Mega Music Site - Listening to Music : How do You do It?

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14th August 2008 - by Josh Lipovetsky

Listening to Music : How do You do It?

In the world of music, there are endless possibilities for creativity in production. But when it comes to sitting down and listening to your favorite artists, what is the best way to do it?

Most people don't think about it, but throughout the course of this article, you will obtain possible life-changing strategies to listen to your favorite music. There are 3 main methods for listening to music; perceptive listening, casual listening, and background listening. Each method will be outlined, and benefits will also be discussed. Now is the time to experiment with all of the ways you can listen to your music!

When in the state of perceptive listening, you are fully aware of your music; that is the lyrics, rhythm, all of the instruments and components of the track. This state may be difficult to achieve if you have never been a perceptive listener before. It is the most rewarding listening experience, clearing our mind of everything but the pure sound of music. We cannot achieve this state if there are other thoughts racing through our head; your mind must be completely blank, letting the music take you away. How do you know when you are in a perceptive listening state? You will become unaware of your environment (closing your eyes is strongly recommended), focusing on nothing in your life but the music going through your head. Your mood will be directed by the type of music you are listening to, and some will experience a state of Euphoria. When in perceptive listening mode, always aim to be in a Euphoric state, as it will make the music that much more enjoyable. This can lead to becoming more relaxed, having less stress, and an overall improvement in life. If you haven't given perceptive listening a try, do it right after you finish this article. What have you got to lose?

We spend a lot of time in the Casual listening mode, which is the line right between Perceptive and Background listening. You are fully aware of the lyrics/rhythm, and auditory elements are comprehended. We are usually performing some task that distracts us from the full perceptive state, so euphoria cannot be experienced. When listening casually, our mind only donates part of its attention to the music, so only part of us is affected while listening. Our mood does change along with the music, but it is generally a weaker feeling than perceptive listening. While we listen to music casually for a long period of time, our subconscious processes the information, and songs have a tendency to get stuck in our heads. Unfortunately, you cannot be fully immersed in the music, and that takes away a key element of enjoyment. Since we spend so much time casually listening to music, we think this is the most involving method of listening. Practice perceptive listening, and you will see the vast difference.

Sometimes, we have so many mind-numbing tasks to do, hitting the play button is the only way to keep our sanity. This is called background listening, and it helps us get through our challenging days. Casual listening is very common among teenagers who study for tests, and generally people who listen to music while working with their minds. This is when we are in the weakest state of music perception, and auditory elements aren't usually comprehended. You can get so caught up in a task that you forget any music is playing. Because our mind is focused on so many things, our mood will be least affected by music. Obviously, this isn't how music was intended to be listened to. So what benefits does this bring? Lets look at Johnny: Johnny is studying for his math test, and he is really struggling on a concept. He puts on his headphones on low volume background listening to help him relax, and suddenly he is able to comprehend his math problems. On the day of the test, he can actually play back the song in his head, then his subconscious will recall his studying, and that helps him recall the important math concepts. Johnny gets an A on his test....So you see where this is going; background listening affects the subconscious mind, which leads us to the final point. Memory. As shown in Johnny's case, memory can be improved by listening to music in the background. So what are you for? Listen to more background music, improve your memory!

Perceptive Listening, Casual Listening, and Background Listening. Each one has its pros and cons. When possible, try all 3 techniques, and see which one you like the most. If you haven't experienced the thrill of perceptive listening, you have to try it soon. If you haven't relaxed to some casual listening, you might want to give it a shot. Some people, however, aren't able to have music in the background while working. You know who you are. Give these techniques a shot, you never know what kind of amazing improvements could come about in your life. It's the little things that can make a big difference. Rediscover your music, rediscover the way you listen to it!