In revisiting this prompt I wanted to go more in depth about benefits I could see with repeated listening.

Repeated listening cleanses your hearing and makes it easier to notice small details and appreciate the smaller details and elements of whichever piece you have chosen to listen to. I found this repeated listening to be difficult at first, it was hard for me to focus on only listening to the piece and blocking out all distractions, but I found as it went on it became easier and easier and I began to truly appreciate the music I was listening to.

When I wrote the original blog prompt 5 I listened to Movement 3 of Brahms violin concerto in D minor and I listened to it at least 8 times, approximately 6 of them were without any distractions, the first two times I had more trouble focusing solely on the music. The first few times I found the melody was at the forefront of my mind. But, the more I listened the more smaller elements and accompaniment came through. The piece became both more familiar and more new at the same time, at times it felt like a completely different piece than what I had been listening to because I managed to focus so much on other parts of the piece that sounded so much more different than what I had been hearing previously. I also noticed more recurring themes and when they came about in different sections than that which originally played it in the piece.

I think this is a great exercise to do very occasionally because I think doing it too much could drive someone up a wall. but I think it is an important thing to do to gain a deeper appreciation for the music we listen to. This is an exercise I likely would never have done of my own volition because I generally find it a little difficult to listen to the same few minutes of music with nothing to break it up but the further into it I got the more enjoyable the experience became and I am glad to have been directed to this method of listening to and appreciating music.