Intelligent Listening
In class we have identified these three levels of listening:
- Passive Listening
- This type of listening occurs when you are close enough to the source of the sound to hear it, but you are not consciously hearing it. An example: you are driving in the car with the stereo on, but you are not aware of what is playing.
- Emotional or Connotative Listening
- Emotional or Connotative listening occurs when music, or any sound, triggers a memory or an emotion in you. Instead of concentrating on what you are hearing, you focus on what you are feeling. An example: a song reminds you of a specific moment of a date in high school.
- Intelligent Listening
- With Intelligent Listening you are very aware of what you are hearing. Some examples: you try to identify some strange sound you hear at night; or you try to figure out the lyrics of a song.
Of the three levels, the last, Intelligent Listening, is the level needed when studying or analyzing music. In order to achieve the Intelligent Listening level, we make observations about the music by answering a series or checklist of questions related to the characteristics of the music. The act of concentrating on the music, and not the emotions or memories the music makes us feel or remember, places us on the Intelligent Listening level.
Here's the basic checklist to date with additions and changes from our class on January 4 [Revised and new questions are highlighted in yellow with new ones also in bold]
- What is the name of the song?
- Who is/are the performer(s)?
- What style is the music and what sounds do I hear (Stylistic Idoms) that make me choose this style?
(Expanded version of "What style is the music?") - What is the Form of the record? (e.g. IAABABInsABBB)
- What is the tempo of the music?
(Updated version of "Is the music fast or slow?") - What is the meter of the music?
- Does the record have an obvious backbeat?
- What are the dynamics of the music?
(Updated version of "Is the music loud or soft?") - What instruments am I hearing?
- What kind of singer(s) do I hear? Male/Female? Solo/Group?
- What are the lyrics about?
- What is/are the outstanding characteristic(s) of the music?
- What is the mood of the music?
- Do I like the music? Why?
Here's the full checklist (PDF file) we'll use for the Intelligent Listening assignments. And, here's the Online Practice Version of the checkist.