anybody else write music but dont really listen to it?

[AstralExistence]

was just curious if anybody else here writes music for creative expression, but doesn't really listen to it. i listen to music only when a friend whose a huge music fan sends me a youtube vid, or there own music. other then that i can take music or leave it. i used to be a huge music fan but one day got tired of my main music genre. since then, ive been finding it really hard to write music while not listening to it.

i have no interest in listening to music, and have tried listening to all of the electronic genres with no success of real enjoyment, and because of that, ive been trying to find a music genre i can still write creatively. ive gone through writing multiple genres and the one genre ive found is fun to write creatively, is soundscape/atmospheric/ambient music. but when it comes to actually listening to soundscape music i find it extremely boring. anybody else in a similar situation?

[srcodling]

Yep, kinda know what you mean... music was the biggest part of my life for 20-odd years, but then just grew tired of most of it.

I'll listen to it sometimes (I don't dislike it) but far prefer listening to podcasts or audiobooks.

Part of what did it for me was about a decade of teaching music in the school system and then privately at night, as well as leading at church. Music became work, and so for enjoyment I didn't want to hear any more music.

Another part of it is the analytical side of my mind - I'm never enjoying music, but rather listening to the chord progressions, production techniques, vocal delivery, mix and recording characteristics, sounds, etc. That means it really isn't super enjoying to listen to from a relaxing point of view.

So now, my hobby is to fiddle around with sound design and make some loops in Ableton and kind of sketch up little ideas of sound, but I don't really want to have music on all the time. Occasionally I'll stumble on something I get excited about for a while, but that's only a few times a year.

If I do end up getting excited and enjoying music tons again in the future, my guess is it will either be through jazz or classical.

Interesting post... perhaps I've said too much...

[dusted william]

I will always enjoy a great song, but I don't listen to music as much of one would think.

I'd rather listen to podcasts, and talk radio

[xNiMiNx]

...one day got tired of my main music genre...

...have tried listening to all of the electronic genres with no success of real enjoyment...

I too would be sick of listening to music if you told me i had to have a "main music genre", or limited me to "all electronic genre's".

[Zombie Queen]

I'm listening a lot actually. But none of so broadly called electronic music, I enjoy it sometimes for a break, or to explore something else, but I don't think I would stand it on everyday basis. So majority of my listening time is covered with odd songs, something that actually has lyrics and melody and is somewhat quirky and is as far away from classic rock as possible. I even like to listen to my own songs, that is interesting question, do you like to listen to your own?
There is one funny thing though, the only kind of music I can listen to, while working or driving, is hip-hop, anything else distracts me. It's gotta be hip-hop or talk radio, which is not that much difference when you think about it. I wouldn't listen to any hip-hop, just for the sake of it, but I like it a lot as background music, it keeps me focused on what I'm doing.
About so called ambient/soundscape - I fully agree, it's fun and easy to make, but who the hell would listen to it? Not me.

[Sendy]

I listen to an awful lot less music now that I've stopped smoking weeds (from the garden ). There was a time I was doing nothing but getting up, getting stoned (by Romans with silly voices) and listening to tunes all day.

These days I still listen to music, though nowhere near as often, and if I want to write music, I find hearing music beforehand makes it a lot harder. Listening to music I like is like letting someone else do the work. It loses the impetus. So I starve myself for a week and then make what I want to hear, the sounds from my head and day/nightdreams.

My "genre" of music was first ambient and trance (back in the 90's when it was underground, lol) and then "jungle" and "drum and bass". As d+b started changing into something I didn't recognize in the late 90's I decided anything consigned wholly to a genre was doomed to fail so I now make music without explicitly thinking about genres, though of course I still reference them, because I'm not good enough to pull 100% new ideas out of my arse

[faun2500]

I don't listen to my music much after its finished. Listening to the same sounds over and over and over and you get sick of it! lol

I listen to other peoples music every day.

[mellotronaut]

i mainly listen to any kind of popular music now, when i'm here on KvR or reading blogs and newspapers. when i want to listen more carefully, i prefer classical music, jazz and only my favourite pop, rock or electronic songs, which are on mix cds.
i listen to my own stuff almost only, when i'm playing or recording. there are more synth based tracks, which i just record and loop etc. and song based tracks, which i play either on the piano or on a guitar (and sing along, if there are lyrics). when a song is ready, i usually don't listen much to the finished version. i don't play or sing music from others anymore except for making parodies.

[RunBeerRun]

I listen to music through vst's, to test them.

Today's music compared to a home recording:

-bad dynamics, I want to hear a live band, not piano-roll nerds

-bad synths, you know who you are

-bad dawgs- in my day we respected our elders

[donkey tugger]

An intriguing topic. I hardly ever used to listen to (any other) music when I was writing lots of it. Probably because I was tired of having to 'listen properly' and concentrate to mix things (although if you've heard any of my shite you would probably disagree). These days (great song), working full time and not being arsed writing owt I listen to loads and enjoy it a lot more.

[crazed one]

I can relate to this. I barely listen to music anymore (except for the random Pandora session) and it's been like this for several years now. I got tired of a lot of music I believe. I mostly hear music in my head and little snippets of sound and ideas will pop into my head during the day. I am not making much music these days either but when I was, I still did not listen to much. Was kinda funny since I played in a band and made music at home. Part of me liked that because I felt that I was less likely to be influenced by something I heard or less likely do rip something off from someone else by accident (not sure if that makes sense). I think I fulfilled my need for music by playing it live and just by tinkering with noises at home.

I can't remember the last time I listened to my iPod or a CD. However, I have a loaner car from a car dealership while my car is being worked on and it has satellite radio and I've been digging on a 40s era station that plays a lot of big band and swing. It's not new to me but it gets me excited every time I am getting ready to go somewhere (even though satellite radio quality is pure shit).

[AstralExistence]

i showed this thread to a freind and he said, 'if i make music, then i MUST listen to it. because if i do, it will help me learn. if you're an artist you need to look at art, if you're a writer you need to read, if you're a musician you need to listen to fuckign music.' so im gonna try to listen to music more. but carry on..

[ontol]

[miedex]

was just curious if anybody else here writes music for creative expression, but doesn't really listen to it. i listen to music only when a friend whose a huge music fan sends me a youtube vid, or there own music. other then that i can take music or leave it. i used to be a huge music fan but one day got tired of my main music genre. since then, ive been finding it really hard to write music while not listening to it.

i have no interest in listening to music, and have tried listening to all of the electronic genres with no success of real enjoyment, and because of that, ive been trying to find a music genre i can still write creatively. ive gone through writing multiple genres and the one genre ive found is fun to write creatively, is soundscape/atmospheric/ambient music. but when it comes to actually listening to soundscape music i find it extremely boring. anybody else in a similar situation?

I have felt the same way for a long time. I stumbled on some 60's Japanese music that was trying to copy the popular American music of the time and something about it clicked and woke up my appreciation for just having some tunes playing. It's a slow adventure back into my core genre's but It helps to go so far outside of your box that you wake up in a daze wearing someone else's undies, with pictures of tulips on them, and you like it.

[Tricky-Loops]

I listen to a lot of music. But I couldn't listen to one genre all the time. Sometimes a need a refreshment with Indian music, some Punjabi stuff, Arabic cafe, Celtic Irish music, Latino, Turkish music, Manele, Bossa Nova etc. There is so much to explore, nowadays I can hear the music of the whole world (via internet). I've always dreamed of this moment. For example, I can listen to Mongolian music - that was never possible before the www age.

Sometimes I need a different point of view (globally) and totally different notation systems (but I never will be able to learn them all).