When I listen to music, I listen to it. I don’t care for it as a background, so you never hear it in our house.
If I’m working, I much prefer silence. Noise is a distraction.
Ha! so true. As a guy that has always owned a pickup truck, and moved way too may people in high school and college, that was pretty much a rule.
Today, we don’t have music running all the time. But If I am cooking or cleaning or otherwise working on the house, it’s pretty much dialed up to 11.
Most of the time I like silence. I have songs running through my head or am singing impromptu bits. I’m not musically talented but to me, it usually sounds a bit classical. Operatic, even. However, it irritates my sister to hear me, so I usually do that when she’s not around.
When my sister is home and we have the radio on, it’s tuned to classical mostly. When I am by myself, I listen to a variety of genres on my computers. Blues, jazz, 60’s and 70’s rock and folk, classical and especially music from the 30’s and 40’s.
The television is generally on in the evenings. I wouldn’t be watching it all but my sister likes it. However, there’s very few commercial shows we like so we usually have it tuned to one of the PBS stations. We recently started getting one of the Canadian stations and I’d like to try to remember to watch that more, too.
I’m another one who dislikes going to someone’s house and having to compete with the television. Added to that, as I age, I find I’m more easily distracted and find myself paying more attention to it than them.
Music moves me in so many ways. It’s an important part of my life. I’ll listen to most anything but it has to suit my mood. Exceptions are rap, hard core C&W or discordant jazz. (Think Bitch’s Brew by Miles Davis – and yes, I know I just don’t “get it.” I understand others consider this a masterpiece, but I’m afraid it eludes me entirely.) I tend to especially enjoy melodic music of all sorts, and it is always playing if I have guests. Folk, Celtic, soft rock or jazz, new age, especially Spanish-style stuff like Incendio… I appreciate soothing sounds with lots of harmonies, heavy on the acoustic guitar.
I’m another who despises a television on when I’m visiting or someone is visiting me, unless the express purpose of our get-together is to watch something. Otherwise, it’s music. I also enjoy silence when I’m on my own, especially when I must concentrate on a task.
For nearly 2 years after my husband died, I couldn’t listen to music. It just evoked too many emotional responses. I was glad when that period finally passed.
Music is on all the time unless we’re watching a particular TV program or movie. We even leave it on for the dogs when we leave the house and we sleep with jazz/instrumental all night. In the car, however, I been listening to NPR instead of the same 9 songs played over and over and over.
When I’m alone in the house, I’ll usually play Spotify, watch sports on mute and play on the computer. If we are both here then usually music when we are cooking something complicated.
I grew up in a house where my parents weren’t music listeners. I was late to the game discovering music and even in my mid-40’s now I still feel like I’m playing catch-up. My folks don’t hate music, I was encouraged to learn guitar and piano (I didn’t stick with either, but got decent with my voice). I got a transistor radio (red and silver Radio Shack) to which I listened outside or quietly in the house whenever I could. I remember Larry Lujack on WLS fondly, I was 6 or 7 with the radio.
But since I only had a tiny radio to listen to, I was pretty limited to whatever was popular at the time. I didn’t get any “history” from my parents, from any collections they might have had. There were none. The only tapes and records in the house were mine from about 1978 on. I was the teen who always was getting told to turn the boom box down in my bedroom. I wore out my first two Walkmen and fell asleep countless nights with headphones on my head.
I’ve always have music going whenever I can. I read to it, work to it, and find it helps me concentrate. Especially with a task at hand, I’ll wander off thinking about something else unless I have some music to take up the extra head-space. At work, when I have to do lots of number stuff, you will find me head bopping away to something or other while working that pencil.
When company comes over, I have the living room stereo going with a Rhapsody radio station from the computer so there aren’t any commercials (which I find far more distracting to conversation than music).
My parents still don’t listen to music. It’s either the TV, talk radio, or silence. I still find it weird and - sad isn’t the word - empty.
I live with my dad and sister. We listen to music individually, on our radios or computers.
Though, since I’m a musician, I have to practice my music, and unfortunately, my dad and sister are subjected to my music playing if they’re at home while I practice.
I also don’t like it when TVs are left on in the background, but usually at my home the TV is only on if someone’s watching it.
You sound like a totally hoopy frood, and because you wrote the bit that I bolded, allow me to encourage you (and anyone else so inclined) to join us in the Straight Dope Music Appreciation Society. It’s a fun thread and a great way to discover new music and new artists.
We used to have CBC on most of the time. Until the Conservative Party came in and fucked it all up. Now they have a 3 hour rock program in the morning, followed by 5 hours of classical, followed by 4 hours of rock. The public reason for this is to attract a wider audience. Can you imagine a rock fan listening to this station when he has so much rock to choose from. Call my a conspiracy theorist, but I think they are going to “discover” that there is no audience and use that as an excuse to close it down.
When I moved to Canada 47 years ago, CBC was one of the glories of the country. Now it is an embarrassment.
Pretty much always. Usually classical or jazz with the occasional classic rock. I have the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall subscription, so I often have them on the TV to satisfy both visual and audio needs.
Music is a must. I agree that I can’t listen to lyrics while reading or doing work (though I swear Bach makes me better at math), but while doing less intense activities - say, an art project, browsing the web, or posting to the SDMB - I’m almost always listening to something. Right now it’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Pandora station. sends over whiff of 90s
I really don’t know. I’m usually reading at home and it distracts me. In the car, it just annoys me.
I used to work for a television listings company. I created those grids you see in newspapers. When I was working, I always had on headphones playing classical music. Anything with lyrics bothered me though.
When I’m at home, I’m usually either playing a game on the computer or reading (a book, forums). So no daytime background noise for me. No TV unless I’m watching a specific program or movie, and no music. If I’m deep-cleaning, I’ll blast something loud and catchy. But for the most part, sound must have a purpose. I’m a born reader and quiet is my natural habitat. I can’t concentrate on reading and listening to music at the same time–I’m more likely to be making music for a purpose (I play piano) than listening to it blindly.
In the car, I’ll turn on the oldies station sometimes. I turn the radio off for commercials, though, and sometimes I leave it off.
However… for years, I had persistent insomnia. Turns out that leaving something (a season of South Park or Bob’s Burgers or a movie I’ve seen a hundred times before) droning allows me to fall asleep quickly and easily. Without it, I ruminate. My mind races anxiously for a couple of *hours *before I can fall asleep. Lately, I’ve been trying to get used to sleeping in silence (out of respect for my fiance). It’s been a rough couple weeks. 
I do love music, though. I’m a musician after all. It just makes me feel things intensely so, when I’m trying to do other stuff, it creates a distraction. I prefer to listen to it exclusive of other activities. If I’m going to listen to music, I **listen **to it. And experience frisson, joy, and/or tears.
I can see that. When I was working, I never had music on in my office unless it was during lunch. I found it distracting and annoying. I’m glad I never worked in a place with Muzak.
Dead silence all the time at home.
Prefer no music at work, too, but I’m chill enough to have actually bought my workers a kick-ass stereo, and they can listen to whatever they want.
It actually bothers me when I’m trying to hang out with someone or talk to them and they’d rather drown everything out with music, particularly music with lyrics.
I can’t pick out which sound to listen to and ignore the rest, so two different things happening, like a conversation and music, completely ruins both. I can’t enjoy the music and I can’t follow the conversation. It’s the quickest way to make me want to go back home and be by myself.
Worst, absolute worst? Music during sex. Nope. Extremely distracting.
Music all the time. Loud as possible.
Like Bo, I somehow knew you would be on board with this, Chef! Glad to get confirmation.
Nope, too distracting. Even while I’m doing chores I’ll put on a podcast rather than music, because the latter will make me dance, or daydream, or just drum.
Meanwhile there are other times I can’t do without music, such as working out (because it’s so boring otherwise). Even then, I will often tap or drum along to beats inbetween sets, and get funny looks.
I live alone and really enjoy silence but as a former audio engineer I do love music. It is the only thing I can stand having on without actively listening to it. It drives me crazy when people have either the TV or radio on as background noise. If I have either on it is so that I can listen to or watch a specific thing. This is just about the main reason that visitors give me the shits after about 3 days or so.
One of my favorite childhood memories ('50s) was my mother in the kitchen, singing along with the old standards on her little AM radio. My father played classical or Broadway. My older brother played jazz. My current music encompasses them all . . . especially classical (including opera), and additional classic rock and choral music.
I own 1,927 CDs (27,566 tracks), all ripped to the main computer and usually on random play. I’m an artist and work at home, so there’s always something playing. But occasionally I can appreciate silence, especially when there’s interesting weather outside.
I also play a few instruments, in addition to singing. One of life’s true joys.
I don’t understand people who don’t listen to music. It would be like being able to see, yet going through life with your eyes closed.