5 Ways to Improve your Music Listening Experience
Does music ever get repetitive and boring to you? Do you ever get tired of hearing the same songs over and over again? As a DJ I often got music fatigue. Then I realized I was not enjoying music. I was just listening to it.
This is a guide to help you identify 5 ways to improve your music listening experience.
1. Listen to a Complete Body of Work Rather Than Hand Picking Songs
Think of your proudest body of work.
Is it a piece of art?
A blog post?
Imagine you spend weeks, months, perhaps years on it. You put thousands of dollars behind a marketing campaign. This is your best work.
Then… your audience consumes only a fraction. They open up your document, skip right to the middle, read a few sentences, no more than a paragraph, then they close it up.
Let’s take the famous archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, the Mona Lisa. It has been described as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world.”
You travel across the globe and you see this.
Still iconic and recognizable. From just a glance I know right away that this is indeed the Mona Lisa. However, the character of the piece isn’t captured. Interpretation is made difficult and connecting to the piece becomes increasingly difficult because it is only a part of the whole body of work. The artist didn’t intend for just part of the masterpiece to be seen.
Check it out now.
Each time you observe this piece do you notice new features? Do you have new thoughts? Look at the background, the position of her hands, the texture of her hair. Where do you think she originates from? Where is she now? What’s her story? These questions become easier to answer.
Music is no different. Artists specifically place certain records onto albums. After recording tens of hundreds of songs, only a handful make it on the final project. The order even matters.
Within music there is history, emotion, significance — so much more than just a single song. By taking in albums from start to finish you begin to develop the ability to put together a story. You are able to relate to the artist more. A wide range of thoughts, emotions and feelings will form that allow you to appreciate your favorite records — more importantly appreciate the artists themselves.
Try it out: listen to your favorite song that comes to mind first. Then, go back through and listen to the entire album in the track list order. Notice the difference in how you enjoy your favorite track. It may not even be your favorite once it is said and done.
2. Pair Music to Colors
Have you ever noticed how colors can be paired to specific emotions? When you feel sad what color would you associate with that? How about happy? Angry?
Color psychology is not a new concept. However, it may be a new concept for how you personally interpret and see life with it. The psychology of color is based on the mental and emotional effects colors have on sighted people in all facets of life.
However, applying color to audible experiences can be a unique way to improve your music listening experience. Music and color are similar — they both have the power to strike us in memorable and emotional ways. Yet… most overlook the connection.
Warm colors such as red, yellow and orange can spark warmth, hostility, maybe even anger. Cool colors such as green, blue and purple often bring about feelings of calmness as well as sadness.
Check out the color wheel below. I use this as a resource for assessing colors within the songs as well as the emotions and vibes they bring.
Try it out: the next time you are listening to your favorite song, consider matching it to a color. How you do it is completely up to you. Experiment and see how you can begin pairing songs and colors — then pair similar colors with your playlists.
As you grow in your ability to pair the two, you will begin to compare low musical notes with dark colors (negative) and high notes with bright colors (positive).
3. Listen On Different Sound Systems
Have you ever listened to a new song in your headphones and you didn’t care much for it? Then, the same song comes on in your car, the bass hits stand out and now all of the sudden you love the song?
Not all songs were created equal, nor were the speakers that we listen to them on. Some songs sound better on massive speakers with large subwoofers that create heart pumping lows (sub & bass). Other songs sound better on speakers with smooth crisp highs (rides, shakers, keys, hats).
Here is a short video that shows the different types of frequencies:
Different speakers emphasize different frequencies. Lower quality speakers often cannot produce the frequencies the artist put into the song — they may not have the frequency at all!
Try it out: grab a couple different types of speakers — headphones versus car speakers versus home set ups. Let me know what you discover.
4. Find New Sounds within a Song
Going off the last step, when you use different sound systems you will find many melodies and hidden sounds you may have never heard before. Perhaps there is a synth in the background you have not heard yet. However, you don’t always need a different sound system to find it, sometimes you just need to listen closer.
When you intentionally listen to a song, you might even hear a lyrical reference that you didn’t previously. There may be an allusion or metaphor that you didn’t catch the first time.
Here’s an example in a Linkin Park song that took me about six months to recognize. Skip to minute 3:18. In the background you will hear a faint “I do” sampled from the chorus of the song.
It was a game changer. I cannot believe it took that long to hear it. Check it out:
5. Discover New Genres Outside of your Preference
This one is my favorite. Music has such a deep, rich history. There are so many genres from all over the planet. Different cultures have developed their own sounds.
I get it… you may only listen to one genre of music, but I want to challenge you to find some tracks outside of your preference.
Compare it to never leaving your hometown. There is so much more of the world outside of your comfort zone — food, clothing, life.
Music is one in the same. Don’t be the party goer that cannot have fun unless you hear your favorite songs. Don’t be the energy that can only vibe out to a certain genre.
Try it out: go to your favorite streaming service and listen to a top playlist from a genre you don’t typically listen to. Find a handful of songs that aren’t “that bad” and save them to your song library. Let the songs play out when they come up and you’ll find your ear begins to change.
Music is a beautiful thing. It’s time you start enjoying your listening experience even more.
What methods do you plan to use to improve your music listening experience?
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Iman Tucker a proud member of Believe Brand Co.
Believe Brand is a faith based apparel company who exists to allow others to express their faith and contribute to local causes through the proceeds.
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