Conclusion

In this chapter we introduced the skill of Active Listening as a way to open up your ears and mind to all the rich depths and detail in music, and how it all fits together. The core technique is to “listen with a question in mind.”

We covered the four dimensions of music: Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics and Timbre, as well as the fifth dimension of Audio. In each case we covered the basic concepts you need to start listening for those aspects of the music, and suggested example questions you could use in your Active Listening practice.

We discussed the “vertical” and “horizontal” axes of music, and how the different (“vertical”) layers of musical sounds create Texture, and how the way things change or stay the same over time (“horizontal”) define musical Form.

I hope that you tried out some of the suggested exercises along the way, and had fun with the example questions. If you’re like most of our members inside the Living Music program (where we include Active Listening training and exercises throughout), you will have been astonished at just how much more there is to hear, even in music you thought you knew well—and how easy it is to start waking your ears up in this way, just by “listening with a question in mind.”

If you followed the suggestion in the Tip box at the start of the chapter, to write a description of a music track you like, then now is a great time to return to that same track, listen once or more, and write a new description based on everything your ears have now been woken up to.

Aside from all the practical benefits, and the emotional satisfaction which Active Listening delivers, perhaps the best thing about it is how light and easy it can be to put into practice.

Simply by reading through this chapter, you are now fully-equipped to start listening in a new way, and taking your musical ears and mind on exciting new adventures—in any music you listen to or play—from this day forwards, and for the rest of your life!