ADD or Audiophile?


I’ve loved listening to music since a very young age, starting with my parents Grundig console tube stereo which they brought to the states when the army transferred my dad back to the US. I bought my first stereo components as a young teen and would sit in my dark basement bedroom listening to Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan…..In college, I’d sit and listen to music for hours.  Fast forward 40+ years…I now have a nice system. I look forward to weekends when i can listen to music in peace and quiet. What I’ve noticed is i can no longer just sit and enjoy music. I usually read (a lot of times Audiogon Discussion Forum) while listening. When a particular song comes on or a beautiful passage comes up, I focus on the beauty of the music and artistry of the musicians creating it, then its back to mental muli-tasking again. 
I suspect its some form of ADD, but I’d like to think that doesn’t disqualify me as an Audiophile. 
Anyone else share this “affliction?”

ezstreams

Showing 1 response by dtorc

I think that staying focused only on the music is hard for many of the reasons that folks have shared, But I also think that it is something we can gently push back on if we would like to stay more music focused. I was lousy at meditation - my mind drifted towards my random thoughts so easily, and I was frustrated by what a battle it was to keep focusing on my breathing. 

But focusing on music is actually easier for me. When I do inevitably drift away towards some thoughts or worries, gently bringing myself back to the music is easier and more fulfilling than bringing myself back to my breathing. Also, for the last few years, I write something about each piece of music I listen to in my listening room. I keep a journal next to the chair, and I find that listening, and then writing about what I just heard (one album side at a time, usually) keeps me in conversation with myself about music. For me, it helps.

If that all seems like too much work, I understand. There is certainly no harm done doing more than one thing, if you like them both. We really only do one thing at a time, anyway. We just switch focus so rapidly that it seems like more than one...