about 100 works I can least do without, ripped them to my computer and downliaded in a quasi-random order to my iPod. Then I turn it on, and whatewver comes up next I listen to -- unless I don't feel like it for some reason, then I click ahead to the next work. I don't trust Spotify any more than the radio.


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## Room2201974 (Jan 23, 2018)

My "systematic" way of listening has always been something like; hear a piece that I like, what else did the composer write, did the composer go though stylistic changes or periods, do I like one of those periods more than others, who taught the composer, what did the composer's teacher write, what were the composer's influences, who did the composer influence.....and each question gives me ideas on what to listen to next.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

For a few years now I have been (re)listening to my complete rather large CD collection in alphabetical order per composer*, cataloguing them at the same time. I'm rounding off the H these weeks. This is alternated with new purchases, and CD's I just happen to want to hear right now.

* per letter, and rather random within that. I don't want to hear 50+ Haydn CD's in a row.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

My listening is often dictated by what I can post on the current listening thread. You can only post five pictures at a time on one post, so I often listen to five similar CDs at a time. For instance, Friday and Saturday I listened to some Polish music. I wanted to hear the music of Bacewicz and my new cd of Szymanowski and Karłowicz, so I put together a group of five CDs of Polish music. 

My next group of five will be German Austrian music because I wanted to listen to Brucker and Schoenberg. 

If I just listen to one random cd I probably won't post that on current listening. What I post on current listening are my large and small listening projects; there is a theme to each post.

I've also put together some more extensive listening projects. Last October I listened to 40 Albums of American classical and then in November I listened to 75 albums of English music. In the near future I will put together a large listening project of French music. This way I listen to some familiar music and I explore some music I've never heard. 

Since last October I've been writing down what I've been listening to.


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