by Alissa King

Created on: December 29, 2006   Last Updated: February 15, 2007

Thanks to the newer technology that enables personal computers to 'burn' downloaded songs onto a disk, I've started using my iTunes to create gifts for friends and family members, particularly during those times when my wallet is a bit empty. Creating a good playlist for someone else is tricky. Musical tastes vary so widely that you have to know something about that person's likes and dislikes, otherwise you're taking a shot in the dark. I find that I would rather a be a little creative and try to weave together songs that they like with songs that they have probably never heard of. This requires time, guesswork, and a large, eclectic group of songs to start with. It is not a time-saving method, but if you have a tendency to be inordinately fond of your new finds in the song world, and rather more than eager to want to expose other people to them, then you can try this out.

The benefits of a weave c.d., as I'll call it, is that you don't have to persuade someone to sit and listen to a song after you've verbally extolled the virtues of the rhythm, song-writer, musical method, etc. People tend to find this tedious and when they listen to a song, they're more close-minded if they've had to listen to you first. If you make them a c.d. that weaves some of their favorites with some of your erratic little gems, then while flipping around trying to find their favorites, they might hear your songs. Once you've heard a song more than once, your brain starts to familiarize itself and this can either lead to deep-seated hatred if you dislike the tune or a certain fondness that can develop into actual admiration of a new artist.

So, first spend copious amounts of time (and possibly money) developing a huge song list. If you have a large collection of compact disks, you load them all onto your computer program so they're accessible. Then there are several sites online to download music from. The iTunes store is one of them. I like to find artists I've never heard of. One way to find these artists is to listen to N.P.R, or check out the up and coming In-die Rock sites, or find the albums from movies and television shows that you like and painstakingly download each artist till you find out which ones are compelling. This method sounds like torture to a busy person, and like heaven to a music lover. We all waste our time in our own particular way, and I like to waste my time trying to discover a wonderful tune.

Once you have a good launching place, the large playlist, then find

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