Love my iTunes!

[Starkin]

I've been listening to music a lot lately. Listen to it every day of my life, really, especially while I'm working, but more so in the last few months than usual. Guess it's because I've been hearing a lot of new stuff that I like recently. That and getting into older music that I had forgotten about.

Of course, over the years since I've gotten my iTunes I've been downloading online and importing all the music I've owned over the years (and anything my friends have that I don't) onto my playlist. Right now I have 12,735 songs on my playlist. Yes, I know, it's absolutely crazy to have that many! But it's so awesome. Kind of an obsession now. BUT, I am discerning; won't just download anything.

What I love to do, especially on an afternoon like this, when it's snowing outside and the workload is low, I put it on shuffle and enjoy whatever comes up. In the last two hours I've had these different artists pop up:

Chris Isaak, Drowning Pool, The Tourists, Bananarama, Lisa Stansfield, Def Leppard, Mogwai, Anita Baker, Jack Johnson, Wilco, John Mellencamp, Aqua, Foghat, Filter, Miami Sound Machine, Zoot Woman, Enya, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Billy Idol, Talking Heads, Paul Carrack, Earth Wind & Fire, Tonic, The Wallflowers, Winger and The Prodigy.

I love it when I can listen to all these different types of rock and pop in the same afternoon.

So, who else loves their iTunes?

[DukkhaWaynhim]

I have two i-experiences:

1) iTunes on my home PC contains the Waynhim family music library...which I'm sure is smaller than many, but it is much more music than we could ever listen to continuously. And with my 7.1 system cranked up, we shake the house with our favorite tunes.

2) my 2GB Nano is (by necessity) pared down quite a bit, and includes only 60+ BPM music. Excellent for listening while running / lifting weights. High octane fuel for the ears to distract myself from the monotony of being a hamster.

dw

[Relayer]

Chris Isaak, Drowning Pool, The Tourists, Bananarama, Lisa Stansfield, Def Leppard, Mogwai, Anita Baker, Jack Johnson, Wilco, John Mellencamp, Aqua, Foghat, Filter, Miami Sound Machine, Zoot Woman, Enya, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Billy Idol, Talking Heads, Paul Carrack, Earth Wind & Fire, Tonic, The Wallflowers, Winger and The Prodigy.

That sounds a lot like one of my daily shuffles (if I do a playlist that doesn't include jazz, prog, techno, or jambands). I love playing random stuff too. I just got a new 160GB iPod so I can also have all my books with me )

BTW, Mogwai... very cool.

[Cagliostro]

Being still on dialup (which changes Thursday, hurray!) I haven't played around much with downloading songs, especially ones I pay for. I've been burned a time or two because of timing out. But I love being able to put most of my music collection on shuffle. It is just thrilling to do that. Now if I could just get my tapes and records on there as well...

[Wyldewode]

Ah, I'm building my collection, so I won't mention how many songs I have on there. However, I'm only putting things on that I love, since I hate putting it on shuffle and having to skip every other song. I have the heaviest concentrations of the Beatles and Sting and the Police. . . I'm nearing having everything that each group did together.

I own two ipods: a 30GB fifth generation one, and 4GB Nano. I started with the 4GB Nano, and then purchased the 30GB from my older bro when he wanted a newer/cooler one. I typically keep the 4GB in my car, and use a tunecast FM transmitter. I take the 30GB with me in my work-bag or purse to listen to when I am away from my car. I know. . . I have too much technology.

[Relayer]

You know you can also make Playlists, so you have flexibilty to put different stuff on there and listen to whatever you want, you're not limited to say just picking an Artist like the Beatles.

For example, you could make one that's Artist = Beatles, McCartney, Harrison, Sting, and Police. Then you don't have to skip the other stuff when that's what you're in the mood for. But you can have it with you when you do want to hear it.

Cags, doing my tapes is the next project...

[Wyldewode]

Yeah. . . I have several playlists on mine. Mostly I have the major artists as playlists, and I have a few more like "calming" or "jpop." I ought to make more of my small ipod by changing up what music I have on it. Someday.

[Relayer]

I have a bunch of playlists like that too. Ambient/chill, jazz, jam, groovin', etc. I almost never just listen to a certain artist or album any more.

[stonemaybe]

BTW, Mogwai... very cool.

Mogwai, mmmmmmmm....

Sternum vibrating guitars, lovely!

[Brasidas]

Ah, now this might just be the place I was looking for. I am the proud owner of an ipod, which I enjoy hugely, but I'm not the world's most technologically savvy person. When I'm in the mood for a bit of Dylan, and that's about all the time, I can go to the artist bit on the ipod and it plays all my Dylan tracks. however, when I try to shuffle my Dylan songs (by using the wheel and click thing to go to 'shuffle songs') it leaves the artist bit and just starts shuffling all the songs on the ipod.
This seems as clear as mud, so I'll try to simplify. Can I shuffle an individual artists songs? There's probably a howlingly easy way to do this but I can never work these damn things out and just end up scrolling through all the songs one by one.

[Relayer]

I usually keep my ipod set on shuffle (from the main menu, or music menu, wherever it is). Everything on the ipod will be shuffled, so then you just select the artist you want and hit play.

It might also work when you're already playing a Dylan song if you hit the center wheel until you get to the shuffle screen (I think it's after the 5-star rating display) and select shuffle, but I don't usually do it that way.

[Wyldewode]

To clarify: If you rate all your Dylan songs 5 stars, you can shuffle your 5 star songs only by doing what Relayer says. Good luck!

[Relayer]

True, but that's not what I meant because Bras might also have other songs that aren't Dylan but are rated 5-stars. I just meant that on the new iPods there's a shuffle feature one screen past the one where you can rate a song.

I normally do it from the main/music menu, I set it to "shuffle songs" and then leave it alone.

[Brasidas]

It worked! Many thanks to you both. I think I've been playing the Dylan tracks before I've hit the shuffle button. Well isn't technology wonderful after all.