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Ambrosa · Mar 2, 2005, 06:04 PM

Is there any way to have iTunes play just one song instead of moving through the playlist?

Thanks!

MartiNZ · Mar 2, 2005, 06:23 PM

Hmmm, I think only by making a playlist with just one song - cmd-shift-N with the song selected....

mdc · Mar 2, 2005, 07:04 PM

the button to the left of the show/hide album art button. click it twice. it will have a circle over it.

itunes will repeat the song now

Ambrosa · Mar 2, 2005, 07:18 PM

I actually wish to play the song once through, not repeat it. I know about the repeat one song function. But thank you for the suggestion.

As for the playlist, I had thought about that option, but it seems rather backwards and cumbersome in order to just play one song. I was hoping that there might be a Cmd-Click type solution to this problem, but I am yet to find one.

Turnpike · Mar 2, 2005, 07:36 PM

right click song, show song in finder, then either play it in the finder (column view) or right click > open with > quicktime

not exactly fast, but it would be easy enough to do

I'm sure somebody could do some magic with apple scripting, too... even if all it did was take the current selection in iTunes and play it in quicktime

Thade · Mar 2, 2005, 09:43 PM

right click song, get info, play preview. Sorry I haven't tested to see if preview plays the whole song or just a clip

J

Ambrosa · Mar 3, 2005, 12:53 AM

Wow...I find it interesting that iTunes does not come with the capacity to accomplish this simple task.

I actually asked the question for my friend who wants to run iTunes on a PC, but this one feature is keeping him from switching.

I love iTunes on my Mac, but it just seems that there should be a very simple way to play just one song.

Guess I'll have to leave some feedback for Apple.

Thanks for your help, guys!

-Q- · Mar 3, 2005, 01:11 AM

Originally posted by Ambrosa:

I actually asked the question for my friend who wants to run iTunes on a PC, but this one feature is keeping him from switching.

That's the dumbest thing I've heard today.

Play one song: press play button. Stop song.

TimmyDee51 · Mar 3, 2005, 01:14 AM

I'm not sure why any jukebox app, regardless of platform, would have this feature. It's not like CD players or portable mp3 players have this. I'm not trying to rail on this kid, I'm just saying the old "stop" button is much more intuitive.

Stradlater · Mar 3, 2005, 01:16 AM

1. Filter the song (search for it in the search box so it's the only one that displays).
2. Play.

That's an easy way to do it without making a new playlist or changing repeat options.

So the feature is already implemented, and I can't think of a better way of implementing it; can you?

chabig · Mar 3, 2005, 01:23 AM

I don't think I've ever seen a music player with a feature like this. Not turntables, not radios, not CD players. iTunes does offer this feature very simply by just putting one song in a playlist.

Chris

electropura · Mar 3, 2005, 01:37 AM

why would you need iTunes to do this?

If all you want to do is listen to one song, you can do that in the Finder.

TETENAL · Mar 3, 2005, 03:55 AM

iTunes plays all songs of a list that are marked with the checkbox.

So you either

a) Uncheck all songs in the list. It will stop playing after each song.
b) Filter the list so that only one song is visible.
c) Create a new list with only one song.

Wow...I find it interesting that iTunes does not come with the capacity to accomplish this simple task.

That's a a lie.

Ambrosa · Mar 3, 2005, 03:42 PM

Thanks to those of you with the intellectual capacity to respond thoughtfully to this request and understand my question.

All of your suggestions are decent methods to complete this task, however, all are too awkward to convince my friend to switch to iTunes.

I don't wish to search through the finder for a song. That's why I use iTunes. I don't want to have to manually stop the song. And when I see the song in iTunes, I just want to play it once, not filter results or click a bunch of check-boxes.

BTW, old-fashioned juke boxes allowed you to easily play just one song, and I would hope for the same functionality in iTunes. It's software, and I expect it to be beyond the capabilities of both CD and MP3 players.

For those who asked, my suggestion would be to implement the Cmd-Double Click or Cmd-Opt-Double Click of a song to play that song just once. I'm not at my Mac right now, but if I remember correctly, these are not currently mapped to any other function.

Thanks again.

chabig · Mar 3, 2005, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by Ambrosa:
All of your suggestions are decent methods to complete this task, however, all are too awkward to convince my friend to switch to iTunes.

Switch from what? What program is he using that does this for him on the PC?

DeathMan · Mar 3, 2005, 05:34 PM

Type the full name of the song into the search filter, so its the only song left. This should work 98% of the time.

No need to get offended when people say its dumb feature. I can't say I've ever wanted to just hear one song once. Usually I like to make a playlist, or listen to an album, or on random.

iREZ · Mar 3, 2005, 05:43 PM

What a stupid reason not to switch. I'd rather him use the software he's using now, I don't want to see a "how do I get iTunes to stop in the middle of the song because I don't want to hear the whole song" thread later on.

chabig · Mar 3, 2005, 08:28 PM

Originally posted by iREZ:
I don't want to see a "how do I get iTunes to stop in the middle of the song because I don't want to hear the whole song" thread later on.

Yes indeed. Let nip that one in the bud right now...select the song and choose Get Info from the File menu. In the Options tab you can set the stop time.

Chris

AKcrab · Mar 3, 2005, 08:46 PM

Yo.
http://www.malcolmadams.com/itunes/s...ustplaythisone
edit: err.. Are we talking about iTunes on windows? If so, disregard.

chabig · Mar 3, 2005, 08:49 PM

Good idea, but Applescripts don't work on PCs.

Chris

aabernathy · Mar 3, 2005, 08:52 PM

I too would very much like to see this feature. Actually, what I want is not quite this but is related: "stop when the current song finishes." I hate stopping a song in the middle, and I hate hovering over the keyboard to stop iTunes when it cues up the next song. (Especially since I still usually hear a few notes of the next song. If I stop the current song before the next song cues up, the play count and play time are not updated.)

I'd really like this on the iPod as well, although on the iPod the controls for activating this are far more limited - it would be a challenge. There a partial workaround is to add the song to the (end of the) on-the-go playlist.

-andrew

chabig · Mar 3, 2005, 09:05 PM

Aabernathy, this thread already explains ways to get the behavior you desire.

Chris

Stradlater · 10:33 PM

Originally posted by Ambrosa:
BTW, old-fashioned juke boxes allowed you to easily play just one song, and I would hope for the same functionality in iTunes. It's software, and I expect it to be beyond the capabilities of both CD and MP3 players.

Honestly, can you elaborate? How do you play just one song in old-fashioned juke boxes? (You can request one song, but music still plays, usually, before the request and after... Oh, and to request the song, you have to type in a code; isn't quickly filtering the song with a keyboard in iTunes a little easier than searching, page-by-page, for the song, then typing the code?)

More importantly, you say that CD and MP3 players have this feature. How are they implemented? (No CD or MP3 player I've used has this feature.)

And again: how would you suggest a better implementation of playing just one song? You have to do _something_ to trigger the setting, and a quick filter seems the best possible way to me.

I don't see how command-double-clicking is more innovative when you should be able to type the song name into the filter field within a second or two (your command-double-clicking suggestion assumes that you have to FIND the song first, anyway, and to find the song you have to scroll awhile or...filter!).

And if typing more than a key to get this done is not an option for you, then here's an option that's complete in as many steps:

Click (and drag to playlist list) the song
Click the playlist
Hit spacebar.

2 clicks and one key, just like your command-double-click suggestion.

Oh, and can you also answer the question that's been asked time-and-again in this thread:

Why would you want to do this?

And another question:

Why don't any of the methods in this thread suffice?

Krusty · Mar 3, 2005, 10:34 PM

This is a weird thread.

But I too am interested in what software he's using on Windows that has this feature such that he won't switch because of it.

Any way to play one song that I've seen is requires something as "cumbersome" as making a playlist, or using search, or checkboxes, or opening the single file in virtually any other media app other than iTunes. What software does your friend have now that has this feature (of a key + click that tells the app to only play that song and then stop).

iTunes is a music catalog/organizer. If he wants to work with individual tracks, just drag from the iTunes window to the desktop and then drag over whatever single-track player you choose (QT, Real, ... whatever)

chabig · Mar 3, 2005, 10:39 PM

Originally posted by Krusty:
If he wants to work with individual tracks, just drag from the iTunes window to the desktop...

Great job Krusty! You came up with ANOTHER way. Drag from iTunes to the desktop, then double-click.

If a drag-double-click isn't as easy as a cmd-double-click then nothing is.

Chris

X-Ti · Mar 4, 2005, 01:05 AM

Select the song, type command N for new playlist from selection and then hit the space bar and the song will play.

AKcrab · Mar 4, 2005, 01:33 AM

Originally posted by X-Ti:
Select the song, type command-SHIFT-N for new playlist from selection and then hit the space bar and the song will play.

Fixed.

waffffffle · Mar 4, 2005, 10:43 AM

Originally posted by TimmyDee51:
I'm not sure why any jukebox app, regardless of platform, would have this feature. It's not like CD players or portable mp3 players have this. I'm not trying to rail on this kid, I'm just saying the old "stop" button is much more intuitive.

SoundJam had this feature. It was strangely labels in the preferences, I think "Play one song at a time" and I checked it. It took me a long time to realize that's why SoundJam wouldn't play my playlists through and would always stop after the first song.

theaidan · Mar 5, 2005, 02:20 PM

lots of cd players have a one-track-at-a-time function. especially useful for radio play.

cacarr1 · Mar 5, 2005, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by Ambrosa:
Is there any way to have iTunes play just one song instead of moving through the playlist?

Thanks!

Maybe I'm missing something, but why is this so difficult? I thought the iTunes version for Windows was identical to the one on the Mac (sans the Dock functions of course).

Highlight the song you want to play, then go to Controls, then down to Repeat One.
That should do it.
Again, maybe I'm not clear on what you're requesting.

Krusty · Mar 5, 2005, 06:30 PM

Originally posted by cacarr1:
Highlight the song you want to play, then go to Controls, then down to Repeat One.
That should do it.
Again, maybe I'm not clear on what you're requesting.

He wants to play one but NOT have it repeat automatically (sorta like what would happen if you played the track with QT). Seems like a pretty obscure request ... but, hey, we're just trying to help a brotha out.

Turnpike · Mar 7, 2005, 02:20 AM

For those still wanting an explanation as to WHY, somebody did post the reason I would want it above already... if I'm going to bed or something, I'd like to just hit a button and have it automatically stop at the end of the current track. The 5-disc changer we used forever at home had this feature. If the OP's friend wants to just play one song, I can see why you'd want to do that... because you only want to hear that song. You don't want to hear it a bunch... you don't want to hear it followed by something else... you want to hear it.

Sure, there are simple workarounds to get this functionality, but they are still workarounds. And for my use (decide to go to bed and want iTunes to automatically stop at the end of the currently playing track) I've yet to see a solution... I'd have to start the song over for any of the methods posted.

I can see times when I'd use it. It seems a fairly simple thing to add. Certainly workarounds exist, but the Apple Experience isn't supposed to be about workarounds.

I can see there'd probably be a way to do this with AppleScript, but for your Windows-using friend I don't see much hope... but then again, I don't know what kind of scripting is available for Windows, really... since no scripting hooks are provided by Apple in iTunes...

Good luck!

Captain Egotist · Mar 7, 2005, 02:27 AM

... this thread is stupid. Dude. Read what people wrote. They've given you a lot of ways to achieve what you want in very little time.

Highlight song, open apple n, space.

OR

just type the name of the freaking song in the 'search' box up top. It will only show the one song. Hit play, and make sure repeat is off. I use it all the time when I'm going to bed an I want to hear a mix set while sleeping.

- Rob

Chuckit · Mar 7, 2005, 03:02 AM

Originally posted by Turnpike:
Sure, there are simple workarounds to get this functionality, but they are still workarounds.

What do you want from us? A patch to iTunes?

Originally posted by Turnpike:
And for my use (decide to go to bed and want iTunes to automatically stop at the end of the currently playing track) I've yet to see a solution... I'd have to start the song over for any of the methods posted.

You don't (or at least I don't) have to start the song over using a Search filter.

Stradlater · Mar 7, 2005, 03:37 AM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
You don't (or at least I don't) have to start the song over using a Search filter.

Exactly.

1. Tab
2. Filter

3. Don't be an idiot.

siMac · Mar 7, 2005, 08:46 AM

This thread is hilarious.

Seriously, thanks for brightening up my Monday!

Turnpike · Mar 10, 2005, 02:25 AM

Originally posted by Chuckit:
What do you want from us? A patch to iTunes?

Yes, I want you to patch iTunes. Either that or I was pointing out that some people have different things they want from their music playing app, as quite a few people asked "why would you want to do this?" I gave them some reasons why they somebody would want to do that. Sorry if I offended you somehow, I didn't mean to.

As for the filtering, hah, yes, I hadn't thought of filtering after the song was playing. Still, sure would be nice (FOR ME, NOT ALL PEOPLE AGREE! fair warning) to just have a button for it.

omar96 · Mar 10, 2005, 12:41 PM

Originally posted by Krusty:
But I too am interested in what software he's using on Windows that has this feature such that he won't switch because of it.

Windows Media Player does it pretty simply: double-click the song you want and if WMP is your default player, it just plays the one song. I think there's a quick and easy way to do it with WinAmp too.

siMac · Mar 10, 2005, 03:34 PM

Originally posted by omar96:
Windows Media Player does it pretty simply: double-click the song you want and if WMP is your default player, it just plays the one song. I think there's a quick and easy way to do it with WinAmp too.

Ditto iTunes.