Elvisa Musical Revolution

Really Listening to Music can Help You Expand Your Mind and Appreciate Music on a Deeper Level. We’re happy to help you with each step. Warren Lee, a professional composer, pianist and music educator, was interviewed to learn how to listen to and appreciate Music.

What You Need to Know

• Focus on the melody, harmonies, repetitions, variations, and melodies.
• While listening to the song, close your eyes, imagine the emotion of the Music, and visualize the scene in which it could be played.
• Focus on the colour, texture, and balance in the Music. Warren Lee, a professional pianist, music educator, and composer, recommends that you “think about the feelings and emotions” of a particular song and “learn to hear it as story.” Close your eyes and imagine a scene where the Music is playing. Is it the mood of an autumn rainy day, the excitement of your first love, or nostalgic memories of summertime when you listen to the song?
  • Colour: The unique quality of sound of an instrumental that is not characterized by pitch, rhythm, or volume. For example, the timbre or quality of the chord. What would the predominant mood or vibe be if the song were a movie scene?
  • Texture is the way different layers of sounds are combined in a musical piece. The rhythm is the main factor. Pay attention to whether the notes are long, smooth and well-held or short, choppy and distorted.
  • Balance: The distribution and balance of energy in the Music so that no one instrument or element dominates the song. The song could start sparsely, as at the beginning of Hey Jude, or be loud, bold and full of noise at the end.
• Focus on one instrument in the song and its contribution. Ignore everything else. Listen to how the instrument phrases the melody, the intonation and the tone. Play the solo again to check for any changes. Does the melody take on a new accent? A new rhythm can add more groove. A buzz can suddenly become a jumble of excitement and noise.
  • Tone: A vocal sound or instrument that is characterized by its pitch and duration.
  • Donation: Pitch accuracy of a musical instrument or musician. In other words, the flatness or sharpness of a note.
• Consider the song’s progression or movement. Play the song again after the first time to see if any changes have occurred from the beginning of the song to the end. Is the singer still in the same spot as when they began or is the song telling a story about how they have “changed”? Professional pianist, composer, and music educator Warren Lee says that paying attention to the storyline of the song can help you listen to Music more critically.
  • What is the point at which the overall feel or idea of the song changes if the song seems to change? How does the singer accomplish this change? You can appreciate a song more if you try to understand its meaning.
  • One of the most famous and important examples of change and movement in pop music is “Hey Jude”. Look up the lyrics at sites such as Genius or AZ Lyrics. Research the social and historical context of the song by reading the annotations made by the artist.
  • Attention to the song’s overall structure. Warren Lee is a professional pianist, composer and music educator. He believes that one of the best ways for you to learn to play the piano is to practice. You can also find out more about the following: Listening to Music allows you to understand the structure of the piece. You can note any repetitions, variations, melodies and harmonies and ask yourself why they are repeated. Does it highlight the lyrics or the melody?
    • Repeating: When a sound or sequence is repeated repeatedly throughout a song.
    • Variation: When material in a different form is repeated, for example, by changing the harmony, melody or rhythm, timbre, orchestration, counterpoints, etc.
    • Melody: A collection of notes, such as the notes in the chorus of “Seven Nation Army” or the notes at the start of the song. It is often the catchy melody that makes a song popular.
    • Harmony: A group of notes that are played at a given moment. Imagine what music “vertically” sounds like or how different voices, instruments and chords are combined in a single moment.
  • Listen to the lyrics of the song and look for context outside the song. You can follow along with the lyrics by using websites such as Genius or AZ Lyrics. You can read the annotations of the artist or other users to understand the lyrics better. Pay attention to imagery, metaphors and wordplay. You can also research the social and historical climate at the time the song was released. When you know that “Tears in Heaven”, by Eric Clapton, is about his tragically dead son, it becomes even more powerful.
  • Kendrick’s “The Blacker the Berry”, a letter written by Kendrick after Trayvon was killed, is an incredibly personal one. You might not like the song if you are unaware of the social and political implications.
  • • You can improve your concentration by playing longer pieces. It’s perfectly normal to lose concentration when listening to long pieces of Music. The composers are aware of this and include “benchmarks”, or musical elements, throughout the song. You can challenge yourself to listen to each section again and focus on the parts you missed. You might be surprised by the subtle differences you notice the second time! Start by listening to Duke Ellington’s “Diminuendo in Blue.“ The Music is not only long but also high-energy, exciting, and full of themes and melodies.

      Find high-quality audio outside streaming. While streaming Music can be convenient, many services compress audio files. This can result in a reduction of dynamic range and quality. Vinyl records and CDs have a richer sound than streaming platforms. However, some platforms provide premium audio options. Tidal is a popular platform that offers high-resolution streaming.

  • • Alternatively, you can purchase a DAC to convert digital audio files into analogue audio signals. This will improve the quality of Music on your computer, laptop, or phone.
      
    • Use high-quality headphones to listen to your Music. Headphones let you hear every detail in a song, creating a more immersive and personal listening experience. Many headphones are more affordable than speakers, and some even have noise-cancelling options to block out distracting background sounds.
      • The Sony WH1000XM5 and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are both high-quality headphones.
      • You can enhance your listening experience by moving around. According to studies, listening to Music activates the brain’s reward centres, while dancing activates sensory and motor circuits.  Listening while driving is a great way to enhance the experience. Dance along with the beat and focus on the melodies and instruments within the song.
        • Listen to Music as you drive along a scenic route. Visual stimulation can help enhance the colours and textures of the song.