Listening to music with no need for my iPod

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Hi,

I'm new here, trying to figure out if I have Asperger or not... I'm asking myself... I just realized I was absentmindedly replaying some Bach music in my head. Back in the stone age, when I didn't have an iPod, I did it quite often, "listening" to entire concertos or symphonies I was just recalling...

I did the same thing with passages of my favorite books, or poems, which I had memorized tons of (I still do that sometimes in fact). Thought it was practical because that way I didn't have to carry those books around if I wanted to "read" them.

Does that relate to anybody's experience?

Very much so, although mostly with music. It sounds to me like your recall exceeds mine. <Jealous>

I'm also constantly peppering my speech with extended quotes from my favorite films and TV shows. Some appreciate it very much, some... not so much.

Regards.

Music soothes the soul and so does certain passages.

TheSunAlsoRises

Yes this does relate to me, I love that I can recall music because it keeps me 'sane' at times

I think the same applies to me. I have much less capacity for memorizing, especially books and poems, but parts of songs and melodies are almost constantly looping in my mind.

Kinda like we are our own private DJ's. I'll even catch myself dancing (briefly) on occasion, only to feel immediately awkward after realizing that "oh yeah, no one else can here this sh_t but me."

Oops.

Wooooh! I'm not alone. But then, maybe it's not something that relates only to Asperger... Still, as I was reading on the subject, I read about "stimming", and realized that the way I start singing, or reciting poetry when I'm stressed, might have something to do with. It may seem strange, but if, for example, I'm late, anxious about being late, and rushing to get ready to go (on the verge of panic that I won't be ready in time and will forget important things), I will most certainly start singing.

I can do this too. When I have a song in my head, it's as if I'm actually hearing the song.

definately; i usually have 4-5 passages on a silent loop that i can turn 'on' whenever i get an annoying song in my head or want to ignore other external sounds; although i do prefer to listen via my ipod, it has a larger selection and prevents me getting bored with the few mental samples i have

I've been doing this since my earliest self-awareness, though when I have the opportunities I'll run the physical medium - sometimes you just have to move some air.

I always reckoned most musicians have an internal metronome and key signature. I'm on the fence here; I know some NTs who are in the same groove as me and I know a couple spectrumites that trying to accompany becomes an instant trainwreck

Then there's the thing with playing a solo instrument over my internal songs where it becomes a portal between being inside the song and hearing it out in the room. It's the closest thing I can find next to teleportation

Your post title made me think of a cover picture on the UK satirical mag 'Private Eye' a few years ago.
It's a picture of the Queen, and the caption has her saying to somebody:
'It's wonderful. You can take it with you anywhere you go, and it will play any music you want. It's called....
the Band of the Grenadier Guards!'

Funny

Yep, I do this too. I have multiple versions (studio vs live) of some of my favorites memorized.

I do that too- before ipods were invented, I used to 'listen' to songs in my head all the time. I can also do it with audiobooks which is how I know the first three Harry Potter books by heart. Really like being able to do that!

I think of it as listening without hearing.

I try not to skip to the good parts, fast forward, or replay the same song too often though, since sometimes I'll start remembering remembering it instead of recalling the original composition.

The weirdest thing is reconstructing an entire piece you haven't heard or thought of in years from a single half-remembered fragment.

Yes, I can do this with music and other things I hear. I used to say I had a "tape recorder" memory. It's useful to do it with lectures in school: I don't necessarily listen at the time, but play it back later. It's not 100% but close enough that I can rely on it. I try not to play back conversations, because then I re-experience all the anxiety that's usually involved and more.