music stuff
have I ever mentioned how much I love music? no? then you probably haven't paying any attention at all, have you?
I documented at one point how I handle my music on my iTunes library. I'll do it again, however, because I'm sure you all forgot or weren't around when I did so.
I keep albums seperated into three categories:
The first is the "Learning" category. This group consists of albums that I don't know...or at least don't know well yet. I currently have 30 albums in this category. I'm always trying to knock this list down until it eventually hits zero, but that will never happen. Some of these albums I may never get out of this category, because there are always albums that fall ahead of them. New ones that I really want to learn come in, and I only have so much time to listen to everything I want to. And of course, it takes multiple listens to learn something.
The second category is labeled "GT" for "Getting There." Albums that fall here were moved out of the learning category because I'm listening to them more, and recognize more things on there. They still consist a few songs that I don't know, but I know the album a lot better than I did when it was in the "Learning" category.
Finally, I have the "Album" cateegory, which is where I want them all to eventually go. An album in the "Album" category is learned. I used to be very particular, and say that an album only makes it this far if I can point to any track on the album and think of how it goes. Now, since I have so much coming in, I decided to loosen the guidelines a bit, and now they get moved here if I can recognize each song and sing with it when I hear it, even if I can't remember off the top of my head how it goes. I'll click on it and go "oh yeah, THIS song!"
So that change has allowed me to move some albums that I've listened to a good bit, but have a harder time paying overall attention to...and it lets me listen to and learn more music withouth having to think about it as much as before. For instance, Fiona Apple's Tidal, an album Reishma gave me over a year ago, would still be in "GT" if I didn't change that little rule. So would both Letters to Cleo albums.
I have a few albums in the "Learning" category that I'm not sure if I'll ever bother to get to. I've listened to them once or twice and they just didn't strike my fancy much. Maybe that'll change, but things keep hopping in front of them. For example, Mike gave me Play by Moby a long time ago. That one is -still- in the 'Learning" category. Meanwhile, I only acquired "Picaresque" by The Decemberists earlier this week, and that one, thanks to its addictiveness, awesomeness, and significance, have made it a frequent listen...so much so that it's already in the "Album" category. Some albums take mere days to climb the ladder, others sit for months upon months and don't budge.
This particular album is one I'm trying to move to "GT" soon. Mike gave me this one, along with some others, a few weeks ago in Miami. It's not bad...nice and smooth. I'm not quite sure if it's "awesome" yet. It needs room to grow on me a little, so full-fledged opinions will be formed later.
Too much music! Gah! I love it all, but there are definitely preferences and priorities.
I documented at one point how I handle my music on my iTunes library. I'll do it again, however, because I'm sure you all forgot or weren't around when I did so.
I keep albums seperated into three categories:
The first is the "Learning" category. This group consists of albums that I don't know...or at least don't know well yet. I currently have 30 albums in this category. I'm always trying to knock this list down until it eventually hits zero, but that will never happen. Some of these albums I may never get out of this category, because there are always albums that fall ahead of them. New ones that I really want to learn come in, and I only have so much time to listen to everything I want to. And of course, it takes multiple listens to learn something.
The second category is labeled "GT" for "Getting There." Albums that fall here were moved out of the learning category because I'm listening to them more, and recognize more things on there. They still consist a few songs that I don't know, but I know the album a lot better than I did when it was in the "Learning" category.
Finally, I have the "Album" cateegory, which is where I want them all to eventually go. An album in the "Album" category is learned. I used to be very particular, and say that an album only makes it this far if I can point to any track on the album and think of how it goes. Now, since I have so much coming in, I decided to loosen the guidelines a bit, and now they get moved here if I can recognize each song and sing with it when I hear it, even if I can't remember off the top of my head how it goes. I'll click on it and go "oh yeah, THIS song!"
So that change has allowed me to move some albums that I've listened to a good bit, but have a harder time paying overall attention to...and it lets me listen to and learn more music withouth having to think about it as much as before. For instance, Fiona Apple's Tidal, an album Reishma gave me over a year ago, would still be in "GT" if I didn't change that little rule. So would both Letters to Cleo albums.
I have a few albums in the "Learning" category that I'm not sure if I'll ever bother to get to. I've listened to them once or twice and they just didn't strike my fancy much. Maybe that'll change, but things keep hopping in front of them. For example, Mike gave me Play by Moby a long time ago. That one is -still- in the 'Learning" category. Meanwhile, I only acquired "Picaresque" by The Decemberists earlier this week, and that one, thanks to its addictiveness, awesomeness, and significance, have made it a frequent listen...so much so that it's already in the "Album" category. Some albums take mere days to climb the ladder, others sit for months upon months and don't budge.
This particular album is one I'm trying to move to "GT" soon. Mike gave me this one, along with some others, a few weeks ago in Miami. It's not bad...nice and smooth. I'm not quite sure if it's "awesome" yet. It needs room to grow on me a little, so full-fledged opinions will be formed later.
Too much music! Gah! I love it all, but there are definitely preferences and priorities.