shuffle feature

Shuffle mode by definition means to play the playlist at random. In a random selection it is perfectly possible for a tune to play multiple times before all the tracks have been played once.

Here is the srticle that covers how to play songs in iTunes 11

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12331

I suppose if you split the playlist down you would be more guaranteed of hearing all your tracks

Smart Playlist!

Create a Smart Playlist that looks at the first Playlist. So the rules of the Smart Playlist are:

• Playlist is <name of your Playlist> (from the drop down menu)
• Last Played is not in the last x weeks/x months etc.

... and play from the Smart Playlist!

The result is that once a song has been played, it is dropped from the Smart Playlist until the time you specify has passed. Then, the song is automatically put back into the Smart Playlist again (see point 2, below).

If you are doing this only in iTunes, the results are immediate. If you transfer the Smart Playlist to your iPod, then there are a couple of things to consider.

1. Sometimes the song is removed from the iPod's copy of the Playlist as soon as it has finished. Unfortunately, sometimes it isn't and neither myself nor the poster who found this problem in the first place have been able to identify exactly when this does or does not happen. (It's a minor issue really though!) However, at each Sync of the iPod with its Library, the copy of the Playlist on the iPod is correctly updated.
2. Each day that iTunes is started, the Smart Playlist will be updated and any song due back in the list will be put back at that time. It will only appear in the iPod's copy of the Playlist when you Sync the iPod with iTunes.
3. The song remains on the iPod, even if and when it is removed from the Smart Playlist - provided of course, that you haven't exlcuded it in some other way.
4. You can play the song, even if it is not in the Smart Playlist, either by using the regular Playlist or by finding the song in the Music, Artist or genre menus, as normal.

Well... four thing to consider. 😉

For a Playlist of 3,321 songs, assuming that you listen to approximately 20 a day, you could exclude a song for 166 days before the list is empty, so set the exclusion time for (for example) 100 days. If you listen to 100 songs a week, you could exclude them from the list for 33 weeks, so try 25 weeks. You can always adjust the length of time.

Great Answer fiend you can learn something new each day 🙂

😁

In the example I used above, although I mention the Smart Playlist emptying out, my timings were designed to prevent that happening. But suppose this is really, really the desired effect?

How about the following then? (not quite so fantastic, but...)

In the regular Playlist of 3,321 songs, note the minimum number of Plays the songs have had. (You can display the Plays column in the view for an individual Playlist, in the iTunes Library.) Suppose some have been played many times, others not so many and some two or three times. A few songs have been played only once, some have never been played.

It's possible to create a different Smart Playlist that once again, looks at the first regular Playlist. But this time, the second rule is Plays is less than 3. Any song that has been played once, twice, or never at all will be in this new Smart Playlist. Songs that have been played three or more times will not be in it.

When the Smart Playlist empties out, because every song in the Regular Playlist has now been played at least three times, simply change the Plays is less than to 4, or 6, or 9 - whichever number you choose. Obviously, in this example, if the number is set too high, then a song can potentially be played more than once before it's excluded, without every other song being played. But I hope you get the idea.

One of my Smart Playlists looks at several other Smart Playlists, each with a different exclusion time. Favourite songs come back into the master list sooner than less favourite songs. In addition, the (master) Smart Playlist watches one extra Smart Playlist, that is set to Plays is less than 1 and limit list to xx songs. That's to chuck in a few songs that I have never played.

It's the Magic List.

🙂