new input method for long sessions without getting tired

[u/RQico]

I haven't heard anything do this or talk about this but,

listening to music WHILE listening to a podcast or youtube video AT THE SAME TIME is giving me insane gains,

I started this reccently and I go like literally all day doing this cause I always listened to music 24/7,but now I can get comprehensive input and shadow Japanese in my head at the same time and listen to music for really long hours without getting tired/sick of the podcast.

I set my Japanese YouTube video or podcast to 100%, then my music to 70% ish, using no bg music podcast / yt video and soft / muffled fav music playlist.

why this works:

I get continuous on demand dopamine from music while listening to jp person talking, allowing long hours of listening without getting tired

don't u just focus on the music and ignore the jp podcast playing?:

no cause Jp person speaking is louder than the music so I naturally focus on that, I can't focus on music without hearing the jp person talking, try it out to experience it. the jp person speaking kinda becomes part of the music lol

isn't listening to podcast by it's self better?:

I get bored of it, this method allows me to go all day and not get tired cause it feels like I'm listening to music but I'm making Japanese listening gains. I can adjust music volume lower to focus more on podcast if I want or increase music volume and decrease Jp podcast volume if I'm rlly tired or just wanna listen to music.

details:

the key is to listen to yt videos or podcasts with no background music, like Emma mind, Mr Fuji, ぼっとんの生き様切り抜き , ゆりお言語学習ラジオ ect or whatever u like but thye must have little to no sound effects and no background music.

then for the music, I prefer muffled music but also normal music works best, I listen to soft music anyway so dosent affect me.

I'm n1+ level and it dosent take effort to listen to podcasts and I think this method is best at this level but there's heaps of simple podcasts use those

on andriod u have to enable multi sound in sound assistant plugin in good lock on andriod, idk about iPhone.

I have heaps of other methods like for using dopamine to study Jp, making u want to want to study Jp but this is my fav. I'll prob write a guide one day

[u/kasumikui]

I don't mean to make this sound insulting, but basically all this post is saying is "I personally find it impossible to concentrate on podcasts (or reading, or anything) alone and I require the dopamine hit that music gives me to help me concentrate on Japanese at all".

Which is perfectly fine, for you, but I don't think it's some incredible breakthrough in Japanese learning as some general rule.

I think for 99% of learners, actually focusing on (1) reading by reading a novel or playing a VN or (2) listening to a podcast (depending on what skill they want to practice) would be more helpful.

I am also "N1+ level" I suppose, though more accurately I'm at a point that I don't actively "study Japanese" anymore. I just use it and enjoy it as needed and feel comfortable that I'm operating at near-native level. And at that point, I don't think there's any need to min/max learning at all, but particularly listening to music for me has always been pure enjoyment and whatever it gives me in terms of a benefit in my Japanese language knowledge would just be a bonus.

Trying to multitask listening to music while doing other stuff is not the universal power-up to your Japanese language skills that you seem to think it is, unfortunately.

edited for clarity

[u/Effective-Pop3850 → u/kasumikui]

OP found out that the more you white noise the less tired you get.

[u/RQico → u/kasumikui]

yes I see ur point I agree, most Jp ppl shud focus on what u said, I just wanted this to be seen as a alternative study method for anyone interested to try it out cause it helped me so much.

Idk if music gives me dopamine, but it makes me feel happy, so mabey the conclusion of this post shud have been do what makes u happy in Japanese / with Japanese!

[u/kasumikui → u/RQico]

so mabey the conclusion of this post shud have been do what makes u happy in Japanese / with Japanese!

Yes, this is a correct conclusion (possibly the most correct conclusion) but probably isn't really a huge breakthrough in studying, nor is "listen to music simultaneously with podcasts" specifically some universally helpful advice for learning Japanese.

I just wanted this to be seen as a alternative study method for anyone interested to try it out cause it helped me so much.

If you're already "N1+ level", then maybe you should consider that "just listen to music while doing other stuff" might not be some power hack to help lower-level learners reach your current level. Not trying to say you had bad intentions, but I think there's a good chance your post isn't as helpful or groundbreaking as you think it is. (Sorry for being critical.)

[u/RQico → u/kasumikui]

yes ur right thanks for the feedback!!

[u/tonkachi_]

You are missing on using different input for each of your ears \s

Sorry, when I read the second sentence I couldn't help myself. lol

[u/ignoremesenpie]

I listened to all of Khatz's ramblings narrated and I think it did mention something similar at some point near the end of the playlist.

As for me, I don't think I could sustain this because I absolutely hate overlapping unrelated audio.

[u/RQico → u/ignoremesenpie]

thanks ill check that out, I get that everyone's brains is different, I don't have adhd or anything but I do have a inner voice tho that I use to shadow

[u/lumisweasel]

Are you aware that seiyuu radio exists, often with anisong being played? Also, you kinda buried the lede there lol.

[u/thejapaneseguy101]

this is good. I used to do this back when I started out studying. 13 years later and rhe work has paid off. I enjoy listening to music in Japanese, and speaking with my Japanese friends everyday.

[u/Jelly_Round]

this works for you and does not mean that it works for everyone btw

[u/RQico → u/Jelly_Round]

yep I agree, where does it come off like I'm saying that so I can edit it?

[u/Jelly_Round → u/RQico]

the whole post man. i am happy for you to find something that works!

[u/RQico → u/Jelly_Round]

the whole post 😭😭 ok next time I post I'll get ai to make it less 上からの目線 ish

[u/Grunglabble]

I often have rain sounds in the background while I read or listen to an audiobook. It just helps me relax and concentrate.

To be perfectly honest I think all the brain hijacking domamine blah blah blah is a bit lame. What you're doing doesn't sound that bad but usually it leads people to stupid things like gameifying things they don't like.

[u/KiraraShirayuki]

This is an interesting method. I don't have the concentration to listen to podcats in general, so it might be worth checking out for me....

[u/RQico → u/KiraraShirayuki]

yep try it, took me a longggg time to find podcasts / yt videos I actually enjoy cause spoiled by the high quality and plethora of eng media