What are you currently listening to (Classical)?
- Thread starter Bachtoven
- Start date
Here's my take on that: Audio forum members are not music reviewers, they are music lovers and listeners; they post the music recordings they like in all life's simplicity.
If we were all music reviewers we would add comments with our listening selections/sessions. Some do, most don't. Audio mags have a section dedicated to music reviews.
Some audio forums have some members with elaborate reviews of the music they listen to, some websites go in great depth of analysing the small and large variations between different masterings and music formats...analogue versus digital. Some folks simply post the LP picture or CD picture of the music they listen to, many do.
It's up to each person to do what they like to do and without criticizing others on what they should do or not. If I was a professional music reviewer I would be doing things I don't routinely do. If I was a King of a Kingdom I would rule with the tools of peace. If I was a RAP singer I would write songs that rip my heart apart. If I was a music composer and master I would direct an orchestra (chamber and symphonic). If I was rich I would sail the world till I sink in it. If I was poor I would fight to survive. If I was living in heaven I would sing songs from the angels. If I was living in hell I would die from no water, too much fire, no food, no medicine, full of diseases, no cures, full of cancers.
If music is life let life sing.
I am listening to no music right now, only the noise of the fan blowing air in my face, sitting outside on the deck with the sky covered of smoke from burning fires and humid and hot from that Pacific North West heat wave. When the music plays I go with it in the moment, and from one moment to the next it is never the same...
Can one assume that any posted album cover means that it is liked/recommended? Is that implicit? A few words or, even, a sentence would convey something useful and appreciated.
Yes, that was exactly my point. Because, why posting album covers of music we don't like and without any commentary?
Post the album cover only, post a single line or post what you feel is a full commentary. Any of the three are good by me.
I am pretty sure this is pointed at me so'll reply.
It's about sharing.
No different than you sharing your audio gear in the signature.
I could get more into the psychology of this but you'd get bored quick.
I have always found the listening threads the most enjoyable at audio sites and rarely do people comment. Even so, I have never felt ill at ease to ask a question about a posted selection. They are virtually always answered.
There is one site I post at that one of the members requests that you say something about the album you are listening to, post.
I am generally lost for words.
Should I just say, like most, it's really good? Kinda hollow.
I often don't post at all there just because I don't know what one wants to know. It's flat out awkward, to me.
Many things I listen to are new and I have not yet heard it. What should one say?
It seems natural to post what you are listen to when you are listening to it. Most these threads simply say,"what are you listening to" in the title.
Honest, I think I more than fully answer the question of the thread title.
I always post the released date, record date, artist, selections..... all the stuff, I would think, another poster would need to know.
nothing is black or white
everything is a shade of grey
for example, my genuine belief about music is that there is good music and there is great music, there is no bad music.
so, I may listen to something that I would not recommend.
My postings are not recommendations, they are a chronicle of my listening.
as such, you will find I sometimes post the same album in the same week.
three or more times a month is possible
With the info I provide in my "listening to" postings I would think that any more info wanted could be easily gathered.
Then as I said above, if a question arises for the poster, just ask!
I am no bull in a china shop however and if the posters who preceded me here are not content with how I post, I'll adjust or refrain from sharing.
I am not asking you or anyone to stop. I continue to scan this thread daily. However, I quickly bypass the unadorned album art (with or without catalog info) and, rarely, comment or ask a question. A personal comment conveys meaning to me and is greatly appreciated.
We're all different; we like different or similar or the same music. We like pictures more than words, we like words more than pictures, we like both...
If we see\read something attractive (words or pictures) we investigate to satisfy our artistic curiosity, our passion to discover.
It's the journey leading to the enchantress, to the magical\musical notes. If we ear with our eyes and see with our ears something beautiful we might share a picture or few notes:
There is a musical style unique to each musician, and it strikes some of our chords in what we hear.
It's like some films; some don't need any words/music/colors to have the full impact (b&w silent films), and others are elevated by the music score and the 3-dimensional colorful cinematography.
_____
Earlier I was listening to this live album (redbook):
Click on the white ? keyboard above
? sample:
If we see\read something attractive (words or pictures) we investigate to satisfy our artistic curiosity, our passion to discover.
It's the journey leading to the enchantress, to the magical\musical notes. If we ear with our eyes and see with our ears something beautiful we might share a picture or few notes:
There is a musical style unique to each musician, and it strikes some of our chords in what we hear.
It's like some films; some don't need any words/music/colors to have the full impact (b&w silent films), and others are elevated by the music score and the 3-dimensional colorful cinematography.
_____
Earlier I was listening to this live album (redbook):
Click on the white ? keyboard above
? sample:
My postings here are almost always of recordings I'm positively excited about. This post however is about a recording that, IMO, has a serious problem:
Luigi Boccherini: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and obbligato violin, Op. 5
The problem is the fortepiano sound is submerged in a halo of its own reverberation. Not sure if its extreme overuse of the sustain pedal or poor choice of over-resonant venue or a combination of both but it's really bad. It's very puzzling to me that the people involved in this recording project would have been OK with this. Stradivarius has, in my experience, produced quite a number of oustandingly recorded releases in recent years.
Luigi Boccherini: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and obbligato violin, Op. 5
The problem is the fortepiano sound is submerged in a halo of its own reverberation. Not sure if its extreme overuse of the sustain pedal or poor choice of over-resonant venue or a combination of both but it's really bad. It's very puzzling to me that the people involved in this recording project would have been OK with this. Stradivarius has, in my experience, produced quite a number of oustandingly recorded releases in recent years.
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Indeed.
I personally much prefer picture to word. I struggle with language in many ways.
Funny note, at the same time @MadFloyd was posting his displeasure of my posting style/preference, on another site, I encountered something similar.
On that site, a poster was displeased that a link to the music I was listening was not left. Spotify or You Tube.
No need of any info nor cover art. Certainly no mini reviews needed.
I just had to laugh, you just can't make everyone happy. I honestly though my style of post was very complete for all. It is certainly everything I need to see from a "playing now" post.
Getting back to this other site that is requesting links, I almost never use You Tube and my streaming services, I doubt they use. I don't really stream much at all although I do maintain several subscriptions. So if I leave a link for say Primephonic, it's worthless anyway, to them.
So what to do?
I have not decided as I am very sincere about not being disruptive but you really can't please everyone.
thinking out loud here but maybe just start a personal blog with my listens?
I really enjoy chronicling them.
So it turns out the problem I was having with the piano reverb with this recording is fixable, at least it is with my audio gear. I tried just turning off my sub and... Voila!...problem largely solved. I can thoroughly enjoy these discs now. Seems my use of the term "submerged" in my previous post was quite fortuitous.
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