More fun with theme collections and ipods

[dreamshark]

I'm still tearing along on the song compilation craze started by mle392. Sorting things is fun! As I pored over my iTunes library looking for songs that fit the Drinking Song category, I kept thinking of other fun theme collections. It's all so easy with iTune - you just create a Playlist and then start dragging songs into it whenever you notice them.

This is particularly fun if you have an iPod shuffle, as I do. The concept of the shuffle is really quite different from the full-sized iPod. The shuffle holds just enough songs for a day or two. So somehow or other you have to come up with a mechanism for picking 20 or 50 or 100 songs to load on at once. Mixed-genre theme collections is just the ticket. Right now, my iPod is loaded with a mixture of podcasts and Train Songs. No, wait, not any more. Yesterday I replaced the Train Songs with a 34-song playlist called "Travelin' On." [500 Miles, Leaving on a Jet Plane, So Long Marianne, Truckin', etc.]. That's a rich category that is sure to grow.

Today's brainstorm, which turned out to be a ton of fun: Earth, Water, Fire and Air. In one quick pass through my tunes I found 54 candidates for this playlist! First I thought it was gonna be all mournful songs about rivers and country songs like "Ring of Fire," but it's astounding how many others there are: just search your song titles for "wind" or "rain." The thematic lead song for this collection, however, doesn't have any element-related words in the title. You just have to know that the chorus for "Koeeoaddi There" is:

Earth, water, fire and air
Met together in a garden fair
Put in a basket bound with skin
If you answer this riddle, you'll never begiiiiiiin

Comments

Grouping

[barondave.livejournal.com]

No one responded to the "do you want me to continue" question about my iTunes Primer, so it's on the back burner. I just want to mention one nifty thing: Grouping. You have another column (which you can add by View --> View Options... --> check the Grouping box) You add this in the Get Info information. The text can be anything, and can be personalized... and can be changed to suit purpose. It's another way to sort/search for music, over and above the Playlists.

Aside: Text you put in Comments will affect your Spotlight search. Song titles do not necessarily reflect the total content of a song. (I have a separate Individual Songs database where I enter useful information like key words.)

Re: Grouping

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, by all mens continue with your iTunes primer.

I recently discovered a useful feature I didn't know was there: you can create folders to organize your playlists. I now have a big folder for Theme Collections, a different folder for CD compilations by me, and yet another folder for CD compilations by other people.

Oh, yeah, you create the folders from the File Menu. Once you know you can do something it isn't all that hard to figure out how, but I guess I should mention that.

Must find that CD...

[mle292.livejournal.com]

I did make a "songs about traveling" CD for... well, for traveling of course.

The first song on it was "She Caught The Katy" by "Jake Blues" A.K.A. John Belushi - a song that can inspire action on the most sedentary of days.

Re: Must find that CD...

[barondave.livejournal.com]

When I bought my car (almost eight years ago), I started making CDs for specifically to be listened to in the car stereo set on "Random". I was up to 15 or 16 before I got an iCar (or whatever) allowing me to play the iPod through the radio.

They're still some of my favorite collections. No common theme, just that they have to be good to listen to while driving.

Aside: Have you alerted the other Marscon CD Exchange people about all the LJers you recruited? Just at the pool party, there were five of us (including two who won't be at Marscon but want us to bring copies of their CDs to exchange).

Re: Must find that CD...

[mle292.livejournal.com]

I think that makes about a dozen....

I have not yet, though I have told some of them in person. I will make a reminder for myself a bit closer to the convention, thanks for the heads up!

Re: Must find that CD...

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I'm not necessarily making any of my songlists into CDs unless someone is interested in them, but I will if anyone wants to do more trading.

My "Travelin' On" theme is not so much about traveling as it is about LEAVING, if you catch the difference. The keynote song is Gordon Lightfoot's "That's What You Get for Loving Me."

Re: Must find that CD...

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I don't think that I have time to complete another mix CD, so I think it's best to wait for another event to make another challenge.

Leaving is a good theme, though.