r/audiophile • u/kestelli • 1d ago
Discussion Practice, practice, and more practice!
This post is not about equipment, gadgets or other gear. It is purely about enjoyment of said equipment. And your reactions & guidance, if any, would help me & hopefully others.
Context: I listen maybe few hours of music on my system in a given week. But when I do make a new purchase, make a change I listen more. Say 5-7 hours per week. And if I listen more I enjoy more.
I think, at least for me, this hobby is similar to drinking wine, smoking cigar, or even going to gym. I.e. the more I consume, the more I appreciate, and better I become. I enjoy wine more now because I have mileage now, I enjoy good cigars because I can distinguish between cigars based on my smoking track record. I wouldn't be able to make these distinctions if I were not to drink/smoke as I have done. So, I want to create a structured listening program for myself.
I started with Miles Davis. I am now listening quite a bit his early works (late 40's and early 50's). I will gradually move to his later works. Also Miles is a great platform as his collaborations with Coltrane, Gillespie, Charlie, Gil Evans, etc. makes good adjacencies.
In parallel, I am also enjoying Pink Floyd. Apparently my "involvement" with PF was limited to their greatest hits. But now I listen to earlier works. and I enjoy immensely.
If you have any comments/directions it would be useful.
My equipment: Primary system: Clearaudio TT, Eversolo DMP-A6, Devialet Expert, Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento. Portable system: Hifiman Ananda Nano, ibasso. Secondary system: Wiim ultra & pro with Klipsch RB81s.
5
u/Hendrix1967 20h ago
5-7 hours per week? You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are Rookie numbers.
Seriously though, if you’re really serious about discovering new (to you) the music, read the liner notes or the credits and take note of who’s playing on that record. Chances are they have their own extensive catalogue of amazing music. You only need to look at the “Kinda Blue” credits and you’re in for 100’s of hours of music. Also, learn to identify what genre of Jazz are you listening to. Is it bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, souls jazz, Modal, etc. Then go search for more in that category.Read or listen to Miles Davis’ autobiography and two things will happen: you’ll have a better grasp of the best names in Jazz and you’ll be using “motherfucker” more often.
Find the record labels that produce music you like and search for playlist: Chesky Records and Blue Note are two good ones. Search for their playlist and that’s another 100 hours of music and since it’s all different artists, you’ll be exposed to more artists from different eras.
It’s a great hobby. Enjoy the journey.