# Do you have interest in playing music instruments or do you just like listening?



## atsizat (Sep 14, 2015)

To be honest, I just like listening, I don't have interest in learning to play. I haven't thought of learning to play a music instrument. But there is this thing, if you like listening to instrumental musics but you don't know playing a music instrument, people who don't listen to instrumental musics criticize you for the reason you don't know playing a music instrument. I don't understand why? Why do they find it so abnormal that I just don't have interest in playing but listening? Why is this seen so abnormal for a person to have interest in listening to instrumental musics while he doesn't know playing a music insturment?


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

atsizat said:


> To be honest, I just like listening, I haven't taught of learning to play a music instrument. But there is this thing, if you like listening to instrumental musics but you don't know playing a music instrument, people who don't listen to instrumental musics criticize you for the reason you don't know playing a music instrument. I don't understand why? Why do they find it so abnormal that I just don't have interest in playing but listening? Why is this seen so abnormal for a person to have interest in listening to instrumental musics while he doesn't know playing a music insturment?


It looks like they are thinking along the lines of "you're only halfheartedly interested in the full experience". While I don't agree with their assessment, I do have to say that it is a different experience listening to the music when you understand what it's like playing such music, or better yet that particular piece of music. There are all kinds of ways to enhance our listening sessions, though.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Playing or singing do help us gain insight into music, and they are pleasures in themselves, but some of the most devoted music lovers I know don't make music themselves. It's OK. I've been a singer and a pianist, but all I really like to do at the piano is improvise. I'd much rather listen to Richter play a Rachmaninoff prelude sublimely than butcher it myself.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I've puttered at several instruments, piano, combo organ (yeah the old surf rock kind), now synths and other DAW related keyboard instruments, guitar, and mando. But I'm not very good at any of them. I just think it keeps the mind young. 

I don't think it has mattered that much to my listening experience to be honest. I've studied a little music theory, but though I can tell when a work is modulating to a new key for example, I couldn't tell you what the new key is in relation to the old, or whether there's an IV or V chord or what any given interval is usually. I have to read annotations to pick up on all that. I know just enough to kind of follow along with a score if I bother, but I'm usually more interested in hearing the motifs and phrases anyway.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit (Oct 20, 2014)

I've definitely encountered non-musicians who seemed to have an exponentially more musical mind than some musicians and who came across as very astute listeners. Sometimes I've heard musicians snootily criticize non-musicians and ridicule their listening capacity, but I find such an assessment to be an absolute joke. 

I've also sometimes had better experience/ higher appreciation of a piece when I was listening to it rather than playing it (talking about piano here). I feel like I would be missing part of myself if I didn't play an instrument, but at the same time I wasn't meant to be anything special in that regard (I've barely played a note in 3.5 years). So I would say my answer is that yes, I have an interest and it demands some realization, but it's within moderation.

Even though I haven't composed in a long time, I still have a massive composition bug and overall I think my personality is a fairly volatile one that craves involvement; so I guess I'm more of a composer than a performer even though I like to think of myself as a not-half-bad pianist.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I play the violin in an amateur orchestra, I really enjoy it. I also listen to a lot of music, I have my favourites and about 400 CDs. I'm a musical person. But I'm also a firm believer that you don't have to play an instrument to be musical. My Uncle couldn't play any instrument but listened to a lot of jazz, he had hundreds of LPs. My Grandfather couldn't read music but could play almost anything on the piano. My mother can only read music to make music. We all make music in different ways. I think you don't have to play an instrument to be musical.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

This is an issue that has been raised many times over the years.

I am an amateur musician who has forty years experience playing with community orchestras and bands. I can only speak for myself.

I have found that a person does NOT have to play a musical instrument or know music theory to be an effective listener.

I have mentioned this in other threads. Music theory is a tool that is used by musicians so they can do a better job of performing music.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I do play the piano for almost 20 years now and I did a course for conducting.
My mother is in a lady' singers group and I help out, from time to time with rehearsals


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## PJaye (May 22, 2015)

atsizat said:


> To be honest, I just like listening, I don't have interest in learning to play. I haven't thought of learning to play a music instrument. But there is this thing, if you like listening to instrumental musics but you don't know playing a music instrument, people who don't listen to instrumental musics criticize you for the reason you don't know playing a music instrument. I don't understand why? Why do they find it so abnormal that I just don't have interest in playing but listening? Why is this seen so abnormal for a person to have interest in listening to instrumental musics while he doesn't know playing a music insturment?


Don't let them bother you. For me as a musician, there's nothing so appreciated as someone who simply for the sheer pleasure and enjoyment of it can listen to music. Musicians can tend to spend a lot of time in the company of other musicians, which is great, but we have personal motives or considerations that can go along with our listening practices. Someone who just sits down and says "Okay. Show me something. Make me feel something." That's sheer delight for me. Give me more of that. Thanks for listening.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Just listening these days. I used to play guitar and drums.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I like listening, listening and more listening!  I have thought that I'd like to learn to play an instrument and to sing. It's a project for my retirement (a long, long way off, yet, given the things I need to accomplish in life, yet :tiphat. I'd probably take piano lessons, like every kid starting out does. I'd want to learn classical music, primarily to learn how to understand music theory and add another level of depth to my listening. I am not deluding myself into thinking that I'd ever play anything well.

I'd also like to learn to sing. I'd probably be a lead singer in some sort of crazy psychedelic seniors' avantgarde rock band and I'd wow them with my knowledge of XXth Century classical. OK, that's not very unique, but I did say seniors  This is a retrement project. I might be able to sing Lieder, too  and add some class to the singalongs at the long term care centre :lol:


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2015)

I studied classical guitar for several years, and then I left it and came back to it on and off over the last 15 years or so. But practicing takes a lot of time and that's time that I can't spend listening to music. So I'd rather listen to really great musicians play really great music than spend my time trying to perfect my imperfect skills and play rather trivial music. 

Being a pure music lover who's not trying to make a living with music is largely underrated! It's all the pleasure of music without any of the stress, sweat and tears.


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

I don't play an instrument or sing, but I have a Bachelor's Degree in composition. I tried to learn the piano, but instead of practicing, I wanted to use the time to improvise & compose.

I haven't composed anything since 1993. The realization hit me me that I don't have anything original to say, and I was just imitating others. The muse left me at that point.

But I still listen. It still feeds my soul and helps me contribute to others in my own way. I couldn't exist without it.


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## mstar (Aug 14, 2013)

I play piano and sing Broadway, some pop, and classical. My listening is mainly classical though. I've been playing for most of my life, singing for as long as I've been playing, but listening for only about 5 years. 

I used to do a little composition for piano, but hopefully a minor in music will help that along.


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

I work as a classical musician and I have to say that there are times when I feel my training and constant involvement in performance have ruined me as a listener, usually when I catch myself listening too technically (to a performance I'm not involved in as a player)--I tend to focus on the things one would focus on in a rehearsal such as balance, intonation etc. Since I am a timpanist/percussionist, counting rests is a habitual thing and sometimes I find myself doing that even though I'm in the audience!!


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