I put Part 1 in the title because there is no one way to listen to music. Periodically I’ll share stuff like this about how people listen. You see, we tend to forget that what we don’t listen to won’t be there when we need inspiration to write. Makes sense?
Once in a while you need to put aside your guitar and walk away from the piece of music you’ve been sweating over to learn. Then you need to kick back, close your eyes and listen to the same music. You’ll notice there were so many elements of the piece you hadn’t heard of when you were just focused on learning it.
Side tip: this may be obvious to most but if you’re having problems learning a phrase, try to hum it. If you’re stumbling you need to listen to the piece again and hum along to it until you get it. Once you’ve done it, give those finger on those strings a try. It will work.
Listening is an art. It’s more physical and touch-sensitive than you could’ve ever imagined. Evelyn Glennie’s presentaion will open the eyes of your ears. She’s amazing!
Enjoy!
