Training our ears

dhs0403 -- Wed, 11/25/2009 - 10:53

Happy Thanksgiving,
I highly recommend The Ultimate Demonstration Disc from Chesky Records. Chesky provides a tutorial on various aspects of music and what we should listen for. For example, on Track 16 they describe what they call the "Visceral Impact of Music". Then on Track 17 they use Monty Alexander's "Sweet Georgia Brown" to illustrate their point. I find their disc helpful for training my ears as well as for evaluating equipment and music.
Dave

Steven Stone -- Thu, 11/26/2009 - 16:06

The best ear-training as our founder HP has harped on for umpteen years is to go to hear live music with acoustic instruments in a decent acoustic space. Nothing beats that for making you realize that live music is still better than any recording played through even the most expensive gear.

Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications

dhs0403 -- Tue, 12/01/2009 - 13:31

Steven,

I fear that you give some of us too much credit.

The benefit of attending live performances is limited by our ability to hear the dimensions of the music. Tutorials that identify the dimensions and provide examples sure help the average listener. I have a head start on my wife since I played french horn for eight years -- and sat dead center in the middle of the orchestra. I hear music as a seamless mix of the various instruments but am able lock on one section and tune out the others. I also feel the music flowing around and through me in the same way that ocean waves move the sand beneath our feet.

We may all be born with ears, but most of us need help learning how to use them.

Keep up the good work.

Dave

Tom Martin -- Fri, 11/27/2009 - 10:20

The useful thing about discs like the one from Chesky is that they have a tutorial aspect. You can listen immediately to a piece intended to demonstrate a concept. This is great for learning. Of course, overall, there is no substitute for experience with live music. The two approaches go together nicely.

CEO and Editorial Director, Nextscreen LLC

Robert Harley -- Fri, 11/27/2009 - 17:18

I also find the Chesky discs useful. The soundstage depth test from their first test disc (Jazz Sampler and Audiophile Test Compact Disc, JD37) is particularly interesting and helpful in setting up loudspeakers.

dhs0403 -- Thu, 02/04/2010 - 10:14

Robert,

Ref our goal of expanding the base of folks who enjoy quality music played on quality equipment.

Perhaps we should publish a series of articles called "Training Our Ears". Consider the benefits of sending folks to live performances and specialized dealers -- AFTER they have been trained using tutorials like Chesky's.

Despite my musical background, I listen to each tutorial track before visiting my dealer, and I write down the things I can and cannot hear using my entry-level equipment in my untreated room. Then I play the same tracks and review my notes using my dealer's equipment.

Holy smokes -- I will never forget the day we used that approach to compare floor standing Monitor Audio RS-6's with no sub to my entry level B&W 302's with an entry level M&K sub. I hate superlatives, but the differences -- track by track -- were astonishing!

Said another way, many readers may not have the musical training needed to discern the dimensions that the pro's take for granted. We have seen that describing the dimensions using Business English often adds to the confusion. One needs to hear an example of each dimension -- for example left / right sound stage followed by front / back sound stage followed by up / down sound stage -- to appreciate the differences among the equipment.

Encouraging everyone to invest in a couple of tutorial discs would help them hear the various dimensions and to demonstrate them to friends and neighbors. It goes without saying that every specialized dealer should stock a dozen copies that they can loan or sell to prospective customers.

Thanks for listening. Keep up the good work!

Dave