There's Music in the Air
 

I have recently added a new piece of equipment to my studio which has made my time at the easel exponentially more pleasurable.

To me, one of the best parts of painting is the fact I can listen to great music all day long. I get lost in my tunes and enter the zone while my brush dances along the canvas to the rhythm of the music.

When the music stops or is interrupted, the ensuing silence creates a jarring jolt that extricates me from the flow. I have a six CD changer which requires getting up and investing time and effort, further removing myself from the groove. I can just keep repeating the order but that becomes monotonous. If I listen to my favorite public radio, which plays incredible music, it's still punctuated by banter, news and station promotions. I go in and out.

Now I am in ecstasy for I am in total control of my music. I bought an iPod and a little device called an iTrip. The iTrip allows me to transmit music from my iPod to any empty station on the FM radio receiver on my stereo.

I have so far loaded 50 CD's onto my iPod so far and there is room for approximately a couple hundred more. So now I could just play my music for about thirty uninterrupted hours if I so choose. I can play it in order or I can allow the iPod to randomly shuffle the music according to songs or albums. best of all I can create different playlists that can be played in order or randomly. I can create playlists of happy music, serene music, peppy music (to motivate faster painting!?!) or any type of music that reflects my mood or whim.

I also bring it to painting class with me and play it through the boombox in class. I don't have to lug my case of Cd's to school and once the music starts, I am free to teach with no CD maintenance interruptions or deafening periods of silence.

It's totally awesome and truly brilliant.

Easel-shmeasel! Palette-schmalette!

I love my iPod.

When the art is happenin' - and the music's great....nothing like it in the world. I'm getting myPod soon. I CAN"T WAIT!

David

Marvin, I am glad to hear someone else was going crazy just having to change CD's.

Feeling like a big duh who had never used a mac before - Cindy P. pointed out that I should be using iTunes.

You know I work from my monitor, so it just plays away. Not the great speakers you have, but it sure comes in handy. I love putting the shuffle feature on so one minute it's the Three Tenors, the next, Van Morrison.

Do they make the travel for iTunes too?

Beth, I don't understand what you're asking here?

David, It will be well worth the wait.

Anyone else out there using this little wonder in their studio?

iTunes is music software that came with the operating system.

It works with the iPod, so I didn't know if it's just the iPod that will work with iTrip, or it can transfer a signal iTunes?

Does that make sense? I called iTravel by accident ...sorry.

My husband used to think I was nuts when I complained about having to change cd's because it interrupted my painting.

The iTrip only works with the iPod.

Thanks Marvin, I did some searching and see now that it's a third party software and works with iPods that have docks.

Hi Marvin and Beth. Don't have one of those little marvels yet. I am still in the dark ages with a CD player. It is on the most wanted list though. My CD player has paint all over it from my hands.
My daughter got one for Christmas and loves it. She also got a gift certificate to purchase and download more music from a web site.
I spent all of Santa's money on the new Canon EOS.
And Marvin, I'm using the palette and loving it.
Alicia

Great!

Alicia good to see you! I hope all is well.

For those of us who do not have the wonderful iPod and use iTunes on our computers. I finally found the handy little freeware I have been hoping for.

This is a download for "quickTunes". It puts the information for the track you are playing across the top of your desktop in the menu bar. If you click on the "track playing" you get a pull down menu with things like; stop, play, next song etc.

This way you do not have to switch out of your current window to bring up iTunes.

Don't you love technology!

QuickTunes