Ear Technique

[Doughd54]

As far as listening goes, I feel I haven't truly developed my ear technique. Now, I don't mean this in terms to transcribing or figuring things out. I mean, when I listen to a song, I'm really only listening to one part and am just aware that the other instruments are there. The same thing happens when I'm jamming with the band or listening to live music, In fact, until recently I thought it was outside of human ability to hear every part of a song at once. Then I listened to an interview with Jaco. It described a technique he used to hear every part at once that he called "letting your ears float above the music"
What are everyone's opinions on this? Is there a technique to hearing every part at once? Do I just have bad ears?

[dvh]

Seems straightforward enough to make the concious decision to listen to the whole and "float above the music" but I'm like you and, I expect , like the vast majority of human beings, I tend to focus in on this or that usually led by my eyes.

[Deacon_Blues]

When you know your parts so well you can play them without thinking, it's easier to listen to what the other ones play as well. I don't believe it's much more complicated an issue than that.

[mambo4]

I agree with Deacon_blues

for me, when I learn a new piece my goal is to get it to automatic mode as fast as possible, so that I can listen more attentively.

Once you internalize/muscle-memorize your own part to the degree that it doesn't require the majority of your attention, you can free your musical attention to really listen to the ensemble as a whole. Then you are adjusting your playing with a more holistic consideration to the whole song, rather than just playing your part.

That's the point of practicing, for me.

[MarkTAW]

Or getting your playing as automatic as possible on the whole - so that your fingers do your brains bidding as easily as your legs do when you're walking. Then you're pay attention to whatever you choose, stepping back from the painting to take in the whole before diving in and changing things. Like when you first learn to drive, you're obsessed with the mechanical details, but after a while you learn to react, paying no attention to your foot on the accelerator of a 2 ton death machine, but swerving in to and out of traffic like water trickling down a window pane.

I've brought more than one sloppy mess together by doing this & then deciding to simplify, simplify, simplify my bass line. So that it became a solid foundation and all the sloppy quirks of the guitarist & drummer fell in line with my steady fundamental.

(end of highly mixed metaphors)

[wazzel]

My listening training began in 5th grade when I started playing sax. Constend reminders from the band director to "listen", "blend", etc, etc really inforced the need to pay attention to what is going on around you. I can pick out what I want to lsten to or listen to the whole thing. Listening in a "rock" band is not that big a deal. You only got a few instruments ina relatevly close proximity. Listening is a big challenge in a marching band. You got 50 or so people spread out over a football field, instruments point all over the place, no monitors and nasty echos coming back at you from the stands. Listen and pay attention to that while you are playing a wind instrumet, from memory while marching out a formation, from memory you get real good real quick at multi tasking.

[Doughd54]

Perhaps i should restate my question, I didn't mean I can only focus on the bass parts. What I do mean, is that after I have my parts internalized and made automatic, I find myself unable to concentrate on the guitar and vocals at the same time, or the drums and vocals or guitar and drums.. and so on. I want to be able to focus on everything at once, is this possible?

[jerm]

with the use of certain illegal substances yes, but it really just requires listening to alot of music alot of the time. I know what you mean but only some of the time am I able to listen to everything at once, sometimes I want to focus on what the guitar or vocals is doing.

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by Doughd54

Perhaps i should restate my question, I didn't mean I can only focus on the bass parts. What I do mean, is that after I have my parts internalized and made automatic, I find myself unable to concentrate on the guitar and vocals at the same time, or the drums and vocals or guitar and drums.. and so on. I want to be able to focus on everything at once, is this possible?

Sure it is. It's the same skill conductors develop - some of them are sensitive enough to hear just one instrument out of tune or playing incorrectly, and point it out immediately. It will come in time.

[mambo4]

I am not sure I ever hear the 'whole thing' at once.

When I get to the point of being able to really listen , I generally follow a single voice and try to notice how my lines either support or detract from the it, and adjust accordingly. Usually it's vocal melody, but I also try to spend some runthroughs of the song focusing on drums or the guitars...

and as MarkTAW mentioned, my first adjustment is almost always to simplify, simplify,simplify.

[theshadow2001]

Actually I believe those that can't play music hear music as a whole and not individual parts. Just this mesh without any real parts to it.

[MarkTAW]

It's sort of like being a sound guy. You sit there and just listen to the balance. If you've played with these guys a lot, you know what it should generally sound like. If not, you know what this style of music should generally sound like and, just like the sound guy, you go "what's too low, or too high? what's out of pitch? what's sloppy?" etc. except, without actually asking these specific questions, it's a non-verbal thing.

[Dogbertday]

Yes it's very possible... some music is easier than others, but it is possible to hear everything at once...

how do I personally do it?... I have no idea really. I guess I must have just gotten used to it. Getting my part down pat is step 1 (if its preconcieved) if i'm improving it I try adn start simple and not step on any toes. and I try and get into the other musician's heads... luckily this situation doesn't really come up with 15 other people very often. it's usually 2 or 3 others.

[MarkTAW]

Originally Posted by Dogbertday

Yes it's very possible... some music is easier than others, but it is possible to hear everything at once...

how do I personally do it?... I have no idea really. I guess I must have just gotten used to it. Getting my part down pat is step 1 (if its preconcieved) if i'm improving it I try adn start simple and not step on any toes. and I try and get into the other musician's heads... luckily this situation doesn't really come up with 15 other people very often. it's usually 2 or 3 others.

Getting into other musicians heads is easy - they're so big they fill the room.

[OtterOnBass]

When you listen to CD's do you only listen to one part? It's the same kind of thing. You'll need a good well-mixed monitor or else it will be more difficult.

[Dogbertday]

Originally Posted by MarkTAW

Getting into other musicians heads is easy - they're so big they fill the room.

yeah and it's VERY easy with some of the ones I play with.. Not only are their heads huge but there's plenty of free space too!...