Acoustics? That absolutely makes no sense in the context of this conversation, although being chained to a chair in anechoic chamber while being forced to listen to the entire Ring cycle would likely lead to either a transcendent experience or a sore butt. "Ludes and Jack Daniels" is hilarious, and injects a needed dose (!) of gonzo into this conversation. As a professional musician for many decades I can attest to the sort of trance-like state you can get into especially during soloing, but I can also attest to playing a well known piece of music live and thinking about laundry or my cousin Shirley even though I don't have a cousin Shirley. I smoke pot while listening just to change up my biological input, but I've certainly had countless wonderful music moments without it. An attentive crowd can really get your blood pumping...highly recommended.
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.
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.