# Anyone else make Listening Notes?



## Judas Priest Fan (Apr 27, 2018)

Ever since getting into classical music a few years ago, I have been keeping listening notes of what I listen to, and my impressions of it.

If you ask me about a certain Rock or Metal song from a band I like, I can instantly tell you if I like it and on which album it was. With Classical Music, it´s different, probably because of the complicated names of the pieces of music. Names that mean nothing to me.

For example, ask me if I like Beethoven´s String Quartett in C Major Razumovsky Nr. 3 OP. 59/3, and I´ll say "Huh????"

But if I check my notes, I see that I think it is incredibly good.

Does any one else have this problem, and keep notes?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I've been doing that since this year (it was a New Year's resolution). Some background, and notes if it either very good or really disappointing.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I have that problem with modern composers; I can't remember their names. Who is the Room Full of Teeth person? Carolyn Shaw. And the one who started the Atlanta School? Jennifer Higdon. Also Christopher Theofanidis. I can't go to Grout's History of Western Music for all the new people. 

I need to keep a notebook or else anything I hear that's new goes out the window after the last fermata.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I usually can remember the names of pieces (except for stuff like 20 2-3 min mazurkas on one disc, I will had trouble remembering which is which). I only make notes when doing comparisons of recordings which is rare and lose them, unless I post the "results" somewhere on the internet.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

I don’t have any trouble remembering the names of pieces so it would just be extra work for me


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## Dulova Harps On (Nov 2, 2018)

Started doing it around a year ago and have found it really helpful when i know the composer but can't remember a piece i like by them.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

To each their own. I have a decent musical memory so it would be a distraction for me but, if it enhances anyone's enjoyment, I'm all for it in their case.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I have taken notes occasionally for participating in threads where a single work is a specific focus (including blind listenings) but I find it changes what I feel about the music or performance because I find myself focusing on details rather than the broader sweep. Some performances make me listen to details and that seems to be part of what the performers have done (which is fine) but if the performance doesn't do that for me I prefer to go with what does get through to me over time.


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## 4chamberedklavier (12 mo ago)

I keep txt files that list works from each composer i'm currently listening to, then I give each work a score. Helps keep track of which works I like the most


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## Judas Priest Fan (Apr 27, 2018)

Just to be clear, I don´t totally dissect a piece of music, or analyze it. I just have short notes of what I have listened to, and if I liked it, liked it a lot or not at all.

Sometimes I know I really liked a certain Overture, Quartett or Symphony. But can´t remember the name of it, or maybe not even the composer. With the help of my notes, I can usually find it, and enjoy it again.

I also have lists of what I am currently listening to at work during my lunch break, and my Friday and Saturday listening sessions. At work it´s Dvorak´s complete String Quartetts; Fridays I´m still on a Sibelius Symphonie trip, and Saturdays, at the moment, I am working my way through Dvorakś Symphonies again.

I am immensely enjoying all of it!

I wish I had someone to share my love of classical music with; I always listen alone


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Where in Germany are you located (roughly), unless you don't want to make it public?


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Yes, first in several professional capacities, including preparing lectures and articles, writing program notes, proofreading musical scores and parts for performances, and so on. But I don't think that's the sort of thing the Reverend Priest was getting at.  

I've also taken notes, verbal and analytical, for my own personal enjoyment and edification. When I listened to all of Haydn's symphonies last year I took notes on which of them I would definitely wish to return to later and why. Same thing when approaching Myaskovsky's symphonies. And notes and diagrams are helpful to me when I feel I'm having trouble grasping how and why a piece unfolds the way it does.


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## SoloYH (8 mo ago)

i make notes of literally everything, so yes. I make notes of making notes sometimes.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

EdwardBast said:


> When I listened to all of Haydn's symphonies last year I took notes on which of them I would definitely wish to return to later and why.


I suspect they would be like;
No.45 - the orchestra players leave one by one during the performance. _Ingenious._ I would definitely wish to return later.
No.60 - the players stop in the middle of the performance to tune their instruments. How _Original._
No.93 - Creative use of the bassoon timbre. Superb.
Nos. 65, 83, 94 - BAM. Right on. Much better than Mozart's oversentimentality.

I'm just joking, about jokes.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

I have a monthly focus(see thread) where I focus on a work each month by listening to it repeatedly until I get familiar with it.
I have set up a database on access where I log it including premiere details and other notes. That way I can look back at these works and have the knowledge about them.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

hammeredklavier said:


> I suspect they would be like;
> No.45 - the orchestra players leave one by one during the performance. _Ingenious._ I would definitely wish to return later.
> No.60 - the players stop in the middle of the performance to tune their instruments. How _Original._
> No.93 - Creative use of the bassoon timbre. Superb.
> ...


 Similar format. Here are a few of my notations straight out of the log. The only Mozart-relevant bit is the opening subject of the "Jupiter" finale appearing as the subject of Haydn 13's finale:

*23 — Dramatic modal contrasts in 1st mvt. Likewise in Andante, dissonant chain suspensions. Canonic Minuet. Explosive finale, huge dynamic contrasts. This is a keeper!

*67 — Excellent. First movement belies dorky first theme with real tension and modal contrast. Pastoral overall. Trio of minuet has solo violin — haunting. Adagio interpolation in finale also has violin solo. 

13 — Cello solo throughout Adagio. Do re fa mi motive in finale.

*86 — Largo is a strange game with cadences, either too perfunctorily executed, evaded, or denied. Minuet is one of his best.

*64 — Masterpiece. The Largo! The finale!

*40 — Minuet is great: Melody evades meter. Fugal finale. This one’s a keeper.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I used to have lots of problems remembering certain pieces so I've tried really over-indulging in them to get the titles to stick over the years. I find that reading notes / cd notes on them at the same time as playing them helps to remember titles (visual / auditory cues) but I still have a sudden brain freeze / mental block every now and again and even though I know the piece really well and have listened to it over 100 times still forget what it's called but that's due to my age (my excuse). I think that's why I can happily review 70 versions of a SQ back to back. I'm so used to that sort of binge-listening these days, the reviews feel quite natural. The only review that was really punishing was the Schubert DATM quartet review because of the ridicous amount od recordings. I had 4 pages of notes on that one and lots of colour-coded highlighter marks, crossing-outs and ticks. It took me months to write that review I still have brief notes of Beethoven symphony cycles, string quartets and chamber pieces I've reviewed elsewhere or on TC when doing comparative reviews. They're scattered over 3 draws, 2 cupboards and are contained in multiple notebooks in no order. I usually keep them but recently I've started ditching old notes and doing my new notes straight to my phone (I have lots of notes on there) so I can paste them straight into reviews.


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## JeffD (May 8, 2017)

Classical has been in my life since the beginning, and popular music not until relatively recently. So I have kind of the same experience in reverse. Someone will play some great well known Santana, and even tell me what and who, and I will still be staring kind of blankly. I should take notes on rock and roll!


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## Judas Priest Fan (Apr 27, 2018)

Kreisler jr said:


> Where in Germany are you located (roughly), unless you don't want to make it public?


PM sent


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