Compulsive Listening: Finding Essence, Nuance, and Peace in the Music
Whenever I get captivated by a song – which is often – I can’t help but play it over and over again. It’s like a compulsion; there is so much life, so much creative and emotional content flowing through its sound, that I can’t contemplate it all in one listen. I have to internalize it until it loosens its hold on me. Then the song gets added to my playlist and I find a new love (or even several).
I do this naturally, and I know I’m not the only one, but I hadn’t consciously thought about what this practice does for my musicality until I came across an older article by musician Don Baarns (a.k.a. The Unlikely Salsero) in which he recommends listening to songs 100 times or more as an exercise. Don is absolutely correct when he writes, “This is one of those ‘secrets’ that few believe because it’s so simple. Dancers who enjoy music over and over start hearing things their friends don’t hear, and they grow faster than their peers.”
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