Sorry, but your opinions are not interesting.

[Jo498]

you do not figure out single notes when you start following scores. You are not supposed to do actual score reading (I cannot do that). To begin you only need a fairly vague notion of what the dots mean, mainly rhythm and ""high/low" "goes up/goes down", dynamics and which instruments are playing. Do not start with piano or string quartets but with medium sized orchestral works or so. Where you can easily pick out lines/melodies for distinctive instruments. You only follow those at the beginning.
But there are many other ways to learn a little about the structure of musical pieces. Verbal descriptions can help, even better are talks like Bernstein did a few where he plays certain parts/voices/motives on the piano separately and shows some ways how they are developed etc.

[zamyrabyrd]

But there are many other ways to learn a little about the structure of musical pieces. Verbal descriptions can help, even better are talks like Bernstein did a few where he plays certain parts/voices/motives on the piano separately and shows some ways how they are developed etc.

Oh gosh, Bernstein's series are great and not just for young people! They can be found on youtube, I believe. His other talks on Mahler and Shostakovitch are excellent.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Berstein's lecture series at Harvard are well worth the many hours it takes to watch!

[71 dB]

Perhaps you are having more of an impact than you think.

Perhaps? Some of the responses have surprised me. It feels natural for me to have impact on other people, but I am not the kind of people who people listen to. I am not handsome, I don't have great social skills so I am not someone who everybody listens to. Online my physical "defects" don't matter, my mind/opinions matters. I don't know much, but I think I have interesting ideas, because I was thought to question things. Every now and then I get recognition for that and it feels good. It strengthens my fragile self-esteem. 

One can get caught up in the 'disc of the moment', but you should never feel pressured. Perhaps it is easier said than done. Even flawed music/recordings can bring tremendous rewards (and 'flawed' is somewhat relative anyway - what I like and want in music may be your bane - and thus perfect for you).  And I have you to thank (blame? ) for the Naxos recordings of Saint Saens Violin Sonatas. What's more, you know a tremendous amount about the technology and I (personally) learn a lot from that.

Hopefully those  Saint-Saëns discs have give some enjoyement. I have enjoyed them myself, but I don't know better. 

Sometimes trying a piece of music again 5 years later makes all the difference. Long ago I bought out of curious Dubugnon's chamber music disc on Naxos. I didn't like/understand the music much. Now a decade or so later I tried the disc again, because I have been into contemporary stuff and guess what? I enjoy the music!  It wasn't a bad purchase after all, just too early.

Thanks for the compliments! I wouldn't say I know tremendous amount about the technology, but I know a thing or two thanks to my education (electric engineering). Headphone crossfeed has been my passion since 2012 and I would dare to call myself an expert on that very narrow field.

[zamyrabyrd]

Headphone crossfeed has been my passion since 2012 and I would dare to call myself an expert on that very narrow field.

I want to buy a good headphone, not extremely expensive, but one that will shut out the noise like the TV in the same room. Any suggestions?

[71 dB]

I want to buy a good headphone, not extremely expensive, but one that will shut out the noise like the TV in the same room. Any suggestions?

There are 2 types of headphones isolating noise:

- Active noise cancelling headphones
- Passive noise isolation headphones

Active noise canceling uses microphones to "sense" the noise and the headphones add this noise with negative phase to cancel it out. It works well at low frequencies. At high frequencies it doesn't work. It is a good way to e.g. reduce the low motor sounds when listening to music in a bus. Active noise canceling headphones tend to be pricy.

Passive noise isolation headphones simply try to isolate ears form the noise. It's simple and cheaper. I would go for this solution in your case.

Something like this perhaps?
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-439-Headphones-Black/dp/B005N8W1TM

The best solution (to reduce noise) is to get headphones for the TV too.

[The new erato]

Sometimes trying a piece of music again 5 years later makes all the difference.

Yes indeed. My experience as well, and one of the reasons I cling on to discs.

[zamyrabyrd]

Something like this perhaps?
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-439-Headphones-Black/dp/B005N8W1TM

Hmm, maybe I'll put it on my Santa list.
Thanx.

[Parsifal]

There are 2 types of headphones isolating noise:

- Active noise cancelling headphones
- Passive noise isolation headphones

Active noise canceling uses microphones to "sense" the noise and the headphones add this noise with negative phase to cancel it out. It works well at low frequencies. At high frequencies it doesn't work. It is a good way to e.g. reduce the low motor sounds when listening to music in a bus. Active noise canceling headphones tend to be pricy.

Passive noise isolation headphones simply try to isolate ears form the noise. It's simple and cheaper. I would go for this solution in your case.

Something like this perhaps?
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-439-Headphones-Black/dp/B005N8W1TM

The best solution (to reduce noise) is to get headphones for the TV too.

I have both types (Denon AH-D2000 sealed and Bose Quietcomfort 25 noise canceling). I think both are now discontinued and replaced by newer models. Of the two the Denon is more "audiophile" but the quiet comfort isolates better. Quiet comfort is especially good for a mobile player (iPhone, etc) since it essentially has a headphone amp built in and doesn't rely on current draw from the source to produce sound. Another advantage of the quiet-comfort is that it is rather light and doesn't put much pressure on your ears, since it does not rely heavily on acoustic isolation of your ears.

But it's pricey, so it is probably a good idea to try it out. When I was buying the quiet comfort there were stations set up in audio stores like Best Buy to demonstrate the quiet comfort noise isolation.

[Hilltroll73(Ukko)]

It's obvious that I am a poor fit in GMG 'society'. That's no skin off me, so I intend to stick my nose in now and then anyway. Blame it on the administrators' excessive tolerance.

[Parsifal]

It's obvious that I am a poor fit in GMG 'society'. That's no skin off me, so I intend to stick my nose in now and then anyway. Blame it on the administrators' excessive tolerance.

Why's that?

[Hilltroll73(Ukko)]

Why's that?

Why are the admins excessively tolerant? I dunno. Aside from that, I am going by daily scans of the thread topics, mostly. Also, My tastes in literature are clearly far too common, and so uninteresting. Face it, I am a clete in the GMG world of slicks. (Seriously dated slang there.)

[Ken B]

It's obvious that I am a poor fit in GMG 'society'.

If true we need more of you! Part of the problem with GMG is that you can identify something like a 'GMG society', by which I assume you mean some kind of mindset or groupthink.

[Hilltroll73(Ukko)]

If true we need more of you! Part of the problem with GMG is that you can identify something like a 'GMG society', by which I assume you mean some kind of mindset or groupthink.

That is probably what I mean. It may be undetectable by its practitioners,  but to me it is a mindset that conflates Classical Music with Literature.
[The capitalization is significant.] Whether or not that's a problem with GMG, I dunno; maybe GMG is better for it.

[Mister Sharpe]

That is probably what I mean. It may be undetectable by its practitioners,  but to me it is a mindset that conflates Classical Music with Literature.
[The capitalization is significant.] Whether or not that's a problem with GMG, I dunno; maybe GMG is better for it.

Consider beginning a thread on this theme?

[Cato]

It's obvious that I am a poor fit in GMG 'society'. That's no skin off me, so I intend to stick my nose in now and then anyway. Blame it on the administrators' excessive tolerance.

It has not been obvious to me!  Please feel free to "nose around" ! 

That is probably what I mean. It may be undetectable by its practitioners,  but to me it is a mindset that conflates Classical Music with Literature.
[The capitalization is significant.] Whether or not that's a problem with GMG, I dunno; maybe GMG is better for it.

Yes, I would think so!  Observing connections between Music and other arts happens fairly often here e.g. the poetry of Paul Celan and its reinvention of grammar with Arnold Schoenberg's "Composition with 12 notes,"  or Surrealism with musique-concrete, etc.

[zamyrabyrd]

That is probably what I mean. It may be undetectable by its practitioners,  but to me it is a mindset that conflates Classical Music with Literature. [The capitalization is significant.] Whether or not that's a problem with GMG, I dunno; maybe GMG is better for it.

Classical music (or music in general) has a heck of a relationship with literature.
Setting texts to music is evidence enough.

[71 dB]

Hmm, maybe I'll put it on my Santa list.
Thanx.

There are many options and it's hard to say for me, what is best for you. It depends on what are your preferences. Please take my suggestions as examples of what kind of product could be right for you. "DJ-headphones" have good noise isolation properties for obvious reasons. Who knows, perhaps something like this would work for you?

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB/ref=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&qid=1474627521&sr=8-1&keywords=HD+280+PRO

[zamyrabyrd]

There are many options and it's hard to say for me, what is best for you. It depends on what are your preferences. Please take my suggestions as examples of what kind of product could be right for you. "DJ-headphones" have good noise isolation properties for obvious reasons. Who knows, perhaps something like this would work for you?
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB/ref=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&qid=1474627521&sr=8-1&keywords=HD+280+PRO

These are on sale, actually advertised here:
https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-429-Headphones-Smartphones/dp/B009HQTORS

[Hilltroll73(Ukko)]

Classical music (or music in general) has a heck of a relationship with literature.
Setting texts to music is evidence enough.

Um, "Capitalization is Significant"? Oh well, never mind.