Shut Up And Listen

This information applies to all instruments. Its intention is to guide you closer to being a more refined listener. Ultimately becoming a better musician. 

The first brain wave you have when you play a musical instrument should be to listen. This would seem to be obvious, but it is far from it. Listening should be the foundation of every decision a musician makes. It applies to practice, performing, playing in a group, recording, anything that involves you and your instrument. 

DEVELOPING THE INNER EAR

Close your eyes without your instrument in your hand. Now imagine you are playing your instrument. How does it sound? What does your tone sound like? What do you hear? Can you hear new music? Do you hear a song you know how to play? Visualize how things really sound. This is your inner ear. This is an important compass. Trust this compass always. 

Here are some exercises to develop your inner ear:

1) Try hearing a melody in your head, then sing it out loud.

2) Listen for “how you sound” when you play your instrument. Almost as if you are the listener and someone else is playing. 

3) Sing along with your instrument. If your instrument doesn’t allow you to sing along then simply imagine yourself singing as you play. 

Be gentle with these exercises. You are already a great listener, you may just be unaware of it at this point. Make it a focus to develop this awareness and you will thank me later. 

DEVELOPING AWARENESS OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS

Listening doesn’t just happen within yourself. It happens outside of yourself too. 

Take a moment and stop reading this. Close your eyes and simply listen to what is going on around you. What do you hear? Is there a dog barking? Is someone cooking? Did a car just drive by? Is music playing in the background? Just listen. Don’t get in your own way and think about what you are going to watch on T.V. later on. Just take a moment to listen with intention. 

Stop now for a minute or two and listen to what is happening around you.

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Every time you heard something in this previous exercise… it was a cue from the drummer to slow down, or it was a lick the sax player played that should inform your next chord voicing, or it was the singer phrasing in a way for you to speed up on your instrument. If you listen, you make better music.

HOW TO LISTEN WHILE PLAYING IN A GROUP

1) You should be listening for space. The deeper you listen the more obvious space will become to you. Playing a new lick or a fancy line is great but it becomes what it is when you provide gaps for the music to breath. When a group of musicians approach a song or composition with space in mind, magic happens. Simply listen to how you sound in context with everyone else. Absorb it all as a total product. Listen deeply, inject space and it will put you in a mindset that will make you sound more musical. 

2) You must consider how your instrument blends with the other instruments. Listen to your tone and volume in particular. Remember that what you sound like next to your instrument can be entirely different to how someone across the room is hearing it. It’s crucial to be aware of this. Consider it and blend yourself appropriately.

3) Listen for what the others are playing. Is the drummer trying to tell you something by the way he or she is hitting the ride cymbal? How about the bass player, what is being said by listening to his or her playing? Always be open to what the others in the room are telling you on their instruments. They will appreciate this and change the way they play. You will naturally create better sounding music because of it.

LISTENING WHILE PRACTICING AND RECORDING 

These are two very different topics but both benefit from listening in a similar way. For most practice sessions you should be considering how you sound. Think about your tone. Hear it for what it is. Even if you are practicing a section over and over again, you should never loose sight of how you are sounding in that moment. Your practicing results will improve significantly over time if you keep in mind “how you sound”. 

The same applies to recording. Tone is king on a record so it is important to have spent time in the practice room developing an awareness of “how you sound”. If you don’t like what you sound like, simply stop sounding like that. It may take time but continually remind yourself to push to sound like how you want. Knowing you don’t sound good is actually a good start. You are hearing things like a musician should. 

FINAL REMARKS

I want to make it clear that your skill level on your instrument has little to do with interfering with your ability to listen. Some may think that learning a technique or being at a beginner level requires more brain power therefore it is tougher to listen effectively, but in fact that is wrong. Listening is a skill, yes, and it has to be developed, but it is available to you in every moment. All the way from when you are first learning an instrument to when you are on a big stage in front of a large crowd. Tune into it and you will see results.