The late J. Gordon Holt said that "nothing" puts a recording higher on one’s list than to listen to a new recording 15 times (or more) in a row! His philosophy was to listen to any recording no more than twice a month. He said this takes a lot of personal discipline, but keeps you coming back to all the music you like. I would think you could apply this to a large collection.... I think.
A way to listen to a large collection
I’ve discovered a great way to deal with an intimidatingly large collection of CDs and records.
It would take much longer time than I have on this earth to go through them all, so I’ve found a way to really enjoy the variety.
What I do is, without looking, just reach blindly for a disc on the wall and, no matter what it is, play it through in its entirety.
It’s amazing how enjoyable this is. Things which I would not ordinarily choose become currently viable. After all, I bought them for a reason. There’s no reason I shouldn’t like them!
I found that when I conciously pick a selection, I’m very choosy, considering the sound quality far too often. This way, it’s like getting a new present all the time.
Re-discovering wonderful performances I’d forgotten about (and, coincidentally, enjoying the sound quality for what it is, more than I would have if I had been searching for good sonics.)
I highly recommend this procedure!
It would take much longer time than I have on this earth to go through them all, so I’ve found a way to really enjoy the variety.
What I do is, without looking, just reach blindly for a disc on the wall and, no matter what it is, play it through in its entirety.
It’s amazing how enjoyable this is. Things which I would not ordinarily choose become currently viable. After all, I bought them for a reason. There’s no reason I shouldn’t like them!
I found that when I conciously pick a selection, I’m very choosy, considering the sound quality far too often. This way, it’s like getting a new present all the time.
Re-discovering wonderful performances I’d forgotten about (and, coincidentally, enjoying the sound quality for what it is, more than I would have if I had been searching for good sonics.)
I highly recommend this procedure!