Listening to music is central to learning it, creating it, and enjoying it. This statement might seem blatantly obvious but funnily enough, listening is something that is often overlooked by aspiring and even experienced musicians. Most students of music have a desire to improve at their given instrument, this desire can lead them to become too caught up with the physical nature of that instrument. For example, a guitar player might be trying to learn a new song using chord shapes that they are unfamiliar with. They may become frustrated learning this new piece because they are repeatedly making the same mistakes despite many hours of practice. Perhaps this guitar player is focusing so much on the muscle memory of the new chords that the sound and movement of the piece has not been fully absorbed into their ear. The student may find that taking a break from their instrument and focusing on listening to the piece repeatedly can have a hugely positive impact on their learning. Through repeated listening, the student can become so familiar with the music they can hear it clearly in their mind's ear. When they eventually do come back to their instrument it is much easier to learn and play the new piece.
Clearly listening is vital in music learning and creation, after all, we are dealing with sound. Yet still, listening is something that can be overlooked by many. Let us explore listening on a deeper level to try and understand the different types of listening we can engage in and how they affect us as music fans and developing musicians.
1. PASSIVE LISTENING
Passive listening is a type of listening that everyone engages in almost every day. We are passively listening to music when music is not the primary focus of that moment but can be heard in the background. You might be shopping listening to some cheesy muzak on the grocery story speakers, it could be a band or playlist playing in a restaurant as you eat your meal or maybe you turn the radio on in the morning to break the silence as you prepare your breakfast. Listening to music in this way can create an ambiance and enhance the experience that you are having but it generally demands very little attention from the listener.
2. ACTIVE LISTENING
Active listening requires you to actually choose the music you are listening to. This could be your favorite artist's best album, a composer or songwriter you admire, or even exploring some new and unfamiliar sounds to your ear. Either way, we usually do this for enjoyment. For almost all recorded and live music this is the goal; for listeners to enjoy the experience of listening to that music. Active listening requires much more of your attention and can actually have a very positive impact on your musicianship. If you are constantly listening to your favorite guitar player, bassist, or singer you will subconsciously start to absorb their sound. This will then eventually, over time, come out in your playing whether you are conscious of it or not. This is what many artists call their influences.
3. DEEP LISTENING
Although similar to active listening deep listening is a much more conscious and focused type of listening. Deep listening requires your maximum attention and a lot of energy but it is by far the most fruitful in terms of improving your musical ability. Deep listening entails sitting with a piece of music for long periods of time and being totally absorbed in it. Often deep listening occurs when we have a deep emotional response to a certain piece of music. Perhaps it is your favorite album or song that you have heard hundreds if not thousands of times. It almost feels as if the music is engraved into your soul. You know every note, every lyric, every change in tempo, every riff, and you can sing the guitar solo. You find yourself sitting there thinking ‘what is that chord?’ or ‘how did she do that’? This type of deep listening can have a huge impact on your musical ability and taste. In this sense it is similar to active listening, however, deep listening has a much more profound influence on your style.
Anyone can participate in deep listening by totally giving their attention to a piece of music but how can we really harness its power for improving our musical ability? One of the best ways of doing this is through transcription.
TRANSCRIPTION
Transcription is a form of deep listening where we commit ourselves to learn a piece of music by ear from a recording. At first, transcription may seem impossible and take several hours to even replicate a simple passage of music. After time and numerous attempts transcription will become easier and easier. This type of listening is extremely beneficial for your musicianship and your ear. You will learn to play your favorite riffs, licks, bass lines, solos, etc using only your ear and they will be committed to your memory for much longer than if you tried to learn these parts from a book.
HOW DO I START TRANSCRIBING
Firstly we must start by choosing something close to your level of ability. For your first transcription maybe choose a very simple song and learn the vocal melody by ear. This is what singers do all the time. Then try applying this process to another instrument you can play. Put the music you are learning on youtube, Spotify, or whatever medium you usually use and listen to the song several times. Focus on the sound of the song, how it makes you feel, what you like, what you don’t like. Explore the music and really try to enjoy it as much as you can.
Once you have done this you can begin the transcription. Listen to the piece or part you are trying to learn repeatedly. Often people will loop small sections and slow them down so they can hear exactly what is going on. By slowing down these smaller looped sections, learning them on your instrument, and then putting the whole thing together piece by piece, the process becomes a little less daunting. Once you have done this you can try to emulate the entire passage on your instrument and play along with the recording note for note. Many people will use music software to create these loops and slow them down. There is an App called 'Amazing Slow Downer'
which is relatively cheap (usually under €20) that you can buy in most app stores online if you would like to try this at home.
Transcribing music by ear is one of the fastest ways of improving your musical ability. Although it is time-consuming, difficult, and requires a lot of energy it will improve all aspects of your musicianship. Once you become better at transcribing music, learning songs, performing with others, your sense of rhythm and composing will all become easier and much more enjoyable.
So, as an aspiring musician try to be aware of how you are consuming music and the impact that it may have on you. Try to actively and deeply listen to as much music as you possibly can, it will help you improve your ear and develop your own style. Try to transcribe something no matter how simple that it might be. It is perhaps the best way to improve on your instrument. All the greatest musicians developed their skill through transcription at some point or another so why wouldn't you?
For further information on transcription check out these videos:
