Reply #1: There's no right way or wrong way to start with classical music

[Lydia Leftcoast]

I began by attending recitals and concerts on campus and buying recordings of pieces that appealed to me. If I really liked a certain recording, I would try to find others by that same composer or performer, or perhaps other music from that same era.

Classical stations usually have playlists on their websites. If your local station carries Performance Today, that's a great program for a beginning classical music collector, because they not only have recordings of live performances from around the country but also interviews with musicians, discussions of musical terminology, and contests and quizzes.

Just start with pieces that "grab" you and go from there. No one's going to give you a hard time if you don't have certain canonical pieces.

My own collection is heavy on choral music, and I don't have very much Beethoven. But there's nothing wrong with that.

Your mileage may vary.