The What, Who, How and Why of Music At Home

Hi-Fi Corner
21

Seems too analytical for me - My approach is quite different: I just listen to the music and get drawn in, with the best music drowning me in the emotion of it. I have always done that since my first system, but the clearer, more detailed and more natural sounding as my system has evolved the better it is. Sometimes I might for some reason unknown to me pick out and follow a particular instrument, but that is not my norm. So I will never get into the why, the how I do only when wanting to improve my own instrument playing skills not as part of music replay enjoyment, and I donā€™t have much interest in the who, other than what I read in sleeve notes.

It just shows how different people have very different approaches to music listening - so it is unsurprising that preferences for gear that affects the sound can also be so very different.

Regarding this:

In the early years I paid no heed to lyrics, but it was nothing to do with their intelligibility, I just wasnā€™t interested: it was the sound that mattered. However in time I came to appreciate the lyrics, such that good lyrics can enhance the music - two artforms in one really, poetry and music. But it doesnā€™t matter how good the lyrics are, if the music is rubbish to my ears it holds no interest, so very much a case of music first, lyrics adding to it.

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22

As I have already said, the what, who, how and why it NOT how I listen to music. It was merely a musing on what various improvements in my replay kit seemed to bring.

I listen and appreciate music in an organic and holistic way. A piece of music will either grab me or it wont. I never try to analyse my reaction to music, and just accept if I like or dislike something.

23

I can only say my system improvements over the decades brought better clarity, detail, naturalness and perhaps fullness - I canā€™t say if they brought the who, how and why because those I donā€™t notice!

24

Fair enough.

Maybe my construct is a littleā€¦errā€¦deep.

25

I also really enjoy the vocalists and listening to the lyrics, as Iā€™m a bit of a singer. But also, as @charlesphoto mentioned, now that I have a system that details the music production so beautifully, I am listening to a lot more Classical music these days.

Dave

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26

Interestingly I prefer opera sung in the original language, much of that which I like being in Italian, not translated into English, so the singing is purely music. However unless seen acted out, as in a live performance, the meaning isnā€™t there, and whilst enjoyable and conveying the emotion, understanding comes from the words, so I like to have the libretto in front of me, with English translation (and live On stage best with translated surtitles, video recordings with subtitles)

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27

I was never referring to Opera, which is a rather different art form combining music, song and theatre. Being at a live music event is possibly more comparable.

I am not particularly interested in Opera and do not particularly like most Musicals. That may of course change as I am now listening to a lot of music I have never heard before and I am determined to keep an open mind going forward.

29

I cant recall where I saw this (probably on this forum), but there was a suggestion to ask someone in a younger generation to yourself to give you their favourite playlist for you to try. Seemed like great advice, but my son in law likes heavy metal, so may need to find someone else :blush:

30

Unlike seemingly many on this forum I have not come to like genres I used not to like as I have aged and/or as my system has improved - I simply do not like, or in some cases cannot stand, some styles of music, e.g. jazz, never have, and canā€™t see that anything will ever change that for me (except loss of hearing!). What has changed for me, though I think it is simply a case of my own maturing (?!) and nothing to do with improved system, is a widening of things I like, within genres that I already liked, or liked to some extent. Opera is a case in point: it was because I liked the music from some operas - effectively just classical music if recorded without the singing - that I decided to try going to a live performance (already loving theatre). Live performance of an opera with music of a style that I loved hooked me through the multi-media experience: music, theatre, and the human voice singing tragic songs while I read the words through surtitles. That opened the door and from that moment I enjoyed playing opera recordings at home, even audio only, or audio with booklet, when previously it simply was not for me.

31

???

32

Presumably the 3 Ws of What, Who and Why, and the single H of How.

33

I am one of those who have branched out within genres I already liked. I have also embraced genres that I have either not previously explored or I was previously disinterested in. It has been mostly a result of me maturing rather than my hifi system.

The advent of subscription streaming has also ā€˜facilitatedā€™ this as I now have the ability to instantly explore artists (and genres) new to me. The wonderful Music Room on here is also full of great suggestions to try out.

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34

I think itā€™s partly due to the time we are living in (or our age most likely if commenting on this forum) but also since the age of the internet we are seemingly now awash in a constant deluge of words. That said, the sound of the voice itself can be divorced from the lyrical content - which is perhaps why I particularly enjoy listening to singers who sing in a different language than my native English.

Which reminds me that I should have my son, whoā€™s currently going to the sixth grade in Dusseldorf (my wifeā€™s hometown), bring back the German versions of Kraftwerk for me.

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36

Also possible of course without subscription (e.g using Spotify). The sound quality may not be as good, but plenty good enough to find if the music is to oneā€™s taste.

37

Too deep for me! (Especially on a Sunday!) Iā€™d have twigged WWWH, but for some reason not the 3W, it prompting me to think it was a reference to something elseā€¦

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38

I think a lot of music appreciation just depends on mood, context, frame of mind, opportunity, etc.

Yesterday afternoon I had to stop playing Shades Of Blue by Don Rendell and the lads because my wife objected to that ā€œbloody plinky music againā€. This morning, she thought my choice of Agnes Obel and the Virgin Suicides soundtrack by Air perfectly acceptable during breakfast. Stravinksy after breakfast induced her to leave me on my own while she went out for a walk.

After I came back from a hard 2 hour bike ride, I played Sonic Youth while I had a shower. She didnā€™t like that, either.

This afternoon and evening we have spent some time with family at my nieceā€™s 8th birthday party (taking all appropriate hygiene precautions, of course). My brother-in-law had Alexa bless us with a variety of playlists while the children went off to play on their own as the inevitable discussion of politics, music and the human condition was accompanied by a few glasses of beer and wine among the adults. Among other things, we heard Portishead, New Order, the Communards, Kraftwerk, Elvis Presley and Plastic Bertrand give their best while we talked and occasionally sang along to the tunes that we know and enjoy.

It is now late evening, I am at home, my better half has gone to bed and I am drinking some water to counter the effects of the beer and wine. For no particular reason, I am playing Hotel California and Crime Of The Century before I go to bed.

Despite the fact that I planned on Friday to explore some Chet Baker and listen to Art Blakeyā€™s Buhainaā€™s Delight and DSOTM on vinyl this weekend, it just has not happened. Never mind.

While I am no too far away from retirement, I really envy anyone who has the time to ponder the what, who, how and why of music at home.

Perhaps Iā€™ll give Don Rendell and the lads a another chance before I go to bed. Unless of course Miles Davis or The Kinks distract me first ā€¦

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39

Doesnā€™t have to be a reason to do that!!

40

In fact, I might even break out the air guitar before my head hits the pillow.

41

And why not. I would but you canā€™t really do that to Joni Mitchell which is on the deck atm, that would be just silly!

42

As my late Dad used say - to the taxman - Iā€™m a man of simple tastes.

Must have rubbed off.

My journey went from thinking everything sounded great on my Waltham music centre, then on my JVC system.

I moved on to ā€œrealā€ hifi separates Denon/ Marantz and although there were many wow moments there was still too much music not sounding like I remembered it and my system was dictating what I listened to - or more correctly what I didnā€™t listen to.

My journey was primarily to get as much of the music I enjoy to sound good - or not to sound annoying.

Hard to put my finger on exactly when I stopped wanting things not to sound bad and started to want to hear all those wonderful things like inky blackness and lower noise floors and the veils, how I wished for the veils to fall.

Iā€™m currently listening to a 90s playlist of my favourite albums from then.

Rumour and Sigh - Richard Thomposn
U2 Achtung Baby and Zooropa
Throwing Muses - The Real Ramona
A House - I am the Greatest
Twist - The Fat Lady Sings
Pixies - Bossanova - Trompe Le Monde
REM - Automatic for the People
Cranberries - Everbody is doing it so why canā€™t we?
PJ Harvey - Dry
The Fall - Code Selfish
Lloyd Cole - Bad Vibes
HMHB - This Leaden Pall
Lemonheads - Itā€™s a shame about Ray
Fran Black eponymous, Teenager of the Year and The Cult of Ray
Jon Spenser Blues Explosion - Orange
Edwynn Collins - Gorgeous George
Breeders - Last Splash
Portishead Dummy
Tindersticks 1
Massive Attack - Protection
Leftfield
Chemical Brotheres - Exit Planet Dust
Ron Sexsmith eponymous
Steve Earl - Train a Cominā€™
Cornershop - When I was born for the 7th time
Car Wheels on a gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
The White Stripes eponymous

Thankfully all are sounding great.

Ironically some were my test albums for purchases. Albums that I wanted to sound better.
Knowing more about mastering and recording has helped me appreciate what Iā€™m hearing, not what I expect to hear.

.sjb

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