Hey Creativehead,

Listen up .......

So there I was, buzzing with excitement to record this brilliant guitarist. Guy had fingers that could make a guitar weep. But as we started chatting, things felt... off. I thought he was just quirky, but nope – turns out, he was as deaf as a post. My heart sank. How was this going to work?

But here's the strange thing: once we got rolling, he blew my mind. His playing was perfect. Two takes. That's all it took. It felt like he was listening through his bones or something.

Listening isn't just about your ears, it's about tuning in with every part of you.

In a world that's all "look at me!" and "listen to this!", we forget how to truly listen. But for us musicians, listening is our superpower. It's not just about waiting for your turn to solo. It's about the balance between elements, that call and response, leaving space between the notes.

Turning down

People love to blame the live engineer but how often do we crank our amp up to stupid o'clock because we can't hear ourselves? Or our singer that keeps asking for "more me" in the mix, until the feedback is howling.

Sometimes the fix is as simple as the drummer chilling out, or the bassist cozying up to their amp. It’s about listening to each other, and ourselves, creating a balance where everyone is heard – the sound person and audience will love you for it.

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Now, let’s talk about the studio, you need to mix with your guts as well as your ears. The perfect mix often means carving out space, not just turning knobs to 11

More "Weird" Listening

You've probably heard of Evelyn Glennie, the percussionist who hears with her feet. And Pauline Oliveros? She designed the concept of "deep listening" –

Listening's got to be one of the most underrated skills out there.

I’m always working on my own listening game, both to step up my music vibe and to really hear what my coaching clients are saying. To me, it’s a massive force for good.

I would really encourage you to think about how you can improve your eargame too Whether it's through training your ears , or taking a "soundwalk" where you really pay attention to all the sounds around you, instead of zoning out to your spotify playlist.

Or do you have some other ways you already do this ?

Hit reply. I’m all ears.

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Felix xx

P.S. If you fancy having a deeper dive into the art of listening? Check out EarMaster or give Soundgym.co a whirl. Your ears (and your bandmates) will thank you.

Earmaster EarMaster - ear training app​

It has exercises to improve your intervals, scales, chords, cadences, melodies, rhythm, sight-singing

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Or if you are interested in improving your engineering ears try https://www.soundgym.co to improve your perception of volume panning and frequencies

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OPPORTUNITY

DEUCE is currently seeking bands and artists to be included on this year's Numberella Charity Album​

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Submission deadline is Friday 24 February 2024.

If you would like to be considered for inclusion on this year's Numberella Charity Album, please email Alexander@numberellaworld.com with the following information:

• Your name / band
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• Your website and social media addresses
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• A link to the track you are interesting in submiting
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• Your contact telephone number
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• Where you are based

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