By Laurie Niles: At one point in the past, I was playing so many rehearsals, gigs, etc. that I barely had time to listen to violin-related music. In fact, I reached a point of saturation, where I did not want to listen to violin or classical music during my "off" time. If I turned on the music in the car or on my phone, I would listen to something else entirely, like pop music.
This can happen to a busy student, a busy amateur, a busy teacher, or just someone who is practicing a lot. It reaches a point where it feels like there is just not enough time or bandwidth left to passively listen to classical music.
These days, however, the pandemic has turned that upside down for a lot of people, including me. After nine months without outside performances, rehearsals and other playing, I find that I'm longing to hear the symphonic music that I love so much. I'm much more inclined to listen to recordings of orchestra music.
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And after being a player for so long, it's quite interesting to listen passively, as someone outside the orchestra. Who knew how the woodwind part works here? Or that the French horns have such a lovely harmony part there? It's not that I don't hear these things when I'm inside the orchestra, but I certainly hear them differently when I back away from playing my individual part, stop furiously counting, and no longer have to worry about fingerings and bowings. I can just listen.
Are you finding that you are listening more than you are playing these days? Or are you playing more than you listen? Or maybe you spend equal time on both? Has isolation or other aspects of the pandemic changed the way that you hear music? Changed your playing habits? Changed your perspective? Please participate in the vote and then share your thoughts in the comments section.
