# To Digest or not To Digest, That is the Question with Classical Music



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I've recently learned I just get overall feels for what certain composers' works bring rather than attempting to digest every single detail like I did with other forms of music.

When attempting to select what I want to listen to, I use this overall perception of a piece to decide if it will suit my current mood or not.

For example, I'll listen to Mozart's Jupiter if I am in a high spirited mood. If I'm feeling like relaxing, ravel and debussy are good choices to go to for the most part (piano works specifically).


What about you? I just find it too overwhelming and undesirable at this point in my life to attempt to digest all the details of pieces. I find I enjoy the music better this way!

:tiphat:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Are you saying you're a passive listener, or that you choose to listen to a wide variety of music which makes it impossible to absorb everything? For me it's the later, although I feel cheated if I don't listen closely and get something out of each piece I listen to.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

starthrower said:


> Are you saying you're a passive listener, or that you choose to listen to a wide variety of music which makes it impossible to absorb everything? For me it's the later, although I feel cheated if I don't listen closely and get something out of each piece I listen to.


More the former.


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

For me, my circumstances determine whether or not I'm going to listen passively or actively. I find I am often in a passive mode when I listening to classical music in the car, when working on the computer, or preparing a meal. These are times when listening to good music makes everything, well, better. That said, I LOVE when I get to listen to music actively. I'll make a cup of tea or coffee, take the grills off the speakers, shift the chairs from movie watching positions to re-position one in the sweet spot, and then off I go. This is when classical music is at its best; or more precisely, when I am at my best for classical music. The "active" experience yields much, much more from the listening experience. Unfortunately, life does not always allow me this opportunity. I get it when I can, and remain grateful for the passive experiences as well.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

We can certainly enjoy music with different degrees of attention and analytical focus. When my attention is divided between music and something else, some music can still be enjoyable for its overall contribution to my sensory awareness and mood. It's all the better if I already know the music very well. Then I can feel as if I'm hearing everything even when I'm not.


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## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

I'm not good enough to focus intently for more than an hour on a Bruckner symphony, but I still love them. For this reason I have to hear them multiple times before I begin to fully enjoy them (when I don't have to focus to see all the patterns)


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

My "deep listening" sessions are seldom more than an hour. I don't have the kind of focus I once did, but i still often enjoy that the most. 

A weird thing happened for me with the more passive approach however. I found listening to more modern music -- what some would call "atonal" -- without trying to over analyze had me enjoying it more and eventually to understand it better. It happened today at work while I had a 20th century string quartet going in the background. I can't remember who now. Maybe Bartok. I suddenly thought, "this is absolute magic!" I think there's some kind of subconscious immersion taking place.


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

Gee, I'm very different from the rest of you all. 

Every time I put on a recording from my CD collection, as opposed to listening to the radio in my car, it's about focused, attentive listening with the aim of trying to delve deeper into the details of harmony, counterpoint and rhythm than previous listenings. The only exception is when we're having guests over and my wife requests putting on some background music.

If I hear great music going on in my environment, I always find myself extremely distracted by it wanting to get closer to hear it better and to listen more intently while with "non-great" music in the background I either tune it out or am annoyed by it.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Weston said:


> A weird thing happened for me with the more passive approach however. I found listening to more modern music -- what some would call "atonal" -- without trying to over analyze had me enjoying it more and eventually to understand it better. It happened today at work while I had a 20th century string quartet going in the background. I can't remember who now. Maybe Bartok. I suddenly thought, "this is absolute magic!" I think there's some kind of subconscious immersion taking place.


This is something I have experienced as well (and expressed on this forum), which is why I suggest a combination of active and passive listening. Some (not all) of my most powerful music listening experiences have occurred listening passively. I remember an occasion listening to Daphnis et Chloe while half asleep and I had a very powerful experience with the music that I can't really describe - I was experiencing it more vividly.

I've encountered a similar concept when I learned the technique of Transcendental Meditation. One of the keys to getting into a deep meditative state is *not to try*. The _trying_ is what had blocked my progress for years. I believe similar blockages can occur with music listening. When the brain is passive we can engage more with the subconscious mind.

Sometimes I like to sit and actively listen to an entire work, but even with that I've noticed it often works best if I'm either a little tired first or deeply relaxed.

I think some of the things people learn in school about music like 'only listen to entire works at a time' or 'even a duck can hear, you must _listen_'. Are actually things that kill the joy in music for people. I think people should listen to music in whatever way they want.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I mostly listen passively, however, it's amazing how much of a piece I can recite while the piece is playing but not while it isn't playing...


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