The Technology of Music, and Me.
Oct. 19th, 2008 01:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sherron0Apologies to those who saw this as my comment to Mara's poll on Music Technology, but as I wrote it, I realized I should put it here, to remind myself of what I've seen change.
God I'm old.
I owned a first version, brand new on the scene, big, clunky, cassette playing Walkman (I think a lot of people who answered that they owned one are thinking of version 2, that was much smaller. Mine was big, like about 7in x 4in, and blue). I remember the first time I put a tape in, and put the headphones on, and the Walkman in my backpack, and actually tried to walk across campus with music playing in my ears. It was truly surreal. I felt caught up in some strange ballet. I couldn't help but impose the rhythm and feel of the music on the world around me. It took a long time before I was able to just casually walk around wearing the Walkman. And to do that, I had to at first turn it way down, so it sounded more like something coming to me from 'outside.' That feeling of music coming from the middle of my brain, combined with trying to move around in a moving environment was, well, surreal is the best word. Or dream-like. Or borderline like tripping. And yes, I'd listened to music through good headphones before. I knew the sound was going to seem to be in the middle of my head. But before, when I'd used good headphones, it would be specifically to listen to the music. Sitting still, tethered to a good sound system. This business of adding a soundtrack to my walking around life -- that was new.
Yes, I owned an 8Track, and yes, I used my dad's reel to reel plenty (my favorite tape was Kenny Rogers and the First Edition).
And yes, we owned a Victrola, and maybe fifty of the super thick 78's. But it was a collector's piece, and we only played the records for the novelty of it.
Ancient, yes, I am.
God I'm old.
I owned a first version, brand new on the scene, big, clunky, cassette playing Walkman (I think a lot of people who answered that they owned one are thinking of version 2, that was much smaller. Mine was big, like about 7in x 4in, and blue). I remember the first time I put a tape in, and put the headphones on, and the Walkman in my backpack, and actually tried to walk across campus with music playing in my ears. It was truly surreal. I felt caught up in some strange ballet. I couldn't help but impose the rhythm and feel of the music on the world around me. It took a long time before I was able to just casually walk around wearing the Walkman. And to do that, I had to at first turn it way down, so it sounded more like something coming to me from 'outside.' That feeling of music coming from the middle of my brain, combined with trying to move around in a moving environment was, well, surreal is the best word. Or dream-like. Or borderline like tripping. And yes, I'd listened to music through good headphones before. I knew the sound was going to seem to be in the middle of my head. But before, when I'd used good headphones, it would be specifically to listen to the music. Sitting still, tethered to a good sound system. This business of adding a soundtrack to my walking around life -- that was new.
Yes, I owned an 8Track, and yes, I used my dad's reel to reel plenty (my favorite tape was Kenny Rogers and the First Edition).
And yes, we owned a Victrola, and maybe fifty of the super thick 78's. But it was a collector's piece, and we only played the records for the novelty of it.
Ancient, yes, I am.