I think some people don't know how to give albums a nice thoughtful listen so I decided to write about some tips on how to appreciate what you're listening to more.
>research the artist's history Contextualizing the album can be very important. Looking up their personal history can give you an idea of what the artist is feeling and looking up how they fit in overall music history can help you appreciate what's innovative about the album for its time.
>read the lyrics I think it's a bit of a mistake for people to ignore lyrics. If the artist put thought into writing them, then you should give thought into listening to them. Of course some artists don't have the most meaningful lyrics, but others can add a nice story to the song which makes it a lot more emotional and meaningful.
>look up music videos or concert performances Sometimes a visual component is very important to an artist's style or message. It can add something extra to the music. Even if it isn't that important, it's still nice to see how they do things live.
>give things multiple listens This seems kind of obvious, but I'm still shocked as to how many people don't do this. And no, this isn't about "forcing" yourself to like something. It's more about recognizing the whole shape to a song or an album. You can recognize things like if a long song has a recurring melody you won't notice on the first time, or if it's a concept album and there are repeating melodies across different songs. Also, it can make you more familiar with a melody so once you're done listening to a song for that, you can listen to and appreciate other aspects in the song as well.
>research music theory Don't be intimidated! Some of it can be very complicated, but you don't have to memorize all the different sorts of scales and chords, and you don't have to learn what the difference between a D and a C note is. Just going into the basics can give you a nice vocabulary for you to discuss music better. If you know what dissonance means, or what a modulation is, you can be more aware of it in a song and its effects will be more effective on you as a listener.
Feel free to add your own tips on how to appreciate music more.
Henry Diaz
Bump for a great thread. Make a pastebin link. This could be a part of the sticky.
Joshua Clark
do people really not do at least a few of these things?
especially multiple listens. Most shit you never really know you like until a second listen, even moreso for things you initially hate. Chances are you'll like it.
Matthew Campbell
I took a class on music production this year and the professor emphasized all these points in our music listening assignments. Really changed the way I listen, and as I learned more about production, I started to pay attention to mixing/mastering details much more. Interesting stuff.
Jordan Diaz
i agree sticky needs this
Oliver Adams
I think you underestimate people's willingness to give albums a thoughtful listen and discuss it on Sup Forums.
This is how you know music probably isn't worth giving a nice, thoughtful listen to
Nicholas Adams
Compare it with other albums? Some albums deal with the same subjects/themes. You can hear how they deal with the subject, the similarities and differences between them and what elements you like.
Where's the line between a fact and an opinion?
Hudson Brooks
Have a free (You) on me.
Chase Hill
Hopefully, but how would one even get in contact with the mods? Judging by the strict rule enforcement on this board, I'm not sure they even exist.
Nolan Richardson
>Where's the line between a fact and an opinion?
Like in terms of if an album is "good or bad"? Honestly, it's best if you don't worry about judgement at first. Let yourself absorb the album, and try to look at it for what it is before you worry about what you're gonna rate it on rym or something.
Michael Fisher
This but unironically.
Sebastian Evans
I mean, you can think and talk about the history, the lyrics and the technical aspects, but you're going to put a value on these elements at some point. Sadly RBT is out of the air.
IRC?
Kevin Cruz
You stole this from my post in that one thread last night.
Nathan Gray
This strictly only works with one specific type of music.
There's music that's meant to be enjoyed in dark, loud rooms with lots of strangers. There's music that you're supposed to play while driving around. There's music that I only enjoy in a party setting with friends and various illicit substances, music that only sounds good at 2 in the morning when I'm feeling lonely and despondent. Then there's music that I like for no reason in particular other than the sum of my life experiences up to that point causes it to resonate with me.
Good music doesn't have to exclusively fall into any number of these categories to be good. You're describing a process that only caters to the music you enjoy.
Brody Moore
>but you're going to put a value on these elements at some point
True. That's just a main process of being a music listener and it kind of goes without saying. However I just don't think you should get too caught up in it. It's kind of a dead end when you attach a label on something. So what if you can say "this is good/bad"? What matters is that you have a genuine interest in the music and have given proper thought to a song or album, and learning more about it and exploring it can help that interest. Music should feel very organic in that thinking about it in different ways based on different knowledge should be illuminating. It's not like your life is going to drastically change because you "correctly" liked a patrician album. It will change your life if you open yourself up to it and let it help you to be more introspective and to appreciate the beauty of the world.
Aaron Butler
Here's a second (You) friend. I hope it's enough.
Hudson Turner
Isn't it better to make a pasta that can be edited?
Grayson Sanders
How so? You are talking about the context in which music is listened and what it means to you. Is that disregarded by what is said above?
Jace Rivera
>research the artist's history
or you could construct a character based on the music. why spoil the surprise?
>read the lyrics
some genres have obscured lyrics or they have double meanings. it's more fun to guess the lyrics initially.
>look up music videos or concert performances
no! don't even look at the album art.
Gavin Parker
>look up music videos or concert performances After listening to the album, why not?
Gavin Flores
I do all of these expect for music theory because I am a lazy piece of shit. Great thread OP, I do this every time, I remember jumping into The Downward Spiral for the first time like this, it was incredible.
Brandon Morris
I always imagined it like you're like romantic penpals in the 1700s. you're not supposed to know what the band looks like until the (wedding) day when you see them live. what kind of fucked up courtship rituals do you people subscribe to?!
Cameron Cook
An interesting example of that is Talking Head's The Overload. I'm sure you're familiar with the story.
Kayden Evans
It's also an opportunity to hear the album/certain tracks outside of a studio, different tracklists, use of instruments and variations in composition.
Hudson Bailey
Any other sources about music theory?
Dominic Long
best thread in months thanks user
Jaxon James
I wish that I had known in that first minute we met the unpayable debt that I owed you
