Learning to listen

[Eddie]

Any tips on how to listen to music? What to focus on? For example, how to listen to reverb or compression? What are some good examples to learn from? Doesn't need to be as extensive as Bob Katz's list of CDs:

http://www.digido.com/honor-roll.html

 

When I started playing guitar I was tone deaf

I could not tell the difference between rhythm and lead guitar, or hear any chord changes.

Today I can play a bit of guitar, harmonica, bass, and very little piano. I've been very lucky and have played with many great musicians. I also enjoyed recording songs and playing all the instruments, but usually from a written score. I would spend a very long time programming the drums and piano, for example. As an experience, this allowed me to "see" what each instrument was doing and how they fit together in a song.

 

Recently I've been thinking more about my lack of listening skills. When I used to purchase records or tapes (and later CDs), the first thing I would do was to read all the text (e.g., liner notes, lyrics). The music was secondary. Even today I can spend a long time reading books by Dylan, Lou Reed, or Leonard Cohen, without spending as much time listening to their music.

Having said all this, my listening skills have definitely improved

 

Once I was in a recording session, a sax player was improvising a solo, and after a take the engineer asked him to start from the section where he played a certain note, let's say G for illustration purposes since I don't recall what the note was. The sax player seemed confused, and did not know what section the engineer was referring to. The engineer then proceeded to sing back the improvised sax solo section, and pointed out the G note in question. I guess he had perfect pitch and an amazing auditory memory. I've never met anyone like him.

 

Another experience involves live playing. The band leader of one of the bands I played with would tell the sound engineer to boost or cut specific frequencies by a specific amount. He was very precise in his instructions. Later I recorded at his studio, and was also quite impressed by his talent and by his hearing.

 

Are there specific tips to improve these skills?

 

I'm no longer tone-deaf, and although some very talented people have asked for my feedback (no pun intended) when it comes to their music, mixing, etc., I know that I have a VERY long way to go. I remember once during rehearsal I kept hearing a "metronome" but no one else heard it. Turned out to be my guitar's pickup picking up the sound from my analog watch second hand. To me it was interesting that no one else could hear it. Finally my ears were developing!

 

I am familiar with ear-training courses, such as Golden Ears, Perfect/Relative Pitch, etc., but wanted to know what the fine folks here recommend.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Jeff da Weasel]

1. Start small and work your way up. Listen to recordings you're already familiar with and then do some research. "What was the guitar they used on that solo? Oh, a Stratocaster? Ah, that's what a Strat sounds like." And so on.

 

2. Begin with individual sound sources (drums, vocals, basses, etc.). What do you like about certain sounds? What don't you like?

 

3. See a lot of live shows, preferably in smaller venues where you can tell what the band is doing. See how the choice of instruments and playing styles affect the overall sound.

 

4. Start to envision a recording as a picture. What is in the foreground? The background? What's on the left and the right? Why does one thing seem up close, and another thing seems farther away? Is it the volume level? the amount of reverb? Take a pencil and draw the sonic landscape.

 

5. Listen to classical music, both orchestral and solo. Listen to what's happening harmonically, what's happening melodically. Get some reference books on famous composers and then follow along with what they're doing.

 

Good luck.

[Lee Knight]

I like to listen from the bottom up. It seems if I lock into the bass part, I hear everything. In context. How it interrelates. Along those same lines, If I'm riding a vocal level, sometimes it helps to not concentrate on the vocal. If I'm comping a lead solo, listen to the drums.

 

Don't obsess on minutia. Squint.

[Eddie]

@Jeff da Weasel,

Thanks for the tips. I've already done 1 through 4, but will listen to classical music more attentively now.

 

@Lee Knight,

Thanks. I'll try that approach next time I mix, hopefully this weekend.

 

I found some nice Q&A with various engineers/producers at Gearslutz, so I'll read those. Years ago I had The Audio Pro Home Recording Course , by Bill Gibson, but I think I gave it to my cousin. I recently read Mixing Audio by Roey Izhaki. I'll check some of the examples in the accompanying DVD. I did it again, I focused on the reading and not on the listening

 

Thanks again for the tips.

[stevie j]

This may sound pretentious, but I've found the best way to listen is not just to focus on what your ears hear, but also on what you feel.

 

IMO, listening with my ears is good for EQ'ing, for compression, I feel I'm more effective if I switch of my ears and feel the music. Good dynamics are felt IMO. That is the difference between a professionally produced recording and an amateur recording. It is a hard skill to master

[michaelhigh]

Learn to read. You can visualize what you hear on a score. Learn how instruments are voiced so you can hear arrangements before they happen. I can play any song I've heard more than 3 times that isn't going a million miles a minute, with a zillion notes in a song, without ever having played it before. I built a local reputation as a ringer bass player from being able to play 4 sets a night without rehearsal. Do as I say and you will be able to do the same. Watch your per gig rate go through the roof as well.

[Ernest Buckley]

I got the Mix Reference CD about 10 years ago... not exciting stuff by any means but you`ll learn so much just listening to it. Being able to pick out which freqs need adjusting is vital. This reference CD has tones at different freqs which really teaches your ears.

 

I know this may sound obvious but its great to sit down with headphones on and listen to records. I`ll usually do this and focus on one thing at a time. So I may actually listen to a record 3-4 times this way just to study it focusing on the background instruments like the percussion on a track or background vocals or those little guitar licks that are not the primary focus but add depth and interest to a song.

 

To me, listening on headphones is about getting lost in the music, blocking everything out and really living in the space of a recording. Quite fun and a great learning experience.