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Critical listening and altered states

Ok, this is not a question about relaxing, but about listening to evaluate how the system (or a piece of gear is sounding).

What, in your experience, are the pluses and minuses of altering your state of mind for listening? This can include anything you've used to affect your everyday state of mind, from coffee, beer, scotch, tobacco, to much stronger — and psychoactive, dissociative — additives.

What do you gain by altering your consciousness in terms of what you notice, attend to, linger on, etc?
What causes more details to emerge?
What allows you to stick with a thread or, alternately, make new connections?

Or perhaps you like to keep all those things *out* of your listening; if that's you, please say a bit about why.

hilde45

Showing 1 response by bigdoghoss

bigdoghoss's avatar
bigdoghoss
7 posts
 

I keep it simple... after dinner and after my tubes have warmed up for an hour or so, I will indulge in a shot of good vodka, gin or bourbon. Then I will warm up the vaporizer and take about 3-4 hits of cannabis... it's been my routine for 50+ years.

After around one hour of listening, enjoying the music, letting it take me places deep in my heart and soul, I turn it down and begin using that inspiration to play my guitar. I will play for about an hour and will go back to listening to my music collection again for around 15 minutes. After that, I shut everything down and take my dog out for a walk on the trails.  

At 73 years old, my *boring*  daily routine is actually very fulfilling. ;-)

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