Does anyone not listen to music ?

[ambient]

The other day I was talking to a sax player that I'm playing with. I asked him if he'd heard of Jan Gabarek, he said he'd heard of him, but had not heard anything by him, he didn't listen to music.

That just struck me as odd.

I'm always listening to music.

Is it odd though ?

[alyctes]

I don't listen to much at home; Radio 3 late at night, and stuff I'm allegedly trying to learn. I don't know why not; when I was 20 I couldn't turn it off. I'm beginning to feel that I've stopped hearing it, and I think that's mostly because I'm trying to play; my ear is different now.

[colgraff]

I rarely listen to music much these days. As a teen and young adult, I listened all the time. These days it is much more likely to be Radio 4 or audiobooks. I suppose that my interests have broadened and I listen to music for practising and gigging so I want to listen to other things at other times.

[CamdenRob]

I hardly ever listen to music... Only time I do listen to it is when I'm on the bus and that's just to block out people bellowing at each other about football.

When I do I mostly listen to stuff from my youth, my iPod hasn't been updated for about fifteen years!

[BigRedX]

I find that the busier my band is the less I listen to other people's music. In the last 5 years I've been to less than 10 gigs where I wasn't actually playing myself, and the majority of CDs and vinyl I've bought have been from bands we've shared the bill with.

Because of the nature of my work I rarely have music on as I find it too distracting and the rest of the time I'm too busy working on music for the Terrortones to spend any serious time listening to other artists.

Since I passed 24, my big music consuming phases all happen when I'm between bands.

Edited September 19, 2015 by BigRedX

[Thunderbird]

I love music but never really get to listen to it in fact we do not even have a stereo system in the house I think having young kids put a stop to me having much music on and when I did listen to music I used to do it in the car but as I am unable to drive anymore (due to medical reasons) I really do not get the chance to listen to much and if I do it is on the laptop with rubbish speakers

[Len_derby]

I don't do a lot of casual listening anymore.
The most intense I do is material I'm trying to learn. For example, I joined an originals band this year and put many hours of serious listening into learning their songs, even before I picked up a bass.

Athletes have their rest days, and I reckon musicians need their quiet too for recharging the batteries.
In a Silent Way.

[Bobthedog]

I used to listen to music intently including usually having an hour or so to myself with a whisky and some great jazz every day after work. When my father died (a semi pro musician withi his own band), it all stopped.

Several years later when I picked up bass, I started again but now typically as background music only. I still love live stuff, but not really anything broadcast and I cannot remember when I last fired up the hi-fi.

[inthedoghouse]

Like many others here, I rarely listen to music at home these days, more of a Radio 4 listener - unlike when I was younger and couldn't get enough music. But as others have said, I'll spend hours learning new songs for the band, a lot of which I've never heard before.

[MacDaddy]

TalkSport or Radio 4, on the wireless in the car.

At home either music I'm learning or playing along with for my bands.

That's not to say I don't still buy music. I downloaded Reign in Blood recently (only took 30 years to finally get it) but haven't blasted it out yet.

[Kevin Dean]

I thought it was only me , I have radio 4 on & only listen to music if I'm working out a set , I'm much more into performing & going to live gigs .

[toneknob]

I know a couple of non-musicians who aren't bothered about music. Can't think of musicians who don't though.

Having said that, I used to work in Our Price records and the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was listen to music. Same feeling immediately after a gig as well to this day.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1442624112' post='2868344']
The other day I was talking to a sax player that I'm playing with. I asked him if he'd heard of Jan Gabarek, he said he'd heard of him, but had not heard anything by him, he didn't listen to music.

That just struck me as odd.

I'm always listening to music.

Is it odd though ?
[/quote]

I dont often listen to music except when it involves me with bass/guitar in hand in some capacity i.e. practicing or playing. When I do its a 100% attention to it situation, like reading a book, playing a game or watching a movie - I don't "do" background music and I get irritated by it when it happens (e.g. music on in a restaurant or someone who insists on having music on in the house or car).

[Graham]

I'm lucky that not only are my work happy for me to listen to music, so long as it doesn't interfere with my job, they're also happy for me to piggy-back on their wi-fi, so I can stream Spotify for a lot of the day.

As a result, I listen to a lot more music than I otherwise would. Given my preferred genres of music - a lot of black metal, doom and grind - being married with two young children would preclude me from listening to a lot of music for my own pleasure at home.

[fatback]

In the car. That's all now.

But I love watching performed music on TV, especially jazz. Not much on though. I used to be able to get Mezzo, but not anymore.

Wish there was a jazz satellite channel or even any kind of live music channel I could get. Can't watch youtube as the broadband here is too slow for HD, and that's most of everything worth watching.

[FinnDave]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1442664960' post='2868607']
I dont often listen to music except when it involves me with bass/guitar in hand in some capacity i.e. practicing or playing. When I do its a 100% attention to it situation, like reading a book, playing a game or watching a movie - I don't "do" background music and I get irritated by it when it happens (e.g. music on in a restaurant or someone who insists on having music on in the house or car).
[/quote]

This, plus the same applies to telelvision. My wife just has it on as background, I much prefer silence unless there is something I really want to watch (which usually happens less than twice a year.

[paul_5]

In the car it's mostly Radio 4, but at home it's always focussed, critical listening. I spend roughly an hour most nights through high quality headphones listening to any music I feel like.

Why would anyone [i]not[/i] listen to music, it's f***ing brilliant!

[Big_Stu]

I couldn't live without it. I work from home and have music in the background the whole time & if it's been a rough day I'll wind down by really focussing on something I've picked out, or if it's been a great day I'll celebrate in the same way.

[sykilz]

Always have something going on, mostly background radio music, but due to several reasons my rock covers band has been on a couple of months break, and I've really got back into actually listening to and (more importantly) ENJOYING music again. I'm dreading starting gigging again this weekend in case it's the band that was spoiling my enjoyment!!

[spongebob]

I probably listen to a good 2 hours a day, always have done.

[KevB]

Still listen, usually on the bike commute to and from work. A lot of my route is on a canal towpath so I don't have to be watching out for traffic so much. I have more music on in the car than I listen to the radio. Recently I have been doing some work in another place where I am subjected to radio 1 in the background all day. Absolute torture, and can be quite distracting at times.

[fretmeister]

Music on for travelling, exercising, and cooking.

If it's not in those 3 categories then it's because I'm learning to play it.

I don't just sit down with a beer and listen anymore.

[lowhand_mike]

radio 4 arrrrgrghhh!!! my wife loves it, i hate it so car journeys can be a bit tramaitic especially when she falls asleep, i turn it off and she says "i was listening to that!" bollocks
i listen pretty much all day every day at work (headphones), on the car radio or i bluetooth my stuff in the car (progressive/experimental/melodic/death/math-metal/djent, prog rock, rock) or planet rock in the kitchen DAB, i hate silence unless i'm trying to sleep
i cant bare radio 1/radio4/kiss/capital etc

[FinnDave]

You need silence so you can listen to the music in your head.

[ahpook]

I used to listen to music all the time, then I was a librarian for 13 years and came to appreciate quiet a lot more !

I think being able to enjoy silence or quiet is important.

I'll listen to an hour or two of music a day, but very much enjoy the not listening to music as well.