When you look at your records, CDs, or even digital music on a NAS, it is all too easy to pick the same old familiar albums. So last year I began a non-selection programme.
I have mine records sorted alphabetically within jazz, blues, “classical”, and the rest (the vast majority). Now I simply take the next one in the rack. No option. The only time I can jump ahead is if I have multiple albums by one artist, but then I have to go back to the previous endpoint.
This makes selection so much easier, but, and more importantly, I’ve rediscovered some tremendous albums I hadn’t played in years. For example, within two albums, I had rediscovered Ace, with the great Paul Carrack, and their album Five-a-Side, with the evergreen single HowLong, that I hadn’t played in over 40 years.
Some years ago I listened to my entire CD collection in order from A to Z. These days, due to listening time constraints (work, family, cores, etc.) I usually go straight for recent purchases which means older stuff rarely gets a look in. Hoping to have more time in a couple of years when I retire.
I select in three ways:
Sometimes I am driven by prior desire to play something particular, which might be a particular album, others that follow suggesting themselves in my head whilst listening to first, or might be an artist and play through tgeir albums.
Other times I pick one of the broad genres my music is filed under, classical, opera, rock or other and then browse, randomly picking a different starting point in the either alphabetical list of artist or the alphabetical list of albums, choosing a direction of browsing then flicking through until something takes my fancy.
And other times I simply flick the scroll bar and stab a finger at random.
About 16-18 years ago, when I ripped all my LPs, I played them all in order (alphabetical artist then albums by date), listening to every one as I ripped it. That was an interesting and enjoyable exercise though with getting on for 500 albums it took a very long time! I should do it again from time to time, though given the time it would take to get through the 1000 or so albums in my music store and not driven by a particular purpose I would allow myself a free session maybe once a week.
I find it difficult to not become stuck in my past with music ( and perhaps generally ). I listen to a lot of Miles era jazz and there is enough of that to constantly find music on streaming services that I haven’t heard before, so it gets away from my regulars. With vinyl its more difficult as I buy very little new vinyl. Streaming generally has opened my musical mind as I check new releases and playlists and if I like a track I will listen to the full album and add it to my own playlists if I take to it. That and the recommendations on here keeps me musically engaged with new to me music. Time is always the enemy though, sometimes its just easier to out something on in the background while doing daily tasks, radio, playlist or whatever. The only thing I found, long ago and entirely due to hifi or Naim, is that the sound quality has to be good enough. Poor broadcast/internet quality just can’t be tolerated. I am that hifi snob.
When you have a music library it is too easy to keep selecting the same favourites. I do like the Innuos StreamQ function. With this, when a selected album is finished, the Innuos will continue to play music by choosing tracks from your library on the server.
The StreamQ function can be adjusted between new music (for those that stream) and existing library. As I use library only, the algorithm seems to choose an artists work of similar genre that I had selected for the last album, interspersed with a variation of tracks from a completely different genre.
As you have pointed out, it is a great way to bring to the light, some of the music that can reside in the shadows of your music library.
Maybe oK if it picks full albums, but isolated tracks a no-no for me, except on rare occasions. However it could also be unpleasant if it picks an album that destroys the mood. I find that often in a listening session a thought develops as to what to play next before tge album I’m playing finishes, so even if not pre-planned the session proceeds by itself.
Agree if sitting down to focus on the music or if certain ambience is required. If pottering about then the StreamQ works for me providing background music
). I listen to a lot of Miles era jazz and there is enough of that to constantly find music on streaming services that I haven’t heard before, so it gets away from my regulars. With vinyl its more difficult as I buy very little new vinyl. Streaming generally has opened my musical mind as I check new releases and playlists and if I like a track I will listen to the full album and add it to my own playlists if I take to it. That and the recommendations on here keeps me musically engaged with new to me music. Time is always the enemy though, sometimes its just easier to out something on in the background while doing daily tasks, radio, playlist or whatever. The only thing I found, long ago and entirely due to hifi or Naim, is that the sound quality has to be good enough. Poor broadcast/internet quality just can’t be tolerated. I am that hifi snob.