Got Ears?


I'm wondering how quickly you develope your listening. I'm sure my ears are more in tune to pick up the little nuances in a high fidelity system than when I started this madness 9 months ago. Thanks to alot of you on this site I learned what to listen for, but I know that I still have alot to learn when it comes to picking up on certain things. Do you guys (and Elizabeth ;-) think that having an ear for audio is something that just continues to develope and develope? I feel that it's an important part to fully enjoying this hobby as it allows you to enjoy a well thought out rig and your music collection to the fullest. I'm fully enjoying cd's that just this time last year I would have only used as coasters or made fun of you for listening to that "crap". I can't help but think half is my rig, the other half are my somewhat trained ears. If I tell my girlfriend, who by the way grew up in a musical family (dad was a music director for years at a major university) and plays violin, guitar, sings and has perfect pitch, about how an improvement to my rig deepend the soundstage, brought out shimmering highs with faster attack and longer decay she cocks her head a bit and says "huh?". Anyways, have y'all noticed your ears getting more in tune with picking up all the things that make an audiophile an audiophile and if so how and when has that happened?
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Speaking as a musician who has helped many people train their ears, ear training is like any other kind of training. It takes regular practice. The more you work at it, the better you will become. Almost anyone can improve their listening ability, no matter whether it is learning to detect slight differences between two different tubes, or systems, or whatever, or the more complicated listening musicians themselves have to do.

Rather than make ear training specific to trying to hear differences between pieces of equipment though, I always like to encourage audiophiles to train their musical ears in general. Working on this greatly improves all types of listening. Learning more about music in general will also greatly increase your enjoyment in listening to whatever kind of music you like to listen to. It is easier to pick out what type of equipment you want when you know much more about what it is you are trying to listen for. Many audiophiles know a very great deal about the science of music playback, but shockingly little about music itself and how it is put together. It is especially shocking and saddening to me when I encounter someone who has spent six figures on their system yet knows almost nothing about what they are actually using the system for.

I always recommend a great little book the famous composer Aaron Copland wrote, entitled What To Listen For In Music. It is an excellent book written in layman's terms, and will increase your enjoyment in listening to whatever kind of music you like to listen to (it is not just for classical music, though it does focus on that, since it is generally much more complex - if you only listen to say rock, then what the book will teach you will be that much easier to apply).
Many colleges and universities that have good music programs offer classes in music listening skills. Well worth attendance, especially since you will get to interact with other classes members that can help you understand different approaches. Julliard in New York City has an excellent course.
Thanks Lears, I'll look into that book!
Buconero, I didn't know that there are such classes; thanks, I'll look into that also!!