How much of your music listening is classical?

[George]

About 90% (if you include concert band music as well).

The other 10% is taken up by Bob Dylan, John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

85% for me.

[Sergeant Rock]

My listening habits are roughly 50% classical, 50% all other types of music. In that 50% I own and listen to almost every genre from jazz to country to metal to Turkish pop, but the last five years or so I've concentrated on singer/songwriters (like Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Bright Eyes, and Kate & Anna McGarrigle) and alternative country or Americana: what Graham Parsons called Cosmic American music.

Alt country can be roughly defined as country/folk/rock music that doesn't get played on country radio. The stuff you near nowadays on commercial country radio is essentially Nashville corporate crap and has little or nothing to do with actual country music (think Shania, Faith Hill, and all the Big Hat singers like Garth Brooks). The country/folk artists I love include Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, Graham Parsons, Iris DeMent, John Prine, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Townes van Zandt, Freakwater, The Seldom Scene, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Linda Ronstadt (in her occasional country moods), Patty Loveless (when she returns to her roots like on Mountain Soul), Tom Russell and their musical ancestors pre-60s (the Carter Family, the Stanley Brothers, The Louvin Brothers).

I grew up in the 60s and rock/pop from that era is still important to me. I've got about 70 Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia CDs.

Sarge

[johnshade]

~
95% Classical
02% Traditional Country
01% Rock before 1970
01% Popular before 1970
01% Other

[Grazioso]

Varies with time and mood: sometimes mostly classical, sometimes mostly jazz, with a little rock and "other" thrown in from time to time.

[71 dB]

Although I've been collecting and listening to classical music since I was 18 (so, about 16 years), it's only since 1998 that classical music has slowly begun to overtake my preference for other genres. Last year, I don't recall listening to anything else other than classical. Prior to 1998, classical made up less than 20% of my listening, with Rock, Pop and Electronic Dance music each getting more than 25%.

I started to listen to music in 1988 (Acid House and stuff like that). No classical music at all. I thought classical music can't mean anything to me because it's composed so long ago, in a totally different world. What an idiotic idea!  In the mid 90's I started to "test" classical music while studying. Then in December 1996 I heard Elgar's Enigma Variations on radio and that was the real trigger! The next year 1997 I spend listening to and studying classical music obsessively. In 2001 I "found" pop and soft rock music. In 2003 I found new age. The last one and a half years I have been back to classical but I still listen all kind of music and enjoy it.

I used to be really into techno and especially trance (underground, non-commercial stuff), but I can't stomach it now. Never got into the whole 'scene' that went with it, though.

The best underground stuff is wonderful but 95 % of all elecktronic dance music is shit. I am constantly amazed how good, innovative and energetic the best tracks sound. I never was that much into trance. I am a breakbeat nut. 

[Haffner]

At least 85%. Definitely more. I only take out my old Rock and Metal records when I'm feeling like nostalgia. But recently I was delighted to hear that Deicide's most recent album featured some virtuosic musicianship, and even purchased a few modern day "new" death metal band releases like Necrophagist (great fun!), Abhorrence, and Rebaelliun. The day after, I was happily redevoted to Haydn's op.76 and Mozart's String Duos and Trios once more.

[dtwilbanks]

After further contemplation, I bumped my percentage up to 35%. 

[Sergeant Rock]

After further contemplation, I bumped my percentage up to 35%. 

Be very careful, Dave, or you'll end up half and half like me.

Sarge

[dtwilbanks]

Be very careful, Dave, or you'll end up half and half like me.

Sarge

It could happen.

[Papy Oli]

50% or so, and growing steadily.... the rest is mostly acoustic/songwriting based music (Neil Young, Dylan, Lambchop, Nick Drake, Josh Rouse, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, etc etc...)

[Lethevich]

75%-ish I guess - others being indie rock, old goth, slow/mid-tempo electronica (eg Aphex Twin), metal (all genres), non-commercial hiphop. Even flat out commercially-oriented pop rock can be quite fun - eg Superbus.

Moving this thread on a bit, is there any musical genre you've never been able to take to? For me, this would be Reggae/Ska.

Whatever Enya is classed as...

[dtwilbanks]

75%-ish I guess - others being indie rock, old goth, slow/mid-tempo electronica (eg Aphex Twin), metal (all genres), hiphop. Even flat out commercially-oriented pop rock can be quite fun - eg Superbus.

Whatever Enya is classed as...

New Age.

[Lethevich]

New Age.

That was fast : o

[George]

That was fast : o

Just think how fast he can draw his gun. 

[71 dB]

New Age.

Enya is commercial music and far from real new age. Sheila Chandra, Wayne Gratz, John Balint and Harold Budd are examples of real new age artists.

[dtwilbanks]

Enya is commercial music and far from real new age. Sheila Chandra, Wayne Gratz, John Balint and Harold Budd are examples of real new age artists.

Popular new age, is still new age.

[71 dB]

Popular new age, is still new age.

Wrong. Real new age is done for musical ambitition, not for money. Enya sounds new age but the whole philosophy behind the music is lightyears from real new age. Enya is new age as much as movie soundtracks are classical music.

[dtwilbanks]

Wrong. Real new age is done for musical ambitition, not for money. Enya sounds new age but the whole philosophy behind the music is lightyears from real new age. Enya is new age as much as movie soundtracks are classical music.

Wrong yourself. If it sounds like new age, it's new age.

[71 dB]

Wrong yourself. If it sounds like new age, it's new age.

Salieri sounds Mozart but isn't Mozart. 

Enya is commercial music, not new age. Deal with it.

[dtwilbanks]

Deal with it.

Oh, how shall I ever?