When I listen to a song, I let it go in one ear and out the other. It acts as the musical soundtrack of my life, playing quietly in the background. Right now I even have a song playing in the background as
I write this. I am only realizing now that I'm not really thinking about what's playing. It's a quiet piece of music called, "Shrinking Coasts" by Vio/Mire. As I listen more intently though, I can hear each instrument; the strumming of the guitar, the low bass plucking, and the soft voice that coats the top of it.
The other day in class when we listened to "Maple Leaf Rag", I think I finally got to the point where I could take apart what I heard and vertically listen to it. When we walked into the class room, we all heard the jazzy tune playing and probably all let it act as background noise. Nobody took it apart and analyzed what was going on; at least I didn't. After discussing vertical listening, and hearing the song again, I got a better understanding of what we should be listening for in life. Listening again in class to "Maple Leaf Rag", I could pick out the higher notes being played which are the melody, and the lower notes which are there mainly to accompany the top keys of the piano.
We can vertically listen to anything we want. The suggestion in class was that we try and apply this to other things like movies and people. I think I'll try watching a movie a few times and look for different aspects of it. I think its important to take in what hard work was put into a piece instead of just skimming over the surface of it. If you have ever tried to make a movie or compose a song, you understand how difficult it is to get all the little pieces together. To actually listen to a song probably takes a small fraction of the time it took to listen to it. To really appreciate a piece of art or music, I think as of a week ago, I will try to vertically listen to it. This will allow me to get a deeper understanding of the arts. It is a hard idea to grasp, and requires a lot of concentration for what most people consider a leisure activity, but I think the after effects of it are so much more fulfilling.
Hey Becca!
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to me to find out that you did not pay attention to music as closely as you do now. I always thought of you as one of those types of people that got carried away by music. From reading your blog though, it seems that with Mr. Allen's influence you have now been able to do that! I have to agree though, usually when I am listening to music in my car or while doing homework I am not actually paying attention to what is going on in the music. Not just the lyrics but what the artist is trying to convey by the whole tone of the piece. I also agree that when I do end up taking the time to pay attention to what I am listening to I enjoy it so much more. I can tell you have a deep appreciation for music and I remember after this lesson in class you were very excited about taking it further into your regular life. Reading your blog was almost poetic, like a song.
-Elyse