Learning to Listen: Neurological Evidence


Neurological evidence indicates we not only learn to listen, but actually tune our inner ear response based on neural feedback from the brain. We literally are able to actively tune our own hearing.  

When we listen for a flute for example, this is more than a conscious decision to focus on the flute. This creates neural impulses that actively tune ear cells to better hear the flute.  

This whole video is fascinating, but I want to get you hooked right away so check this out:  
https://youtu.be/SuSGN8yVrcU?t=1340

“Selectively changing what we’re listening to in response to the content. Literally reaching out to listen for things.


Here’s another good one. Everyone can hear subtle details about five times as good as predicted by modeling. Some of us however can hear 50 times as good. The difference? Years spent learning to listen closely! https://youtu.be/SuSGN8yVrcU?t=1956

Learning to play music really does help improve your listening.  

This video is chock full of neurphysiological evidence that by studying, learning and practice you can develop the listening skills to hear things you literally could not hear before. Our hearing evolved millennia before we invented music. We are only just now beginning to scratch at the potential evolution has bestowed on us.


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Showing 11 responses by tomic601

@tvad  i so look forward to a symphony with you, may we be graced with that.
wondering when somebody might root around in comparing 2 multi track albums with same artist, different studio, root format ( FBRC is….aghast…Sony digital vs ? for The Well. 

What i find interesting as a critical listening learning tool is finding the root cause of the “grain” ? is it the +2db increased DR in FBRC vs The Well, and is that a recording studio induced grain or maybe just maybe those +2db push the Raven off the perch. Headroom is sometimes everything, especially at the microphone where tgere ain’t no getting it back.

Lets look at attack and style, The Well is way more about an established artist a bit in repose vs a budding star very hungry to make the vocal mark for her mentor, lover, friend… She hits it.
@tvad …could be that i got lucky…. A friend with a superb system circa 1983 or so…Infinity RS ( model down from IRS ), SOTA, Souther, Dynavector, CJ Premier… also a renowned music teacher in Mid Ohio..treated me to Mahler preconcert lecture / symphony in Cleveland …

Part of the lecture ( i may have inhaled ) focused on the selection of material for the death blows…. Leather over wood with a massive wood mallet ( think sledgehammer )….

Amazing, near religious event….

Now is the SOTA at that time Infinity servo woofer cabinet capable of slam and nuance ?….. Better listener for sure…

and fun.
making, recording, reproducing with a critical ear and discernment all along the way…..


Nebraska ( Springsteen ) is a magical tool for building listening skill , created on a 4  track cassette porta studio….
@tvad right on, stuff to challenge the Stax. You might also like;

Amber Rubarth on Chesky, disc is Sessions from the 17 th Ward


The Bryne book is excellent, especially the real world examples of who makes what$ where….
the new trend seems to be the OP goaltending the thread when suits him….

Go ahead, throw the tantrum

Opus 3 depth of image LP, quite useful for discovering those without….depth…
The Opus 3 series had a profound impact when i was a kid… 30 years ago…
@tvad great contribution.  have benefited from your list as well as:

Making my own live recordings w both high speed tape / digital

recording same , only change is venue reverberant space

Learning to play fretless bass….

for those who have an open ear mind. , learning to distinguish between different formats in digital. The 2L recording label has a free downloads bench chock full of great stuff across formats.

attending the pre concert lecture

Sponsorship of expanding a recording studio microphone collection, Listened to 16 ribbon mics to pic 4

……