Can our ears be trained?

[fnerron]

I am not sure if it is the right category but since there is a sticky on how to describe sound I am trying here...


I am totally new to hifi. I've read often people saying that some have "better" ears than others. I realize that we cannot do anything about genetics, but what about training your ear? Like wine enthousiasts that can train their nose with smelling kits, is there a way to improve our listening experience (without upgrading equipment)?

The vocabulary thread seems like a good place to start, but how do I test the different sound descriptions?

How did you pros did it???


Thx

 

[espire]

The pros do it subjectively. Their ears are not much better than ours; they can merely express it with words and have experience with high-end equipment. The most important thing is knowing what to listen for, which means that you need to have some experience with some nice high-end headphones. Again, it's all subjective, you're the pro if you can tell yourself whether or not you like a pair of headphones.

Definitely go with the vocabulary thread, but you won't be able to test the descriptions until you have good examples of each item.

 

[Assorted]

Absolutely, people who practice the scholarly arts of music especially from an early age have their ears trained for relative pitch.

But I seriously doubt how training your ears can improve your listening experience. You don't have to have trained ears to appreciate music.

 

[Caribou679]

i think you can train "your ears"( if that makes sense!!??

A few years ago I started to listen to funk music. In the beginning I had difficulty with it cause it was new and I was not used to the different sounds and beats present in that music. I then moved to Africa Funk and there it was less a strain to appreciate and understand it.

I then make some of my friends listen to Africa Funk and for them it was the first time. I had to show them, put their attention on some details and specificity of that music and then it was easier for them to recognize and appreciate.

The same for classical music. I believe someone has to train his ears to listen as it might be very new to one's experience.

With the sounds and music and the gears and headphones I think it's the same. One has to be able to experience some sound and then he can start to appreciate the differences.

And having fun with this hobby!!

regards,



This is a hobby,

 

[Assorted]

Doh :/

I don't think you can heighten the experience in conventional music. But if you "train" yourself to listen to Sufi music, you might get a trance!

 

[noblsheep]

it's not so much having 'better' ears than knowing what to listen for. for example, as you upgrade your equipment, you will realize how more expensive stuff is better soundwise than your previous stuff. and hopefully we'll all find the perfect sound...

 

[-=Germania=-]

Ummm...

I have now"mild" hearing loss in the left ear. I had severe before I had surgery in September where they replaced 2 of my bones and gave me an artificial ear-drum. Before the surgery, I could hear from 12-23k (which is basically like a baby). Now I can hear 50-18k since, but hear much more.

Now, my point is that I grew up singing and playing french horn (instrument that you need VERY good ears). My hearing loss did not effect how good I was because it wasn't about how loud that you can hear, but the ability to distinguish detail ( which I believe to be a very mental thing).

That is why you can have a friend listen to their ibuds and listen to a set of hd580's and have them notice little if any difference. It is about the musical ability of the listener. Honestly, I do not think that there are many non-intelligent audiophiles. We possess the mental power to undersyand everything that is going on.

 

[zipdisk]

I trained my ears not to walk across my face while I'm sleeping.

Seriously, yes. The more you listen to music, the more you hear, and the more you understand what you're hearing. Many people cannot initially concentrate long enough to listen without distraction to a single song. They cannot identify instruments quickly, or listen to a single instrument within a song. Learning to hear how instruments interact with each other, the subtleties of sounds & harmony, and the complexities of rhythms can be learned, and learning these things (as well as other aspects of hearing music) can transform the what is meant by "listening to music." imo

 

[ericj]

Well, damaged hearing aside (which an audiologist can help you measure). . .

I have a friend who is a musician, high-end AV dealer/installer, 'lectronical bench repair technician, and occasional roadie / PA sound guy.

He swears that he can teach people to hear what constitutes good sound.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Assorted /img/forum/go_quote.gif But I seriously doubt how training your ears can improve your listening experience. You don't have to have trained ears to appreciate music.

And despite my previous post i agree with this. I'm afraid of letting my friend Don teach me about sound because i don't want to enjoy the experience less.

 

[espire]

Alright, ignore what I said before. I just had an epiphany using my new source, which lead to intense listening, which lead to an epiphany; my ears definitely have gotten better since this whole audiophile thing started.

 

[fnerron]

Thanks for all the replies. They are very encouraging. I like Zipdisk implied suggestion of trying to seperate instruments. I guess thats where a good setup is handy.

Would you say that its easier to start with classical then or just any music you like?


Francois

 

[espire]

Start with the music you know best.

 

[fordgtlover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by noblsheep /img/forum/go_quote.gif it's not so much having 'better' ears than knowing what to listen for. snip...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericj /img/forum/go_quote.gif snip... I have a friend who is a musician, high-end AV dealer/installer, 'lectronical bench repair technician, and occasional roadie / PA sound guy. He swears that he can teach people to hear what constitutes good sound.

IMHO this is the key. My limited understand is that for the most part we have ears of similar quality. The difference is our ability to interpret what we hear with more precision.

Most people can't tune a guitar when they first start out, but can after a little or a lot of practice at it.

One of the better pieces of advice that I was given many years ago by an audiophile was to listen to, and follow a particluar instrument in a given piece of music. Eg. Focus on and try to isolate just the bass guitar and follow it through a song. Then try with the other instruments.

I found this very difficult to start with, but after a while it did get easier. I then found that songs sound less like an amorphous thing, but rather a collection of instruments combining to create a song.

Of course YMMV, but I found this very helpful. These days I can easily isolate instruments and sounds in most pieces of music, as well as listen to the song as a whole.

 

[Chipp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fordgtlover /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMHO this is the key. My limited understand is that for the most part we have ears of similar quality. The difference is our ability to interpret what we hear with more precision. Most people can't tune a guitar when they first start out, but can after a little or a lot of practice at it. One of the better pieces of advice that I was given many years ago by an audiophile was to listen to, and follow a particluar instrument in a given piece of music. Eg. Focus on and try to isolate just the bass guitar and follow it through a song. Then try with the other instruments. I found this very difficult to start with, but after a while it did get easier. I then found that songs sound less like an amorphous thing, but rather a collection of instruments combining to create a song. Of course YMMV, but I found this very helpful. These days I can easily isolate instruments and sounds in most pieces of music, as well as listen to the song as a whole.

I agree with this man!

(or lady

)

Being a performing musician and often working with less experienced players, I think it's entirely about knowing what to listen for. Say somebody couldn't grasp that they were overly harsh when initiating their sound - rather than say "Use less tongue" it would probably be more effective for me to play it similar to how they had played it, and then to play it like I would play it and let them actually hear the difference and learn how to control it themselves and make the change.

It's not the exact same concept as whats being talked about in this thread, but I think it's a close enough analogy. You don't know you're missing anything if you don't know that it's there.