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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Yeah I was on vacation 30 years ago and had a worbling sound in my ear.I went to the audiologist in that town/city and they ran some tests.And then asked if I was in the recording industry.I said, “no why?”
They said the only documented case were with people in the industry that have the effect where the muscle that tightens the drum to loud noises is able to stay relaxed.I said that I had a stereo, and they said to listen with less effort.

YMMV
When I clicked on the link I saw I was more than 20 minutes into it from a previous viewing. Just forgot about it. Great stuff that we've used to argue to naysayers that this is all a learned and perfected talent just like any other sense.

Once honed, our listening abilities know what and when to listen for when evaluating music, especially familiar music, for comparing product.

All the best,
Nonoise
@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

……