Following Music

[Candide]

Greetings. I'm almost completely new to this "genre" of music, and it is, of course, intimidating (but not in an entirely bad way). It seems to me that a strong barrier between me and truly "experiencing" a piece of music is my ability to follow the structure of the piece. But it's possible I could be looking at this in an entirely wrong way, and thus I'd like to hear some of your opinions. How vital to listening is the ability to discern one's exact place in a piece of music? How much of a mind towards a piece's structure is too much?

I often find myself struggling to identify the form of movements after the first, and indeed struggle with mentally finding myself in that structure after I have identified it. How much attention do you pay to finding the form? Is such a struggle detrimental to my experience of the music itself? I'm pretty confused.

[Renfield]

Is such a struggle detrimental to my experience of the music itself?

Quite the contrary! I'd say it's part of the process of understanding this sort of music. However, I consider it important to note that such understanding is also acquired over time, through repeated listening and/or "musical exploration" across different styles and works.

Yet it also depends on the piece: a Bruckner symphony's structure, for instance, is as much a part of the music as the sound itself. Whereas in other works, like the Mahler symphonies, the semantic content might be more prevalent. But structure is always there.


All the above in my opinion, of course. Perhaps one of our more musicology-savvy members might give you a more "professional" take on the matter; I just listen! (A lot.)

[Mozart]

Welcome to the club. I generally follow the structure when I am listening to a new piece and then completely ignore it. Really what joy comes from identifying its 2 themes and variations? Once you learn the basic outline, I would say forget about thinking of it.

[max]

How much attention do you pay to finding the form? Is such a struggle detrimental to my experience of the music itself? I'm pretty confused.

...if you're going to examine the form before you hear the sound and what it imprints on your mind, then forget about classical music!

[Montpellier]

I'd say that if you're knew to this music, just listen to it at first.  Some aspects of form in anything but contemporary music will be apparent without any formal analysis.  For music pre-20th century, form was fairly fixed so you can read about it then just listen and gradually recognize what's going on.  The first movements of symphonies, sonatas and concertos were usually in sonata form; etc. 

[Larry Rinkel]

There is no difference between "the music" and "the form of the music." Music occurs in time, and its structure is perceived as time evolves - unlike a painting or sculpure, in which form occurs in space and can be taken in more or less at once, though details will always be filled in. With repeated listening, the outlines of a piece of music are likely to become more clear, whether or not you're familiar with the professional vocabulary used to describe musical form. But don't assume that a formal label like "sonata form" or "variation form" can be applied to any piece of music and you can then think you've grasped all there is about the form of the work. Music and musical form being synonymous and coterminous, there are infinite subtleties and details to perceive in any piece of music. If your instincts impel you to learn more about formal analysis, there are many ways by which you can educate yourself. On the other hand, if your instincts impel you to leave the analysis alone, then don't worry about it and just enjoy the music in whatever way works best for you.

[DanielFullard]

Crank up the volume and just listen is what I say. No need to worry about structure and form and such like as long as youre enjoying the sound riplling through your ears, thats all that matters at the end of the day

[Fëanor]

Greetings. I'm almost completely new to this "genre" of music, and it is, of course, intimidating (but not in an entirely bad way). It seems to me that a strong barrier between me and truly "experiencing" a piece of music is my ability to follow the structure of the piece. But it's possible I could be looking at this in an entirely wrong way, and thus I'd like to hear some of your opinions. How vital to listening is the ability to discern one's exact place in a piece of music? How much of a mind towards a piece's structure is too much?

I often find myself struggling to identify the form of movements after the first, and indeed struggle with mentally finding myself in that structure after I have identified it. How much attention do you pay to finding the form? Is such a struggle detrimental to my experience of the music itself? I'm pretty confused.

Since I cannot read music and have no real musical training, it's quite difficult for me to follow structure.  Some might say that I'm just not equipped to "truly experience" music.  Nevertheless I enjoy listening and that is sufficient justification for me to do it.

If you are better "equipped" than I am, then I envy you that.  But in any case I say you are under no onus to study the structrure if doesn't enhance your enjoyment to do so.