Active vs Passive Listening, Choose Wisely!
What type of listener are you? Are you an active listener who actually listens? Do you engage in the music, listening for little nuances, trying to determine what is the artists intention? Or are you a passive listener who plays music to set mood, performing some activity while music plays in the background?
What does it mean to listen actively? what I mean is actively listening and absorbing sound. Plain, pure sound, in the case of music, and what is usually a complex, intoxicating sound in the case of good jazz. So often in our day and age I see people continuously listening to music, which is more available now than ever before. People can listen to music any time, any place they choose thanks to iPods, iPhones, iPads and iWhatevers. But I question whether thats really listening. Maybe its just hearing.
Personally, I get equal joy out of both passive and active listening. It gives me renewed mileage out of my favorite songs. To be honest, I'm fairly aware of when I'm enjoying music passively, and when I am actively, critically listening. Sometimes I'm just enjoying them as songs, but sometimes I'm actively listening and learning. Learning what the musicians did to make it feel and sound a certain way. Learning how an engineer enhanced the vibe of a song with various techniques.
I think everyone has different natural traits as an active listener depending on their musical experiences. As you train your ears and brain to be acutely aware of specific elements and relationships within music, you can almost never turn back. Once you initially become aware, it's hard to go back to being unaware.
Its less important on what type of listener you are, its more important to choose what type of listener to be, especially for specific activities and environments.
And I wish, in some ways, that wasnt the case. Music deserves our full attention, and while we cant all stop our lives to continuously devote ourselves to manmade sound, we could perhaps set aside a little time to try to appreciate it more fully, more thoughtfully. Personally I find I can discover layers of texture and detail and meaning when I take the trouble to actively listen to a great piece over and over again. We could probably discover more, and educate ourselves in the process, if we would only take the time to really listen.
What's the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is passive, while listening is active. Listening is also a very rewarding experience. Listening to music enables you to learn the fundamental elements of music, such as form, melody and rhythm, through which you can come to understand and appreciate many types of music
Here are some exercises that will help you sharpen your music listening skills:
Play the song through while listening exclusively to one specific musical instrument. It's best to start with an instrument that you can hear clearly, such as a drum or guitar. Focus on that instrument while trying to hear what it's playing (the melody or rhythm) and how it fits in or supports the piece. Try to discern how the instrument blends with the other instruments. Play the song over until you understand the instrument's role in the song.
Try to locate the instrument's stereophonic position; for example, full right, center or left-center. Use headphones for the best results.
Play the song again, and this time get a feel for how each instrument works together with another one to build a musical foundation or mutual support. Note where they complement each other and where they don't.
Music listening is, well typically at least, quite an...intense experience for me. When I listen actively, I become motionless, focusing on nothing but the music, and let it "come to me" or "wash over me", trying to connect to the music emotionally! Anyone else thought about active v. passive listening?
Cheers
What type of listener are you? Are you an active listener who actually listens? Do you engage in the music, listening for little nuances, trying to determine what is the artists intention? Or are you a passive listener who plays music to set mood, performing some activity while music plays in the background?
What does it mean to listen actively? what I mean is actively listening and absorbing sound. Plain, pure sound, in the case of music, and what is usually a complex, intoxicating sound in the case of good jazz. So often in our day and age I see people continuously listening to music, which is more available now than ever before. People can listen to music any time, any place they choose thanks to iPods, iPhones, iPads and iWhatevers. But I question whether thats really listening. Maybe its just hearing.
Personally, I get equal joy out of both passive and active listening. It gives me renewed mileage out of my favorite songs. To be honest, I'm fairly aware of when I'm enjoying music passively, and when I am actively, critically listening. Sometimes I'm just enjoying them as songs, but sometimes I'm actively listening and learning. Learning what the musicians did to make it feel and sound a certain way. Learning how an engineer enhanced the vibe of a song with various techniques.
I think everyone has different natural traits as an active listener depending on their musical experiences. As you train your ears and brain to be acutely aware of specific elements and relationships within music, you can almost never turn back. Once you initially become aware, it's hard to go back to being unaware.
Its less important on what type of listener you are, its more important to choose what type of listener to be, especially for specific activities and environments.
And I wish, in some ways, that wasnt the case. Music deserves our full attention, and while we cant all stop our lives to continuously devote ourselves to manmade sound, we could perhaps set aside a little time to try to appreciate it more fully, more thoughtfully. Personally I find I can discover layers of texture and detail and meaning when I take the trouble to actively listen to a great piece over and over again. We could probably discover more, and educate ourselves in the process, if we would only take the time to really listen.
What's the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is passive, while listening is active. Listening is also a very rewarding experience. Listening to music enables you to learn the fundamental elements of music, such as form, melody and rhythm, through which you can come to understand and appreciate many types of music
Here are some exercises that will help you sharpen your music listening skills:
Play the song through while listening exclusively to one specific musical instrument. It's best to start with an instrument that you can hear clearly, such as a drum or guitar. Focus on that instrument while trying to hear what it's playing (the melody or rhythm) and how it fits in or supports the piece. Try to discern how the instrument blends with the other instruments. Play the song over until you understand the instrument's role in the song.
Try to locate the instrument's stereophonic position; for example, full right, center or left-center. Use headphones for the best results.
Play the song again, and this time get a feel for how each instrument works together with another one to build a musical foundation or mutual support. Note where they complement each other and where they don't.
Music listening is, well typically at least, quite an...intense experience for me. When I listen actively, I become motionless, focusing on nothing but the music, and let it "come to me" or "wash over me", trying to connect to the music emotionally! Anyone else thought about active v. passive listening?
Cheers
