Every once in a while I feel the need to revisit and clean up old playlists. I don't know about you but after a while, I can almost predict what song I can expect to hear on a given list. It's good to shake things up a wee bit and reorganize your music, just so you hear something you may have overlooked in a long time.
So how do most people organize their playlists? I know a bunch of people who have music lists created according to activities they participate in. For example, the gym or work out list is pretty popular. Load up your mp3 device with a bunch of peppy, fast-paced numbers and I'm told that they serve to motivate you and get your adrenaline going as you work your way through your gym routine. I know many who also use a similar list to run, jog or just cycle. I call this the "get fit" list...
Then there's the "driving home" list, also known as the "how-to-deal-with-road-rage" list for all those who are routinely stuck in rush-hour traffic on all the various highways in the GTA. If you know this list well, you probably are used to spending long hours in crawling traffic, watching people in the opposite direction speeding by... or worse, if you're a single driver, you probably envy the ones who car pool and get to use the dedicated lane. Life isn't fair, is it?!
If you're into Yoga or meditation of some kind, chances are that you'll have a list that has a mix of new age, spiritual and fusion music... Think Nitin Sawhney, Shlokas, Buddha Bar... and if you absolutely want still and quiet, you can even find albums that recreate certain environments for you. You can pick from the sounds of a quiet forest or a rushing stream... it's pretty interesting what you can find out there! I call this list the "zen/nirvana" list.
There are times where you're absolutely pissed with the world and you really don't want to hear anyone. Music can be extremely emotional and if you choose some heavy rock to vent, then that's your "blowing off some steam" list. Strangely enough I know lots of people who listen to rock when they want to relax too! Not quite sure how that works but if it works for you, I guess you just stick to it!
If you haven't created lists according to activities, then you've probably gone with Genres. So you'll have the staples - Rap, rock, blues, jazz, hindi, bollywood... the list is endless. And if you're feeling particularly indulgent or in one of those phases where you listen to the same artist all the time, you may go with Artists categorisation. It often amazes me that people can arrange the same music in various different ways. From emotions like happy, sad, angry to environments - romantic, party to just plain old fashioned genres... it's mind-boggling how the human mind experiences music and creates associations that go beyond just names and years of release. At the end of the day, I guess, so long as you're listening to more than the sound of your voice, you really can't go too wrong...
You might like this talk. It might not be directly music related, but it is all about silence and listening...
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_francis_walks_the_earth.html
Posted by: Udai | June 22, 2009 at 01:41 PM