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What do you hear first?

S

Shel-e-bean

Active Member
When you are listening to music, especially for the first time, what do you listen for?
I'm trying to explain what I mean... It's tough. :scratch2:
Do you listen to the guitar line?
The lyrics?
The mix and sound stage?
The cool backup and vocal or instrumental harmony and arrangement?
Rhythm, or hard driving beat?
Anything else?

I think I'm a "mix/soundstage" guy, followed by a "guitar/instrument line" guy. Usually the lyrics are last, I may not even know what they said for many years, although often they have had the biggest impact.
Of course, you don't always listen for the same thing. I just read a bit of the "Pop Music You couldn't not stand 'til Hi-Fi" thread.., we may listen differently at different times.
So just like some folks are "chest" or "butt" folks, people may listen differently.
What are you, musically speaking?
 
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I seem to be first aware of a song's overall instrumental complement. For instance, drums, organ/synth, guitar combos will immediately grab my attention faster than hearing, say, tuba, harmonica, or harpsichord! A vocal that sounds well-controlled and intelligible catches my ear faster than screaming and mumbling.
Tom
 
For me the lyrics usually come last. In fact, unless they singing is particularly easy to understand I usually don't even hear the meaning of the words. Even with many of my favorite songs, I can't recall more than a few lines of lyrics off the top of my head.

Any number of things can catch my attention and make me like a piece of music. It can be a certain sound to the vocalist, a particular instrument, or many subtle elements combined. It's often a small thing that makes the difference between loving a song and hating it. There's a magical something in a good (to me) song that ties everything together. I guess that's why I rarely like remixes. More often than not, they change what made me like the original.
 
andy said:
For me the lyrics usually come last. In fact, unless they singing is particularly easy to understand I usually don't even hear the meaning of the words. Even with many of my favorite songs, I can't recall more than a few lines of lyrics off the top of my head.
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I'm the same way. The way I usually phrase it is, "I'm not a lyrics person; unless the lyrics reach out, grab me by the throat, slap me around, and yell LISTEN TO ME, I have no idea what they are saying -- they could be preaching about god or satan or reading the phone book for all I know..."
 
It's the guttural stuff that gets my attention. Sometimes it's lyrics like Disturbed singer David Draiman's "WAAAAKAAAAKAAA" and sometimes it's a wicked bass line. Probly cuz my ears aren't so great anymore. :D
 
I think I agree...

Dusty Chalk said:
I listen to the gestalt first.
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I had to go look that word up.


Inflected Form(s): plural ge·stalts also ge·stalt·en /-'stäl-t&n, -'shtäl-, -'stol-, -'shtol-/
Etymology: German, literally, shape, form
: a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts
 
It's all in the toes

The first thing I notice is if my toes are tapping. :D So I guess it's the rythym or beat of the song.
 
fropiler said:
I had to go look that word up.


Inflected Form(s): plural ge·stalts also ge·stalt·en /-'stäl-t&n, -'shtäl-, -'stol-, -'shtol-/
Etymology: German, literally, shape, form
: a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts
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Close enough. I use "Gestalt" as a synonym for "big picture"; I may be using it wrong, though. I just found out I've been using "anachronistic" incorrectly, all this time.
 
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