Double Bass Do you listen to recorded music?

[Keith Rawlings]

Thanks for all of the responses. I guess I really am alone in this one.

i understand that listening to all types of good music is a great way to train your ear and come up with ideas. I'm sure that my 'music junky' years led to the development of whatever
'ear' I now have. But for whatever reason, I'm just not compelled to search out new music like I used to be; and not compelled to listen much to what I've already collected unless I'm specifically working on something. I'd rather spend that time & energy playing my own instrument...by myself...in my room.

It's not that i don't still love all kinds of music. There is music playing in my head almost all the time. I just relate to it differently than I did before I started playing.

I feel inspired by a "new" recording (new to me at least) that I'm currently listening to on almost a daily basis. I came to really get into listening and playing jazz only over the last several years after playing mostly rockabilly and surf music. I'm really loving it and a majority of what I'm listening to now was recommended and/or talked about here on TalkBass. It never ceases to amaze me the knowledge and experience located within these threads on this website; and I've discovered so many amazing recordings and bassists on TB as well. This inspiration has led me to work on learning to play more jazz and to pick up the bow for the first time ever last year. I'm definitely a work in progress but it's been wonderful (except for Covid of course).

 

[sean_on_bass]

Still listen to music all the time, but the way i consume it has definitely changed since i was younger. I used to kind of obsess over a smaller volume of music and listen to it on repeat over weeks/months. I would routinely listen to albums, front to back, and never have a large number of albums on my plate at any given time. Nowadays i am more all over the place, and less focused. I tend to listen to individual tracks more and don't linger on anything for too long before checking out something else. I am listening to a large variety of music, but not diving as deep into that music like i used to. I also watch alot of videos of performance on Youtube, which is a pretty significant chunk of my daily "listening."

 

[MLysh]

I believe there is a corollary between the idea that if one wishes to be a great writer, one needs to be a great reader, and the idea that if one wishes to be a great player, one needs to be a great listener.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I believe there is a corollary between the idea that if one wishes to be a great writer, one needs to be a great reader, and the idea that if one wishes to be a great player, one needs to be a great listener.

Responding as a professional ghostwriter for decades, I would say this is sort of true. However, I'm usually too busy writing to read as much as I'd like. And reading is certainly targeted, often at specific projects.

The assertion was truer before I learned my craft. Now I know enough to be aware that what I wrote was crap without having to read someone else's "good" prose.

(Many writers read a lot in order to steal ideas for their own writing.)

I kind of agree with the OP's comment about listening only / mostly to what he's learning to play. That's very much my play as well. Would love to do more pure listening, but time is short. And I've got scales and arpeggios to practice....