"Lean back" or "Lean in" listening?

[caesar]

lean back?

seriously.

when you sit in the near field (ears 109" away) of 3000 pounds of 7 foot tall twin towers, it's lean-all-the-way-in-all-the-time. immersive and involving. no place for the music to hide. obviously with TAS and Quboz and my files i have lots of 'lean in' digital.

there is no leaning back. even my multi-tasking demands a lean in type of musical support. if i use my headphones to listen to youtube MP3 music i'll put up with that with the video from my laptop adding to the sensory delivery. i'm good with that.

my wife has Sonos going on in the house that is certainly a lean back approach. it works for her. she likes the music plenty, but it's not holding her complete attention. it's simply around what she does. she uses my NAS and Tidal as sources.

we are both happy and musically fulfilled.

Hi Mike,
How many hours a day can you "lean in"?

I think a lot of it depends on one's mood and how taxed/ relaxed one's body and mind are. There are some days when it's 30 -45 minutes and others than can last hours. And, of course, it's a good time to take a break from the system on some days.

As an aside, I attended a Dead and Company show before the pandemic. I was totally in the flow, fully engaged for 80-85 percent of the time... but then serendipitously, I ran into some old high school and college friends.. so we chatted over the music, dipping in and out of full attention to the music during the well-played parts, while the less-favorite songs were playing.. but the overall experience was outstanding.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

I always start my sessions with something purposeful which requires lean-in listening. But when the selection/album/playlist stops and Roon radio kicks in, it's often lean-back listening, Sometimes it's determined by composer. It's pretty easy to lean-back to Mozart, but I could never lean-back to Mahler. It usually takes a lot of work to get into his world in order to feel his magic and the ecstasy of his music. That's typical of most romantic works which are often thematic and your mind is following a musical story being woven in sonata form which requires focus. On the other hand some post romantic music such as Messiaen is like a painting done with music (as he described it) so lean-back works there as well. And of course, some music is neither lean-back or lean-in. When I hear Talking Heads, my brain just says "get out of the chair you slug, and dance"

I am the same way, I put on something I want to focus on and when its over and radio mode kicks in I love the discovery phase that follows. I love not having to buy an album to find out I dont like it. Streaming has changed my listening strategy significantly. I lean in and back at the same time.
Oh, and homie dont dance, at all, ever...

 

[Ron Resnick]

Qobuz via Sonos: "lean back"

future big system: "lean in"

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Hi Mike,
How many hours a day can you "lean in"?

I think a lot of it depends on one's mood and how taxed/ relaxed one's body and mind are. There are some days when it's 30 -45 minutes and others than can last hours. And, of course, it's a good time to take a break from the system on some days.

As an aside, I attended a Dead and Company show before the pandemic. I was totally in the flow, fully engaged for 80-85 percent of the time... but then serendipitously, I ran into some old high school and college friends.. so we chatted over the music, dipping in and out of full attention to the music during the well-played parts, while the less-favorite songs were playing.. but the overall experience was outstanding.

last Sunday it was around 12 hours. Saturday maybe 7-8 hours. the world drops away and i'm just floating along in my own head space.

about half of each of those days vinyl listening which is mostly full tilt lean-in. the digital is mixed multi-tasking web surfing and intermittent serious leaning in. i did read a book part of the time too.

a 12 hour Sunday is not typical; but not unusual either. if there was sports that had my interest or the weather was good for yard work then likely it would have been less. but the COVID plus cold weather (plus the social chaos) has me pretty music focused.

no worries. i'm in charge of my head. i've spent decades creating my ideal chill space and i do enjoy it. this work week has been coming at me hard and i'm glad my batteries were fully charged up. we will see what the balance will need to be when i retire.

 

[marty]

Oh, and homie don't dance, at all ever...

Now that's very funny!

 

[Elliot G.]

Hi Mike,
How many hours a day can you "lean in"?

I think a lot of it depends on one's mood and how taxed/ relaxed one's body and mind are. There are some days when it's 30 -45 minutes and others than can last hours. And, of course, it's a good time to take a break from the system on some days.

As an aside, I attended a Dead and Company show before the pandemic. I was totally in the flow, fully engaged for 80-85 percent of the time... but then serendipitously, I ran into some old high school and college friends.. so we chatted over the music, dipping in and out of full attention to the music during the well-played parts, while the less-favorite songs were playing.. but the overall experience was outstanding.

Why am I not surprised your a "DEAD HEAD"

 

[JackD201]

I started making mix tapes at the age of 10. At 40 years later I'm still making playlists on multiple platforms. Algorithms on Spotify and Youtube Music have helped introduced songs I may never have found on my own so thanks for those services. The problem is if you do find something worth owning in its best possible form, can you even buy it? It is not looking good for the music collector.

Thankfully we have our LPs, CDs and SACDs to fall back on for existing faves but for those that crave new music, the future is not looking bright.

 

[LL21]

Hi Mike,
How many hours a day can you "lean in"?

I think a lot of it depends on one's mood and how taxed/ relaxed one's body and mind are. There are some days when it's 30 -45 minutes and others than can last hours. And, of course, it's a good time to take a break from the system on some days.

As an aside, I attended a Dead and Company show before the pandemic. I was totally in the flow, fully engaged for 80-85 percent of the time... but then serendipitously, I ran into some old high school and college friends.. so we chatted over the music, dipping in and out of full attention to the music during the well-played parts, while the less-favorite songs were playing.. but the overall experience was outstanding.

Why am I not surprised your a "DEAD HEAD"

While I am NOT a big Dead Head, I do own:

- Winterland '77 (10-CD set...rare...amazing)
- Winterland '73 (another rare set)
- 1969 Fillmore
- Europe '72
- Syracuse 10/27/71
- MFSL editions of American Beauty, Terrapin Station, Blues for Allah, From the Mars, Working Man's Dead, the Very Best.

Overall, my personal favorite is Winterland '77 by some measure.

 

[Gregadd]

I am a pessimistic. I await the inevitable race to the bottom . Meanwhile"i will lean in b___."

 

[brad225]

Definitely a "lean back" 99% of the time. Being in my music room is absolutely unwind time for me.
I'm 68 and retired 9 years ago though there is always a project or time with family that makes a day pass faster than I could imagine.

I realistically sit in my listening room once a week. It is a period of being taken away into the musicians world that is playing.It is sublime for me.

I could listen every day if I chose but, if I think I'm avoiding something it is just not relaxing. I guess that is just my mental issue of owning my own business my entire life and I don't make it happen it won't.

Some people talk about being bored with retirement. I would love to have a few days of wow, I don't have anything to do.

I do clearly get people that "lean in" most of the time though. It's the same, being pulled into the world of the music that is indescribable.

 

[marty]

- Winterland '77 (10-CD set...rare...amazing)
- Winterland '73 (another rare set)
- 1969 Fillmore
- Europe '72
- Syracuse 10/27/71
- MFSL editions of American Beauty, Terrapin Station, Blues for Allah, From the Mars, Working Man's Dead, the Very Best.

Wow, there's a blast from the past. I was at that Syracuse show, backstage for the entire show, by invitation! They were at U Rochester's Palestra gym the night before. I was a student at UR who got a job as a security guard for that show where the highlight of the evening was when the band knocked at the back door of the gym to gain entrance, and I told them to go around to the front of the building because I did not recognize them until they said "Uh, we're the band"! A very memorable night for a lot of reasons. Among them, I spent a lot of time talking to Robert Hunter (Dead lyricist) who was tripping his brains out as we discussed the similarities to his lyrics and the poetry of William Blake. He smiled a lot during that conversation as I recall. So did I. He invited me to the Syracuse show the next night. I probably could have accompanied them on their entire East Coast tour but there was this thing called college that got in the way.

One of the perks of being a security guard that night at UR was that I had a front row seat for the concert. Fortunately, I didn't drink the jug of OJ being passed around. (We sent a lot of people to the ER that night)! However, I did take out my Nikon to capture this photo of Jerry. A copy of the photo now sits above the cash register of my local wine shop where the proprietor plays the Dead 24/7 everyday, 7 days a week. No wonder I always like going into that shop!

 

[Ovenmitt]

I really appreciated the article’s analogy of leaning back as listening to the radio. I have always relied on the radio (in part) to turn me on to new music and/or new artists. Even when I was a kid, I’d hear something on the radio that I liked and then walk to the record store to buy the LP. Sometimes there was only that one song, that I’d heard on the radio, that I liked from the whole album. Other times, the whole album would blow my mind and I’d need to find everything the artist ever recorded and learn everything there was to know about them…. doors to new worlds of culture, art and music could open up from hearing one song on the radio.

These days, those new doors opening to new worlds seems to happen far less often. Maybe over the years I’ve discovered much of what there is to discover - for me. Maybe I’m getting old and closed minded - I hope not. I do know that there are far less great FM radio stations to listen to; even in a progressive town like Austin, TX.

All of this to say; lean back listening is really important for me. It informs my lean-in time. I do still feel that I am in an “adjustment phase” of trying to learn to listen to a streaming service in the same way I might have used the radio in the past.

 

[marty]

that is an awesome story, one for the ages! I had a similar experience with Van Halen. I had an all access world tour pass and if I didnt have a life at the time I would have followed them around the country at least. But since I did have a life I had to make the best of one night and that I did!

I didn't have a life at that time and was early on my journey to find one. I am thankful that whatever I became, the Dead had a significant part in it. FWIW, Dead concerts were neither lean in or lean back listening. They were experiential and transcendental. I'm glad I got to pass that music along to my daughter who just turned 40. I fear my grandkids 8 and 5 will not enjoy the same gift. To be honest, the way pop music is going, I'm not exactly sure what's in store for them that might hold a similar significance when it's their time to reflect on the music of their lives that helped make them what they will become. Probably best for another thread.

 

[caesar]

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While I am NOT a big Dead Head, I do own:

- Winterland '77 (10-CD set...rare...amazing)
- Winterland '73 (another rare set)
- 1969 Fillmore
- Europe '72
- Syracuse 10/27/71
- MFSL editions of American Beauty, Terrapin Station, Blues for Allah, From the Mars, Working Man's Dead, the Very Best.

Overall, my personal favorite is Winterland '77 by some measure.

Sweet! Nice! Very nice collection! I have both of those boxed sets and they are rare!

I mostly listen to '67-'74 live shows, and pretty much avoid the studio releases, unless I hear them on the Sirius XM channel.

I believe that Garcia got heavily into heroin sometime in the early to mid-seventies, and it's rare to find him reaching the levels of creativity of a "mediocre" '73 or '74 show in the late seventies, eighties, or nineties. But then again, put on a great 77 or 78 show, and it's a fun trip

 

[tinkerphile]

Wow, there's a blast from the past. I was at that Syracuse show, backstage for the entire show, by invitation! They were at U Rochester's Palestra gym the night before. I was a student at UR who got a job as a security guard for that show where the highlight of the evening was when the band knocked at the back door of the gym to gain entrance, and I told them to go around to the front of the building because I did not recognize them until they said "Uh, we're the band"! A very memorable night for a lot of reasons. Among them, I spent a lot of time talking to Robert Hunter (Dead lyricist) who was tripping his brains out as we discussed the similarities to his lyrics and the poetry of William Blake. He smiled a lot during that conversation as I recall. So did I. He invited me to the Syracuse show the next night. I probably could have accompanied them on their entire East Coast tour but there was this thing called college that got in the way.

One of the perks of being a security guard that night at UR was that I had a front row seat for the concert. Fortunately, I didn't drink the jug of OJ being passed around. (We sent a lot of people to the ER that night)! However, I did take out my Nikon to capture this photo of Jerry. A copy of the photo now sits above the cash register of my local wine shop where the proprietor plays the Dead 24/7 everyday, 7 days a week. No wonder I always like going into that shop!


View attachment 88639

Nice. Nice story. Saw them as only my second concert - was at U of Iowa small indoor venue '73. My first concert was '72, Iowa State fairgrounds, Des Moines: Leon Russel; JJ Cale; Freddie King. I was like 16.