Can you no longer ignore a piece of music?

mcblahflooper94 · #1 11-09-2011, 03:24 PM

Ever since I've picked up Bass & have gotten into music, I cam no longer calmly listen to music. It's terrible! Whenever I listen to a piece now, I have to take it apart. Find the beat, instruments, band, singer, and if I can, what key it's in. The only time I can listen to music with ease is when it's a loud concert or Delta Blues. When it's a concert, everything is too loud and (for concert virgins that just had their first time) you get a huge headache. Delta blues and the ballads is mostly made up of soul and feeling& really nothing to take apart. Just a man and a guitar.
Has this Happened to you? Am I cursed forever?

pengyou40 · #2 11-09-2011, 03:40 PM

Don't feel too bad, I do the same thing now. For the last year or so I've been studying keys, modes, etc, etc. I can't listen to most music now without trying to figure out the time signature (usually 4/4, but not always

the key, to hear all the instrument parts, etc.

If it bothers me too much, I just turn off the music and listen to people talking or something.

VitalSigns · #3 11-09-2011, 03:46 PM

Everytime I hear a song I imediately start taping my foot or fingures to the beat. Sometimes people tell me to stop cause it's annoying but I seriously can't help it!

HolmeBass · #4 11-09-2011, 03:47 PM

This has happened to me- but is it a curse?? I kinda like it. Music is fascinating. Maybe listen to more complicated stuff that's harder to analyze? Like some Miles Davis Quintet?

smeet · #5 11-09-2011, 03:55 PM

It's a blessing and a curse. Sometimes analyzing everything makes it harder to be emotionally impacted by the music. At the same time I can feel beauty in the music that a non-musician could never perceive.

giacomini · #6 11-09-2011, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeet

It's a blessing and a curse. Sometimes analyzing everything makes it harder to be emotionally impacted by the music. At the same time I can feel beauty in the music that a non-musician could never perceive.

+1 to all that.

mcblahflooper94 · #7 11-09-2011, 04:09 PM

I agree with Smeat, but now I cannot work and listen without it impairing my diligence. :|

lostinbnw · #8 11-09-2011, 04:17 PM

IMO the dissecting is half the fun of listening. Finding all of the subtle nuances gives me a better understanding of the song. But if i want to listen to a piece as a whole without finding myself missing the forest for a tree i have to turn my brain off. Meditation works the best for me, however if your a metal fan this becomes a little difficult. the other way i have tried is to think strongly about a singular feeling that the music may seem to be centered on. IMO this is best seen by Benjamin Zander's talk on TED about passion.
Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com

mcblahflooper94 · #9 11-09-2011, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostinbnw

IMO the dissecting is half the fun of listening. Finding all of the subtle nuances gives me a better understanding of the song. But if i want to listen to a piece as a whole without finding myself missing the forest for a tree i have to turn my brain off. Meditation works the best for me, however if your a metal fan this becomes a little difficult. the other way i have tried is to think strongly about a singular feeling that the music may seem to be centered on. IMO this is best seen by Benjamin Zander's talk on TED about passion.
Benjamin Zander on music and passion | Video on TED.com

Yes, well I have done meditation before, but not for these purposes. I am a metal fan, and this probably will be an issue. It is not that I am completely unable to get emotion from a piece of music, but it's just an annoying distraction! I will try this, thank you (:

carlthegroover · #10 11-09-2011, 11:07 PM

The only thing that I really notice nowadays is a shift in what I pay attention to. Before discovering the bass, I was the typical dude who dug the guitar (still do, but less), remembered the solos and stuff. I could barely even hear the bass.

Now, I tend to focus heavily on the bassline, sometimes ignoring the guitar completely. Which I think is cool because it shows an improvement in my understanding/ appreciation of music and the low end.

And, like VitalSigns, I also find myself tapping to the music without even thinking about it.

uethanian · #11 11-10-2011, 12:13 AM

yeah, it's part of the reason i don't like concerts that much, unless it's something simple like guitar+voice. when it's a full band 1x through a song isn't enough to dissect everything...but on the other hand, i feel like i have a more intimate connection with the music i do seriously listen to, and i keep hearing new things in recordings i thought i was totally familiar with.

G3Mitch · #12 11-10-2011, 12:37 AM

i definitley let an album grip me in its entirety first, ill notice cool bass, guitar and drum parts. but i definitely pay more attention to the bass, but also listen to structuring alot aswell. but thats only if im really thinking about. which often i dont do haha just want to enjoy the album.

Phalex · #13 11-10-2011, 06:30 AM

My wife has pointed out more than once, that when I hum along to a tune in the car, I'm usually humming the bass line (Or variations of it that I think should have been there.)

If you can avoid the pitfall of becoming a "Music Snob", the condition isn't so bad.

fhm555 · #14 11-10-2011, 06:52 AM

Part of my learning new material is to play it (on whatever box) constantly to get a better "feel" for it. Makes it much easier to absorb when it comes time to put hands on the bass.

Because of this I don't worry overmuch about any other (recorded) music I hear unless it happens to have a hook that gets me. An example of this is a song called "New Shoes". I recently heard the chorus on a shoe store commercial and I can't get it out of my head. It's not the kind of music I usually give a second thought to, and over all the song is more than a bit goofy (I looked it up on U tube), but the chorus has a hook I can't seem shake.