5 Compelling Reasons for Becoming An Active Music Listener

What is active music listening? It’s immersing youself in the song you’re listening to to the point that it becomes an experience in and of its own, rather than pushing the beautiful record into the background and doing just about everything else. Active listening is when you pay attention to the instrumentation, words, inflictions, change of rhythm and patterns, bridges, break sections, and even back vocals and rendition style. It is a powerful tool for self-discovery, creativity, and overall well-being. If you’re interested in finding out how exactly the seemingly-passive yet mentally-deamnding activity benefits you, keep reading.

5. Increased Acoustic Awareness.

One of the key benefits of active music listening is ear tuning. The same way you tune a guitar, you can tune your brain and sound perception by listening to a wide array of records, compositions, soundtracks, albums, etc. When you intently dissect what you’re hearing, you focus all of your attention on the sounds and vibrations entering your ears. You do that enough times and you will suddenly hear even old songs as newly transformed creations. As a musician, you will only get better and add depth to your own art as a result.

4. Better Emotional Comprehensiveness.

Actively listening to music will also help you tap into your own, oftentimes incomprehensible emotions. Musicians have the unique ability to evoke deep feelings and life events, whether they be joy, sadness, anger, or excitement. By treating the consumption of a record the way you would treat a 3D movie, you will better understand your own sentimental states, both negative and positive. You might even end up saving money on therapy because EMELINE’S cinderella’s dead clearly pointed out how you forgot your own value in order to please your egotistical ex.

3. Awakened Creativity.

Even the best painters in the world were once rookies learning how to properly hold and use a brush. The best writers are hardcore readers themselves. Equally, the music artists you look up to, have guaranteedly consumed more music than most people walking on Earth. How come this pattern is noticed across all industries? Because you need to eat before you can shit. Weird allegory, we know, but stay with us. How can you create fantastic music when all you’ve ever heard were your mom’s lullabies and the Super Mario theme song? For you to create legendary tracks, you must assimilate as much music as possible before creating, and even after the fact, in order to perpetually stay sharp and flexible in your songwriting and composing process. Think of it like creating a database of ideas for your brain to pull from throughout your lifetime. Mindless listening won’t achieve this level of creativity. Active music listening — will.

2. Expanded Social Awareness.

Actively listening to music is a powerful tool for connection, socializing, and even community building. Say you’re from Spain and local music is mostly what you’ve been feeding your brain until the moment you picked up a Blues album and with it, the transcribed text of the song. You will be shocked how much data, emotional nuances, and time-capsuled events are imprinted in the songs across the world. You want to understand minority groups and their frustration with the systems? Hear out their top leading artists. You want to build empathy for people coming from a different culture than yours? Hear out their music. Actively listening to music pertaining to diverse social and cultural backgrounds than your own, will aid you tenfold in connecting with those people.

1. Efficient Coping Methods.

Do you know why coloring books for adults became a total hit ever since they hit the market in the early 2010s? Because they pull the person out of his own head and into coloring between the lines. An activity so simple yet so profoundly appreciated by those who’ve experienced the magic of active meditation (most artistic minds have trouble sitting idle).

Respectively, by hyper-listening to songs that replicate the emotions you’re feeling, you learn to use someone else’s art as a steam blower. Why punch a nice pillow when you can listen to some angry Metal Rock growling, screaming, and yelling? Leave the nice bedding alone.

If you’re looking to both become a better musician and improve your mental acuity, begin practicing active music listening. Engage all of your senses, focus on the present moment, and allow the sounds to take you on a journey of self-expression and connection. With its numerous benefits, actively listening to music is an investment in your well-being and a gift that will keep on giving.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Spotify