Listening to music during the 3 weeks is kind of like sex. No matter how much you debate it, discuss it and do it, it never gets old. It’s more difficult during the 3 weeks to abide by no music rules because it’s the summer and all I want to do during the summer is drive around without a shirt on and listen to blaring country music. Life is even tougher when you don’t have an antenna to listen to talk radio.
To make matters even worse, my internet connection is down at home. It is likely more related to my ancient computer that needs to be replaced, but either way – it forces me to go to sleep and wake up earlier and I get to sit in a random assortment of cool coffee shops and inadvertently listen to obscure and sometimes good music.
Message to people who only listen to obscure music: Just because no one has ever heard of that band you found in some hipster store, doesn’t mean it’s any good. While I’m at it, just because your bike is old doesn’t make it vintage.
To describe a shinuy – pronounce sheenoy – is to describe something that happens in a different way than the norm, almost beyond your control. Sometimes people use the word shinuy to describe breaking Shabbos, like when you turn on a light switch with your nose. You did it, but it was done in a weird way.
So I guess I’m listening to music with a shinuy. I take the low road, I rock it maikel (use the leniency) of listening to recorded music. Last year during the 9 days, I listened in shuffle mode the entire time and it drove me nuts, because once in a while you’re in bluegrass mode and just can’t handle death metal, and visa versa – so I suffered through a shuffle that could have lasted 20,000 songs if it wanted. It only lasted about 1200 songs but still it made me suffer.
I feel like God foresaw that all the summer’s best concert tours would be in that chunk of summer he reserved for the 3 weeks and knew that all big music fans would suffer. If only the big concert tours could take a hint from the Jewish bands and throw their shows during that chunk of time that Jewish music promoters call chol hamoed.
Do you listen to music during the 3 weeks?
Don’t forget sefira which is also a hit tour season. And succos when it’s not chol hamoed. And friday nights, etc
is it pikuah nefesh to go to the beach if the temperature in nyc is over 100′
like today? ask your rabbi.
No! Stay in doors with your air conditioner turned on full blast & I promise you’ll survive!
Haha Hesh good one. Speaking of t-shirts dude u gotta make some heshy-frum satire tees man. I have a killer designer friend if your interested.
I am mucho interested – I have no money but I would love to have some merch and give him a cut of the proceeds
I listen to recordings only, and even further, I don’t listen to music that makes me dance. Which means no Iron Maiden. Which means I miss one of my dream concerts because the entire northeastern leg of the current tour is made up of exactly the 9 Days 🙁
I am an orthodox drummer in a band (keep kosher, tefilin, shabbat, midos etc.) But I cannot live without music. My neshomah feels dead without music.
In other news I just saw Streetlight Manifesto live at the TLA in philly. It was awesome, but five finger death punch ealier this year was better
You’re allowed to play music if that’s how you make a living.
You’re damn right I do! Otherwise I’d have to hear really obnoxious and catty fights on the bus, deal with men who think it’s acceptable to hit on me by asking, “how many kids you got?” and become a target for Bible thumpers giving out Chick tracts and asking me stupid things like “Have you accepted Jesus?” NO NO NO! It’s not enough to read a book, you gotta double up on book + loud headphones to survive.
BS”D
A few years back I was taking the bus all the time, and there were always crazy people that wanted to talk to me. During the three weeks, and sefirah, I would bring my ipod, put in the headphones, but just not turn it on. That way I had an excuse to completely ignore people without actually listening to music.
I’m not trying to tell you what to do, so please don’t take what I said the wrong way. You do what you have to/want to do. I’m just saying, it worked for me.
Here are a few things that can work.
1) Completely ignore them. Don’t say anything. Don’t look at them. Don’t react at all.
2) “Go away. I do not want to talk to you.” Repeat in a monotone no matter what they say.
3) A Baphomet symbol and a copy of The Satanic Bible can have a salutary effect. It got rid of the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses at our house.
My husband downloaded hours worth of akapella music for our mini-road trip over the weekend. Very enjoyable and almost a good replacement. And its not just Jewish music either, lots of colleges put out really cool sounding akapella music. Why not embrace this time to appreciate new venues of music you may not ordinally enjoy.
(I do miss the radio though)
You do realize that the Rabbis assured acapella music last year
http://fayinc.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/citation-needed-wikipedia-819731_500_271.jpg
Forgetting about college bands, there are some pretty sweet acapella groups that do their gig professionally. It’s hard to make acapella sound grungy or alternative (if you’re into that)–there’s always a 1950’s glee club element to the style of singing, but, hey, isn’t being frum all about living as if your in an entirely different decade anyway?
http://www.singers.com/contemp/contempmen.html
Don’t know what ‘the Rabbis’ mean but it doesn’t include mine!
The Rabbis have forbidden pretty much everything except poverty, obedience, paranoia, prayer, begging and breeding like insects. At some point one proudly declares “I’m a slave. I welcome the chains and the lash” or one decides to be a free, competent adult human being.
Yes i do. FM mostly in the car. And movie soundtracks While Watching.
And in the gym
Do you mean SixPack abs, beer, or both?
Both.
Don’t worry, Phish will be in Berkeley after the 3 week are over!
this website will be dead when you all have to avoid disputes with non-jews for 9 days!
these dancing soldiers are somehow funnier with mute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28jRc__tiyQ&feature=player_embedded
I’m a frum music addict (meaning that I’m a frum guy who’s addicted to music, not that I’m addicted to frum music [that would be horrible…]), and sefira and the 3 weeks are the hardest times of the year for me, but I soldier through ’em. A good tip is to try and think of a song in your head, most of the time your brain plays snatches of it, and you can kind of manually extrapolate, sort of listen to the song in your head. Works for me.
Dov Bear… cheater!
I still listen on my 2 hour commute. However, I cut out music while I’m home or whatever, (like doing homework at college I listen to music from YouTube). I’m not sitting on the subway for 2 hours with no music. No WAY, NO How NOT going to happen.
Moishe, it’s easier cuz you’re a guy.
Dovid, you dance to Iron Maiden? I listen to heavy metal but, I don’t really DANCE to it.
VIVA METALLICA!!!!
Thankfully, I don’t have a 2 hour commute! However, I still feel the loss…
Metallica?! Only ever made one decent song (nothing else matters)… I knnow that probably sounds heretical to you, but that’s my considered (and therefore valuable ;-p) opinion.
Metallica<Hellyeah
Metallica<All that remains
Metallica<Wintersun
Metallica<Dragonland
Is this true?
“You do realize that the Rabbis assured acapella music last year”
Anyone else have metal riffs going off in their head when they think of Pinchas?
Umm.. don’t you think you are maybe missing the point of the three weeks? The idea isn’t to look for a heter, but to remember the purpose of this music “fast”. Take the churbon alone and think about it… no really… think about it. After months of starvation, the Romans busted through the walls and started rounding up EVERYONE. They lined them up the stairs… thousands and thousands of them… and slaughtered them one by one on the misbaiach…. The blood poured down the streets.. Sorry if I’m grossing you out, but it was very real to those that went through it.. And the capper… burn down the House of H”S… Destroy our ability to make sacrifices…
I too miss my music… it is a hardship… but when I start “hurting”, I remember the churbon, and remember that we are all responsible for bring moshiach and the third and final Bais…
You might think I’m a fanatic… Sorry… I’m not… Just a torah Jew…
Have a meaningful “fast”…
what abougt jewish music during the nine days???
cd ky