I listen to at least six hours of music on most days. I love music, and it means a lot to me. That said, I can’t help but wonder if the contexts I listen to music to combined with the sheer volume I listen to is devaluing it.
a constant soundtrack
I don’t think I’m alone in this: to an extent, music is a “soundtrack” for my life. It’s on in the background when I read, write, walk to school, code, and do my homework.
I own all my own music as DRM-free audio files, no streaming services required, and I’m very proud of my collection. Still, I find myself listening to the same artists on repeat most days, not really delving into the breadth my collection offers. I own nearly 500 albums, by over 250 artists, but much of that rarely gets listened to.
Music is a constant feature in my life, but because it’s so constant I don’t give it as much attention or care as I would if being more intentional about when I listen and what I listen to.
times that I want silence
Over the last few months, I’ve been finding more and more times where I actually prefer silence or the sounds of the environment around me. For example, when I go writing in my notebook in the park, I like the sounds of the wind and the animals around me.
Similarly, I can focus better on work when I don’t have music playing. I work fine with it, but if I’m having trouble focusing, the first step is to turn off my music, particularly if the music has lyrics.
In general, I’ve been realizing the value of existing in and being aware of the world around me, and listening to music, particularly on headphones, is isolating.
for comparison: focused listening
When visiting my grandparents, I encounter a very different style of listening to music. Instead of having it on simply as background music, my grandparents pay a lot of attention to the music itself and the various chord progressions, motifs, instrumentation, and other musical elements in songs.
I don’t think I want to entirely get rid of playing music in the background, but I want to balance it better with focused listening to music, perhaps while cooking, doing laundry, or cleaning.
I think my brain wants to “maximize” the amount of entertainment I take in; music can be listened to in the background while I do work requiring focus, while media such as podcasts needs to be listened to while doing a mindless task, if at all. But, really, “maximizing” the amount of entertainment intake I have isn’t a path to happiness or a healthy perspective, from a mental health standpoint. I would rather let myself enjoy doing one thing at once than emphasize quantity over quality.
Put simply, I don’t need to listen to as much music as I do.
the tangara
To close, it’s worth noting that I recently received a Tangara music player, which I love. Having a dedicated, physical device I use to listen to music has been a huge influence in this thinking about how I engage with this important medium.
I haven’t fully solidified the role this device plays in my life yet, but I’ve had a lot of fun with it so far and expect it will become a central part of how I listen to music.
