# While Driving?



## Rachovsky (Jan 5, 2008)

Sometimes I'll bring a CD out to the car and put it in while I'm driving, but I've sort of discovered that I'm bound to either run into someone or kill myself eventually. Maybe I'm going to have to limit myself to listen to the less dramatic music while in the car. What about you all? Do you find it hard to listen to it in the car? Does it distract you?


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## PostMinimalist (May 14, 2008)

Road music! It's a whole catagory by itself. I have some Kraftwerk and Miles Davis which work well. But the main trick seems to be to find something that doesn't have a very wide dynamic range or lots of intesting changes on the one hand, but doesn't send you to sleep or into a trance on the other! Michael Nyman might be good for that but not Steve Reich. Richard Strauss may be the No 1 cause of road kill among classical music lovers!
FC


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

I hate driving and refuse to do so. Public transport all the way! I can read, watch movies, watch TV shows, or listen to music, with or without a score.


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## Mark Harwood (Mar 5, 2007)

I'm lucky. In the car I mostly listen to the same things as at home: Baroque chamber music, Boccherini's quintets, 1920s jazz. These recordings have a small dynamic range, so they're OK in the car.
With this in mind, please allow me to recommend some 1920s hot dance music too: the California Ramblers and their spin-offs: the Little Ramblers, the Golden Gate Orchestra, the Goofus Five, the University Six, and the Varsity Eight. Marvellous stuff.


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## marval (Oct 29, 2007)

I don't drive so for me the problem is solved. If I am out with my husband in the car we have classical FM on the radio. It doesn't have any negative effects to my husbands driving.


Margaret


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

The engine noise bothers me too much for classical. Since the advent of a great commuter rail in Nashvile, I don't drive any more, but if I did I would stick with rock which is considerably more compressed.


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## Rachovsky (Jan 5, 2008)

marval said:


> I don't drive so for me the problem is solved. If I am out with my husband in the car we have classical FM on the radio. It doesn't have any negative effects to my husbands driving.
> 
> Margaret


I wished I lived in an area that had a nice classical station. I've been tempted to buy SIRIUS or XM to get it. I usually just listen to the mainstream stuff on the radio anymore.



> The engine noise bothers me too much for classical. Since the advent of a great commuter rail in Nashvile, I don't drive any more, but if I did I would stick with rock which is considerably more compressed.


That's interesting. I didn't know Nashville had that. We went to the Frist Center, the Parthenon, Schermerhorn Center, around the area with the lovely large naked statues, and around the Batman tower area. I'm sure it would pass through there. Oh well.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

A mixed bag when traveling in the car ... some Aaron Copeland and John Williams interspersed with varied classical and theater organ. Road noise is not a problem with my 240watt Monsoon 8 speaker system in my Jetta. But I only crank it up on the open road.

Here in Arizona, mass transit systems between cities are still a glimmer in the eye <sigh>.


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## nefigah (Aug 23, 2008)

This reminds me -- I've been meaning to look for a way to perform batch compression on mp3s so that I can make "car versions" of classical music. It bugs me to not be able to hear the quiet parts.

I'm a programmer--I don't think it will be too bad once I find the right library to help me out, but if anyone has already done this, please let me know!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Rachovsky said:


> That's interesting. I didn't know Nashville had that. We went to the Frist Center, the Parthenon, Schermerhorn Center, around the area with the lovely large naked statues, and around the Batman tower area. I'm sure it would pass through there. Oh well.


The Music City Star stops at the river and comes no farther unfortunately, then it's two miles by bike (or bus) to my office. This still beats driving in rush hour - the people are much friendlier

Nashville has improved considerably over the past decade. I hope you enjoyed it. Schermerhorn Center is indeed a lovely building but I have yet to see a concert there or even go inside. I'll have to remedy that soon.


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## Azathoth (Feb 28, 2007)

I'm too young to drive and have a reasonably okay subway system to tide me over...but it's really funny when my family is out caravaning somewhere and I can see my uncle's driving. He slows down when the music slows down, speeds up when it speeds up, swerves a little in his lane when it gets choppier, etc. I think it's awesome, but it makes my mom carsick.


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

I like to listen mostly to new stuff while driving. I find myself distracted if I am very familiar with the song/recording. I can "tune out" new stuff, while it is much more difficult with pieces I know.



Krummhorn said:


> ...John Williams...


Stupid question, but is it _the_ John Williams, the film composer? Or...the other one?


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## dumbass2311 (Jan 17, 2009)

It doesn't bother me. Sometimes I listen to classical or I listen to death metal. It doesn't have any effect on me.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

I imagine I'd listen to Mozart when/if ever I do start driving (I suppose it isn't so much of an "if," really; there is virtually no good mass transit around here, but then again everything's close to being in walking distance, so I dunno... I guess I'll just wait and see what happens when I get into college and see where it is.).


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Rondo said:


> . . . Stupid question, but is it _the_ John Williams, the film composer? Or...the other one?


John Williams the film composer. Forgive my ignorance, but I am not familiar with "the other one" that you speak of.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Krummhorn said:


> John Williams the film composer. Forgive my ignorance, but I am not familiar with "the other one" that you speak of.


"The other one" is the classical guitar player from Australia. He's really good, too. There's a CD of his my mom listens to sometimes in the car. Very good car music, actually.


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

World Violist said:


> "The other one" is the classical guitar player from Australia. He's really good, too. There's a CD of his my mom listens to sometimes in the car. Very good car music, actually.


Yes. Though, much less prolific than John _Towner_ Williams. If it weren't for alphabetized CD collections at record stores I wouldn't know about him, either.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Thanks, for the clarification ... 
The things we learn on this forum is always intriguing to me ...


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## marval (Oct 29, 2007)

World Violist said:


> "The other one" is the classical guitar player from Australia. He's really good, too. There's a CD of his my mom listens to sometimes in the car. Very good car music, actually.


Hi Krummhorn,

Here is a video of John Williams.






And here he is with his group Sky.






Margaret


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Thanks, Margaret


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## marval (Oct 29, 2007)

No problem, hope you liked them.


Margaret


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## Guest (Jan 20, 2009)

You just can't listen to Classical when motoring, you can't hear the quite bits, I stick to Jazz or Folk which is usually recorded within a narrow dynamic range which allows you to wind the volume up a bit without the risk of any nasty surprises


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## Rachovsky (Jan 5, 2008)

Andante said:


> You just can't listen to Classical when motoring, you can't hear the quite bits, I stick to Jazz or Folk which is usually recorded within a narrow dynamic range which allows you to wind the volume up a bit without the risk of any nasty surprises


I've almost arrived at the same conclusion. I'm a stickler for always turning up the volume as loud as it can possibly go and the car radio is no exception. When I stop at a light, I'm constantly afraid someone is staring at me with my blazing loud classical music on.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Andante said:


> You just can't listen to Classical when motoring, you can't hear the quite bits, I stick to Jazz or Folk which is usually recorded within a narrow dynamic range which allows you to wind the volume up a bit without the risk of any nasty surprises


Well, really really old recordings (say '00s-'40s) have virtually no dynamic range whatsoever. If you can bear the surface noise, that is...


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2009)

World Violist said:


> Well, really really old recordings (say '00s-'40s) have virtually no dynamic range whatsoever. If you can bear the surface noise, that is...


Your point being???


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

That you can listen to classical music on the road if they're old recordings because dynamic range isn't an issue with those.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2009)

You mean CDs of old vinyl ? Most of those will have been remastered , and I really don't want to double up on my collection.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Oh, ok then.

I think some classical music is listenable in the car, though... I mean, you look at organ pieces and harpsichord pieces (the harpsichord pieces especially, as they have only one dynamic), and pieces by the Baroque composers for those instruments are generally pretty one-dimensional as far as dynamic range goes.


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2009)

Well organ pieces and harpsichord would get pretty tiring on a decent trip but if that what you like OK, I will stick to Classical through my HiFi and Jazz in the Car


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## JoeGreen (Nov 17, 2008)

post-minimalist said:


> Richard Strauss may be the No 1 cause of road kill among classical music lovers!
> FC




Tried to listen to Rie of Spring at a loud volume once, couldn't
once it got to the "Jeu des cités rivales" it was too distracting, had to pull over let Part 1 finish then drive home in silence.


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## ErFurtwanglert (Nov 24, 2008)

I generally enjoy something like Italian baroque while driving. Maybe an opera (in a language I don't understand, perferrable) for longer road trips.


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