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Autistic ear for music

Billthecat

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
As it could be easy everyone got different tastes, not all the version of the same song from the same musician are playing the same.

Does it happens to someone to don't like a song you love because isn't played with the exact metrics in your "head"?

Do you like live performances or studio version?

When you search some music on the web, do you listen the first version found or do you search for your "personal" version?


Do you like listening "your music files" or turning on "your favorite" radio station?
 
My first (and last) experience of live music was at a festival, and left me uncomfortable.

The crowds, the loudness, and the fact the tempo on every song I knew was off. I blame the drummer. Still, it made my brain fizz.

Music files for me. I have to own my music, and I dedicate a lot of time and money to collecting it.

Ed
 
I like listening to the version I am familiar with mostly.
Very seldom do I hear a different voice, metric, sound for a song that I will like.
It does happen occasionally. Very occasionally.
So, I have my personal picks of music files, CDs and only two radio stations I listen to.
 
I have a playlist of 400+ songs on a thumb drive. I play them through a device that feeds its audio to an FM transmitter so I can hear it on any radio in the house.
full


Best of all, no commercials...!
full
 
I enjoy listening to Pandora. I’ve found many new artists through that service that I now love. I have about 5 stations I listen to. For a few bucks, I listen ad free.

I also have purchased music files, CDs and vinyl.

I have a tendency to prefer the version I know the best, but also listen for different takes on a song if I am trying to learn it myself. For example, for Cold Missouri Waters, I bought about a dozen versions and listen to them all over and over to pick out riffs or rhythms I might use in my own playing.
 
I used to be all mixtapes and mix CDs, short playlists where the order of songs is important and meaningful. Now, I do the same, but through spotify. Multiple different playlists of all different genres each with their own flow.

I used to really enjoy the radio, but I feel that the quality of eclectic programs out there has lessened over the years and I find it very difficult to manage commercials or fundraising over the radio. NPR used to interest me, but I find that station unbearable now.

I am very sensitive to covers or live versions of songs where the metrics are slightly different than what I am expecting in my head… especially for those songs that I love the most and listen to the closest on my headphones and the speakers in my car. When someone changes those songs, even the artist themselves, I am deeply disappointed and I always prefer the way that I first heard it. The exception is only when I first heard an alternate version of the song and therefore that is the one that became precious to me.
 
I don't listen to radio at all, I don't even own a radio. Or a TV.

I have a large music collection, ~7000 albums on my harddrive. Just like every one else that's replied so far, there's specific versions of songs that I like. I've even bought CDs because they have the one song that I want.

I do like hearing live music though, it's one of the few times when noise and crowds don't bother me. I'm also the only person I've ever heard of that fell asleep during a Pink Floyd concert. Only through Shine On you Crazy Diamond, I didn't miss much.
 
I tend to like the original release of a particular song. I find the live versions usually put me off unless I'm actually at the performance.

Back when I was a kid, I really loved Nirvana and I had been just gifted a very humble electric guitar for my birthday. I had literally just started learning.

I heard that the schools "super star guitar player" had played a cover of a particular Nirvana song I liked. I heard it had been recorded on video and asked the music teacher if we could see it. Eventually he allowed it and I was pretty excited to see it.

But while watching it, I could tell the tempo was "off" and automatically said "oh he's a little over there" because it didn't follow the same pattern I had indelibly etched in my head. This prompted a lot of very aggressive comments and attacks from people on my ability to play it.

My comment was interpreted as negative, when to me, all I was doing was noticing a difference. I wasn't saying "oh the tempo is shifting a lot so it's rubbish". It was more like "oh the tempo isn't the same to the original, I wonder why."

Now the rhythm of the song is actually notoriously difficult for people to play when it comes to covers. It's all off the beat, so perhaps that was why. It didn't mean I didn't respect what the guy achieved. I very much did respect it.

To me, music seems to be locked in my brain in very precise detail. I notice if there is the slightest thing different about it.

When I record covers myself, I tend to reverse engineer the recording. I try to get everything as close to the original as possible. It's counter intuitive to others but I learn a lot by doing that. I try to reproduce every microscopic detail and it's amazing how much is there that isn't picked up by passively listening.

A little while ago I saw a guy "recreate" Oxygene by Jean Michel Jarre. It sounded pretty good, but he had left out almost as much as he had put in. Although it was pretty close, it was like it had just captured the broad strokes so to me was missing something.

There are a few covers that I like, there's a live version of Gigantic by the Pixies that I really like because of both it's similarities and some pretty wild vocals towards the end.
 
Okay, I'm going to contribute here but it will become quite clear why it's not going to fit: I don't have a music collection.

I listen to the radio only when in the car while going on a long drive & need to stay awake (& then it's classic rock, southern rock, or classical). I have some old cassettes from when I used to listen to music, but nothing to play them on any more, and a couple of vinyls but no player.

But I like music. I listen to it nearly every day in my head, mostly in the morning and mostly when I am in a good mood. Mostly I am subject to the whims of whatever is going on in my head, but I do get surprised at what comes up on the internal playlist and even more surprised that I even know the lyrics! Just, don't ask me to recreate it in any way. I don't think I could do that. And it's not typically the entire song, just a refrain or several stanzas that add pleasing background music to my day.

(I used to wonder what it would be like to be a composer since I sometimes wake up to the most beautiful orchestra music in my head and I'm sure I've never heard it before. Today I have bits of Rhapsody in Blue playing.)

I think I would have a hard time listening to alternative versions other than the ones I know, since what I hear is, well, the version I heard. (Which sounds redundant but is not, I tend to not like alternative renditions.) Although, I'm learning German through covers of alternate versions of songs I do know. The cadence is helping me with my pronunciation. I am about as illiterate as it comes with using YouTube for music, so a friend has shared her playlists and I am getting a kick out of listening to them.

I love birdsong. In nice weather, I always have the windows open. At various times in my life, I've learned the sets of calls each bird makes and have had some success in mimicry when out in the field. (It is super cool to get a bird to come over & check out what in the world you are trying to do.)

I think following the rapid changes in pitch and tone, especially in the mornings when the morning chorus is at full volume, has been good ear training because it's helped me to hear gaps in classical music. Not all classical music is at the same level of performance--sometimes there are holes in it. Conversely, pop stuff just sometimes sounds like a lot of noise. I hear live music every Sunday and have a great amount of trouble when the guitars are off-key, or when the singers are flat. I appreciate the effort but, eeeeee, it sure detracts from the experience. (I try not to be critical & so I keep it to myself.)

I am somewhat envious of people who have been able to afford a music collection--both from a time and a money standpoint. And I am truly envious of anyone who can play the piano or violin. I think that's really awesome.


(My favorite style is Bossa Nova from the 60's -- the modern stuff ain't got no swing. & I have a strange fascination with the Caliope. Although I hate loud noises, I love standing right next to a Caliope because you feel the music in such a way that truly moves you to a transcendent state...that lasts only until your quarter runs out.)
 
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I love birdsong. In nice weather, I always have the windows open. At various times in my life, I've learned the sets of calls each bird makes and have had some success in mimicry when out in the field. (It is super cool to get a bird to come over & check out what in the world you are trying to do.)
Great point to remember birdsong! Some of the most beautiful music out there.
 
I used to despise live albums with a passion but I think I'm starting to feel the energy of live performances (and even albums recorded 'live' in the studio vs the usual tracked performances) a bit differently, and it's starting to become interesting to me to hear songs 're-imagined' in this sense for a change.

The same is happening with drums; lately, I really like the crusty sound of a minimally-miked, smaller kit rather than a blown-out, triggered arena sound that a lot of bands (especially punk and metal, my favorites) are going for. Likewise, my taste in music has really shifted toward a less-produced variety over the past few years.

Also, I know not everybody records music here, but I've had a similar thing going on with writing and recording music; in the past, I'd quad-track (that's 4 channels of guitar, 2 left and 2 right going at the same time*) all of my guitar parts with loads of distortion... and now I'm finding myself really turning down the distortion and letting my leads and rhythm parts intersect, with a maximum of just 2 guitar tracks (left and right).

* = that's actually pretty standard for what a lot of melodic death metal bands do in the studio, which is the genre I play

Overdubs and triggers can be really cool, but I feel like I'm over those 'studio tricks'. My dream would be to get an acoustic kit and really hone a DIY / semi-live sound just for better self-expression.
 
I am picky about music.
Modern music is cool but I don't really listen to it. The electronic bass sets me on edge. It's about like misophonia but it's the Top 40s.
And to further trigger misophonia in a lot of people I really don't mind if music sounds clear and free of static; I just have very picky notions about how the performance itself should go. I heard a recording of the U.S. Coast Guard Band playing Sousa's "Invincible Eagle March" the other day. That is music I like, played by an excellent band, over a clear radio broadcast, but it wasn't right--the march should be played a bit differently, without the abrupt changes in volume. Or at least I thought it should; no idea, haven't seen the sheet-music.

The background I have in music usually comes from playing old records a lot. The mumbling, ooah-ing and aaoh-ing, and screaming in a lot of music puts me deliberately on edge. For whatever reason I don't mind the tin-can sound quality of a lot of older records; I like the way they were performed.
Wish I knew what it was that made these really "pop" but I am not sure what it is.
 
I quite like listening to vinyl with a little click and pop here and there. Nothing too scratchy but I find the static and those clicks quite comforting. In not sure why. I have found that albums I first heard on vinyl just sound kinda stale on CD.

Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town is one of those albums that just doesn't sound right on CD. There's a grittiness to it that is just complimented by the vinyl imperfections!
 
I tend to like specific songs, not all that a band has. It's rare I like more then 1-2 songs by any one band. But those I like, I like a lot and can listen to repeatedly. There tends to be something different, something I haven't heard before in songs I like, so I have always leaned towards progressive/alternate rock. I do also like some jazz, and ethnic folk music. That is old folk music of a specific culture. Not Peter, Paul and Mary folk, though I might find a good song or two in that genre. Classical music is my go to music for backround music, but there also can be a classical song that really moves me like a favorite rock song does. I also like some opera, and country western. In other words all over the place, but always looking for those songs that somehow unlock my imagination and stir me. I have found I can even find a song I like in genres that otherwise do not interest me, but I will have to look a long time maybe, so usually do not.
 
Does it happens to someone to don't like a song you love because isn't played with the exact metrics in your "head"?
I don't understand this question.
Do you like live performances or studio version?
Studio version. Though there are some exceptions. I don't like live performances with a lot of talking between each piece/song, or a lot of audience interaction... great if you're at the venue, so so great when I'm listening at home in my living room. However, live tracks are often interesting because they have different, extended versions with more impovisation, solos - altogether a different atmosphere. I've experienced really great concerts where there is a lot of passion in the performance, and others where the artist is clearly tired after many weeks of touring, and it just seems like they're going through the motions. My main issue with concerts though, is crowds, people shouting/screaming, and the music is sometimes uncomfortably loud.
When you search some music on the web, do you listen the first version found or do you search for your "personal" version?
If several versions of the same track are available on YouTube, I might try a few to see which one is the best quality.
Do you like listening "your music files" or turning on "your favorite" radio station?
My own digital files, or physical version (CD or vinyl). I try to get the albums I enjoy most on vinyl or CD, I like to own a physical copy. I also have about 15,000 digital albums. I don't ever listen to the radio and I don't usually stream, except when I'm exploring new music.
 
I quite like listening to vinyl with a little click and pop here and there. Nothing too scratchy but I find the static and those clicks quite comforting. In not sure why. I have found that albums I first heard on vinyl just sound kinda stale on CD.

Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town is one of those albums that just doesn't sound right on CD. There's a grittiness to it that is just complimented by the vinyl imperfections!
I agree I like the sound of vinyl more as well . I think it is due to the fact it is a Real sound wave . Something happens when music is transferred to digital . If is fooling our ears that the true sound wave is all there . It’s not just numbers making the waves but there are gaps between the numbers . But I can hear the difference.
My grandparents had an old tube powered console record player . There has been nothing that compares to sound going through vinyl and tubes . I would say the generations before us actually had better sound quality with less advanced equipment.
 
As it could be easy everyone got different tastes, not all the version of the same song from the same musician are playing the same.
I am not sure if you mean the same artist released different versions of the same song . That would be personal preference. So many things become variables why one likes certain versions. Production value , tuning ,what key it is in tempo , What emotion you have attached to a song when you first hear it etc . As far as different artists recording other peoples songs could be good could be bad . I would rather listen to Jimi Hendrix “ All along the Watch Tower” compared to the original Dylan version it’s all personal . Their are millions of Phish and Grateful Dead fans who don’t like any studio release . And even have specific versions of songs categorized from different shows . After all a recording unless recorded with no over dubs is trying to perfect a musical picture. Live music if an interpretation of that picture .

Unless it is Improvisation, which is my favorite to do live in a band .that is a musical conversation between the musicians that only happens at that moment once in time ,will never be repeated again. It is impossible . And the people watching are connected to the conversation and experience, And know this .

Me personally I hear music as pattern colors my earliest memories are of this , I think I used this to learn how to speak ,everyones voice has a pitch and pattern. I play 5 instruments and compose so I am locked inside my mind alot. Sometimes I wish I could enjoy music with out dissecting it and analyzing it . When I write music I look at the piano keys and my mind makes a non moving picture and the notes I want will start glowing gold and then different colors . And then I group them in clusters and move them in chords and the melody almost 3D until they fit an algorithm I want .

Sometimes I just won’t listen to music because of this and just read books . But when I do feel musical . I can listen to one song on repeat for hours .Or compose

I think lots of people need and are connected to music in so many ways . And it is all down to the personality what works best for them via listening
 
I agree I like the sound of vinyl more as well . I think it is due to the fact it is a Real sound wave . Something happens when music is transferred to digital . If is fooling our ears that the true sound wave is all there . It’s not just numbers making the waves but there are gaps between the numbers . But I can hear the difference.
My grandparents had an old tube powered console record player . There has been nothing that compares to sound going through vinyl and tubes . I would say the generations before us actually had better sound quality with less advanced equipment.
I agree with your assessment of vinyl. I think there are some features of the medium that make it sound more realistic than the stale nature of CD. A lot of music these days spends most of its time in the digital realm and then (hopefully) it is mastered for vinyl. But back in the days where it was all analogue I think it really was the best.

People really need to know how to get the best out of it and work within it's limitations. So I think often this results in a more careful and precise mix for the vinyl.

I have Jeff Buckley's Grace on vinyl and on the title track you can stand between the speakers and I swear you can hear the slap of the kick drum pedal resonating through the drum kit. It's almost like a holographic drum kit in the room. That's the best way I can describe it. It has presence, position and depth.

I think the reason why casual music listeners all jumped to CD in the 80s and 90s was because you can buy pretty much any CD player and get a consistent listening experience. Even cheap stuff didn't have distortion and static.

A turntable takes time and effort to set up properly to really get the best out of a record. It appeals to me, but I doubt most people want to sit down with protractors, micro scales and calibration records. Far easier to just chuck in a shiny disc into a drawer and have something that sounds good.

I think the vinyl playing process, being mechanical introduces little nuances. The quality of the sound is correlated, not only to the care put into the production, and cutting the record. It is also correlated to the quality of the turn table and it's set up.

Like you I have a similar experience with music. I kinda see it like a cloud in my mind and bits of it light up. It only really is coherent when I'm listening, though it is still quite vivid when the playback is in my mind. I always thought that everyone experienced this but as I got older, I realized it's not particularly widespread.

I can also listen to one track on repeat for hours. The novelty doesn't wear off.

One track I can listen to over and over is a song called Desperados Under The Eaves by Warren Zevon. I highly recommend it. It was also recorded at a time where the target medium was vinyl so it's got a really lush orchestral sound at the end that really you just don't get these days. Dynamics have disappeared, panning is a dying art and subtly just rarely makes an appearance in contemporary music. Louder is better apparently :-(
 
This is a good idea for a thread.

Does it happens to someone to don't like a song you love because isn't played with the exact metrics in your "head"?

Yes, very much so. I like music, but my music selection is actually quite limited, and I only occasionally add new music to my "rotation". I never really go looking for music, so a lot of it is discovered through other media, in particular video games. Sometimes the songs play into what's happening on screen which can have an effect on how I perceive the song. There are some songs I'm sure I wouldn't like as much if I had heard them at a café.

Do you like live performances or studio version?

Studio. I've been to a few life concerts, and they can be fun, but the sound quality is never as good as listening to the recording. There are a few reasons for this.
1. A recording is always the best attempt at a song. They tend not to contain any mistakes or imperfections, as that is the version people will listen to most often. I get that some people might like imperfections because they make the sound feel more real, but to be honest, it mostly annoys me.
2. The acoustics are better. When you are at a concert hall, there are other people around, you are located some distance from the speakers and the stage setup can affect the sound quality. At home, you can use good quality headphones to give you good surround sound with high level audio mixing.
3. Concerts tend to be more uncomfortable than listening at home. The music is often ear piercingly loud (to be fair, most of those concerts were for metal or heavy metal bands), and you need to either stand up or sit in a chair with loads of people around.

That being said, I don't regret going to the concerts, as it can be impressive to see the skill of the band members on full display, but the music experience will always be best at home or on a walk.

When you search some music on the web, do you listen the first version found or do you search for your "personal" version?

Personal, absolutely. I'm not fond of covers unless those are what I discovered first (and then I often don't like the original as much). I straight up won't listen to the music if it's not the version I know for the most part. The only exception is if I haven't listened much to the first version as my opinion on the song hasn't "hardened" yet.

Do you like listening "your music files" or turning on "your favorite" radio station?

I never listen to the radio or watch TV. For the most part, I listen to albums. The two types I listen to are albums by specific artists (in which case, I'll listen to their entire discography in order, including the worse albums) and video game soundtracks (in which case, I'll listen to the whole soundtrack, even the "bad" or more environmental songs, with one exception). Skipping things just feels "wrong". I do also listen to singles, but that's mostly when I'm at home and are in a specific mood, like "sad" or "exuberant".

I don't have it noted down anywhere, but in my head, I have a list of songs I will listen to and won't stray away from it. I tend to listen to little known artists (a lot of them from games), so most of you here probably haven't heard about the vast, vast majority of songs and artists I listen to.
 

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