Analysing Music

[Oliver.M]

Does anyone here listen to music with a large, analytical approach? What I mean is whenever I listen to a film/game score I always have to always pick out the techniques the composer used, what libraries they composed with, key and time signature etc.. It has it's uses but sometimes I can't relax to music, I always feel like I have to decode it and break it down.

Anyone else have something similar?

[reddiesel41264]

I don't tend to when listening to music on it's own, unless I am trying to emulate a particular technique or learn a new style. I often do though when watching movies.

[KenK]

My analytical brain is on all the time when I hear music.
So much so that music becomes kind of visual,
and the real world recedes in the background.

For this reason I don't like overly simple repetitious or derivative music.
Ha- that leaves out about 99% or everything!

Although I'm glad I see it this way, it's kind of a curse.

If I'm watching a movie and I don't like the music,
it takes me right out of the film.

Happened recently during the new Merle Streep movie.
Absolutely detested the use of those pop songs as character or story development.
The net effect was to actually bring the whole movie down a couple of notches.

I did enjoy the film though-
It was nice to see a movie "made for grown ups".
That's how Streep described it in a recent Charlie Rose interview.
That made me want to see it right there.

k

[Jason.M.Watts]

I don't analyze film music much until the second viewing. I find it too distracting to try it on the first go.

I analyze concert music basically in the same manner you described. I always purchase a full season subscription to whatever orchestra is nearby as well, and that helps tremendously for analytical purposes.

I tend to dig into film scores using the score album when I'm concerned with the musicality of it, and it's over-all effect on the film upon a second or third viewing.

That's part of the reason I didn't get hyped about Zimmer's TDKR score before the movie was released. I didn't want to walk in the theater the first time obsessed with dissecting the score as the movie proceeds. If the score sticks out "like a sore thumb", I want that to be because of it's own merits, not because I've lent it too much attention prior to seeing the film.

But that's just me.

Jason Watts

[Dreamofthenight92]

I ever analyze music while listening, expecially the soundtracks, and it's relaxing the same...

[peter5992]

I usually do, though the degree to which depends on the circumstances and how focused I am; I usally ignore film soundtracks when watching a movie unless it is unusually good (or bad in which case it takes me out of the picture).

[samueloscar]

I'm always analyzing in some form or fashion. I actually get pretty mad if I watch a 2 hour movie and completely forget to focus on the music. Most of my analysis when playing games or watching movies isn't harmony, melody, things like that, but the orchestration in context with whats on screen. Tamber, rhythm, etc...

[Elffin]

Yeah, I tend to analyze it if I listen to it... Funny that some types of music grow on you, or that you need to listen to a certain piece of music by that composer to appreciate a different score. I really didn't like Zimmer's Dark knight... but oddly enough .... I listened a lot to the Inception soundtrack a few times and finally 'got' what Zimmer was attemtping to do..