Source• Passive Listening
• Blended-Passive Listening
• Blended-Active Listening
• Active Listening
Each Of These Levels Demands A Different Amount Of Focus From The Listener
• Passive Listening is most often electronic and simplistic. Beat-focused music with no melody or hooks falls into this category. It requires no mental focus from the listener. Instead, theses songs provide a positive flow of energy for the room. All who hear this music have their moods elevated even when they are not focusing on the music. We often hear this music in malls or at other social functions.
• Blended-Passive Listening happens with music that can be enjoyed passively, but nudges at our conscious attention from time to time. It usually contains a catchy hook, or a suspenseful musical moment that is so much fun we just have to open up and let it in to our attention. But this attention is fleeting, we give it for a moment, and then we return our focus to something else. Blended Passive Listening allows us to tune into or out of the music at will.
• Blended-Active is the opposite of Blended Passive. When we listen to music in a Blended-Active state, we are mostly tuned into it with our conscious attention. We are listening in a Blended-Active state when we know some, but not all, of the words to a song. The music pulls at us. We enjoy the music and we want to focus our attention on it, but we are still able to carry a conversation and focus on other things.
• Active listening is being completely engaged in the music. We cannot carry a conversation. We cannot process tasks such as homework or folding clothes. Every part of our attention is focusing on the music. We save this listening for our very favorite songs. Any other music that requires all of our attention to appreciate its nuance falls into this category
Legendary Bands Appeal To Multiple Levels
I believe the Beatles' music appeals to all levels simultaneously. I think this is part of the reason their music is timeless.
You can always tune into a Beatles song at any level. Leave it on the background and it gives you energy, inviting you to focus on it without demanding your attention. However, the moment you decide to focus your attention deeper you can always find something interesting. It may be John’s perceptive lyrics, Paul’s clever basslines, Ringo’s perfect choice of personality-inducing backbeat, or George’s tasteful guitar. There is always something to focus on with the Beatles. In this way their music is appealing to the Active listener, the Passive listener, and any blend of the two. All of us transition fluidly between these states throughout our day.
Shouldn't our music be just as fluid?
This is an original post by @CosmicVibration for Steemit on 19 February 2018
I think an interesting point to consider is how different music, for different people, evokes these various levels of listening. In an article prior you talked about music targeting people on the emotional level. I wonder if entry to deeper emotions levels is not only cued by something interesting but by something that illogically targets this emotional response?
Just a thought I had as I read this this. I am appreciating all your are articles. Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic question @zuse0. There is a magical flow of energy in your body when you hear music that you absolutely love on all levels. When this happens, the rational mind will rationalize "why" the body loves this music in any way it needs to! I think this process is different for everybody.
Music touches that deeper, illogical, level in a way that spoken language can't reach. I believe that music is our natural method of communication, one we are all born with, for this reason. It transmits emotions. We just rationalize those emotions later.
This is my belief right now, and I am constantly reflecting on it.
Finding a lyrical way to reach that level? That's a special task. I think that words and music carry tremendous power when combined. I think the subconscious understands this power and protects us by making us avoid certain songs with detrimental messages.
I will continue to ponder this. Thank you for sharing! Please share thoughts any time you are moved to do so.
I have to say I think of this the same way. Great work!
glad to hear it @grobens. I would be interested to hear your thoughts sometime.
There's nothing better than some good liquid music! In the right frame of mind, of course.
@doc-gonzo, I have always found myself drawn to water when describing music. Flow, rising, falling, swells, flood of emotion, wash over you. I think good music resembles water. Even more so when my mind is in a more perceptive state
I always have to. This, for me, has been confirmed and the effects exaggerated with the aid of LSD.
For the longest time I listened to music on CD's. I never did own an ipod or anything like that and I was a late adopter of smartphones. The music I had on CD for was what I listened to, when I was away from a computer. As such, I was an avid album listener. Put the disc in and press play. I was not one to jump around searching for specific tracks, only my ipod owning friends were of that variety. A good album is much like a storm. It either comes in subtley and swells up to a climax only to ease you back down to earth, or it starts out strong than tapers off with maybe something of a larger wave (climax) towards the end. A good album is like riding a wave in the middle of a storm. I never understood the hopping around, track to track. Music and water go hand in hand in my mind.
My taste is very similar. I deeply enjoy albums. It is like a picture of an artist at that time. You can experience their growth and inspiration all in one. You can wash yourself in that sound. I love albums.
The only time I really enjoy jumping around track to track by various artists is at bars or parties. When I am by myself it's albums all the way.
Some of my recent favorites...
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
We Get Requests - Oscar Peterson Trio
Healing Sounds And Frequencies 2 - Jonathan Goldman
Talking Book - Stevie Wonder
Another Live - Utopia
Something/Anything - Todd Rundgren
so whether it is possible in one music alone to the four levels
yes @sepdali95 I believe it is. I believe the best music can reach us on all of these levels, allowing us to tune out or in and delighting us with what we find. Cheers!
i think that was awasome
@originalworks
good