As opposed to listening to no music, I usually find myself listening to music that is somewhat the opposite of what I am working with, or at least totally unrelated. The band that I have been playing for lately does alot of blues and funk. But when I want to relax and listen to music, I put on classical music.

Saturday,

I remember reading that Art Pepper and Ornette Coleman wouldn't listen to music during much of their creative time and they did this intentionally. They found that when they did listen, their own voice would be compromised and they'd start sounding very much unlike themselves.

My bass player only owns a handful of CDs and doesn't have anything to play them on. After nine years he's my only constant collaborator. There's nothing calculated about what he does. Creatively, we can go anywhere (geographically we've never broken out of the American Midwest). I may be the only thing holding us back.

Your guitarist sounds like an asset to me.

B.

I don't listen to music as much as I used to. I was so into music when I was younger. I used to buy al ot of records, tapes, cd's, etc. and music zines. I sold almost half of my cd's last month. It's definitely not intentional that I don't listen to music. I just have a lot of music to play. Shit, I don't even watch as much TV as I used to.
It's weird, because music is a top priority in my life (up there with friends, family, eating, and working to pay rent), but I feel I'm way out of touch when it comes to music. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of music out there. Luckily I have friends that are in good bands and I'm friends with (and making friends with) people that are into music. They turn me onto things I haven't heard before. I listen to the local MPR station and sports talk station as much as I listen to music stations on the radio.... Shit, I'm rambling and my roommate is complaining about my tap-tap-a-tapping.... I love music, even though I don't listen to it as much as I used to. I guess, for me, it's more important to play music than listen to it.[/b]

Chance wrote:I don't listen to music as much as I used to. I was so into music when I was younger. I used to buy al ot of records, tapes, cd's, etc. and music zines. I sold almost half of my cd's last month. It's definitely not intentional that I don't listen to music. I just have a lot of music to play. Shit, I don't even watch as much TV as I used to.
It's weird, because music is a top priority in my life (up there with friends, family, eating, and working to pay rent), but I feel I'm way out of touch when it comes to music. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of music out there. Luckily I have friends that are in good bands and I'm friends with (and making friends with) people that are into music. They turn me onto things I haven't heard before. I listen to the local MPR station and sports talk station as much as I listen to music stations on the radio.... Shit, I'm rambling and my roommate is complaining about my tap-tap-a-tapping.... I love music, even though I don't listen to it as much as I used to. I guess, for me, it's more important to play music than listen to it.[/b]

It's been the same with me. When I was younger, I used to fill every moment of my waking and even sleeping life with music but now I often find myself enjoying the silence (no, i don't mean depeche mode...thank you).

I think, like you, I find myself overwhelmed by not only the amount of music available but by information and media in general. And, since I am studying to be a librarian, I am that much more faced with mass amounts of information and the analysis/evaluation of it. It just gets too much...as if my thoughts are being crowded out. Yet, I definitely still have those moments when I am happiest, most creative and at peace while listening to or playing music. I just find that I have to make more of a conscious effort to listen to music now. Maybe it has something to do with getting older and other things becoming more of a priority. It kind of saddens me that it's this way.