How sound touches the soul

Sometimes we just listen to music, and sometimes it seems to embrace us with its charms: the track begins, we involuntarily take our minds off anything else, and then fly somewhere far away, into an unknown, but such a desired world... At the end of the track we are back, but already somewhat different

What was happening to us and why?..

Music can be perceived on a subjective and emotional level (simply feel), and can be evaluated by more objective and rational criteria that give us understanding how to get more pleasure

If you wish to understand what determines the strength of your feelings, try analyzing the tracks that move you more emotionally than others

At the basic level, special emotions can be caused simply by words, melody and harmony, virtuosity or just the charisma of the performer. But let’s go deeper...

1) Listen intently how the instruments sound

Do you hear how differently a saxophonist blows into his instrument, and how different is the sound? Do you hear the hoarse voice of the performer and feel that he can barely stop coughing? Did you get more pleasure from the double bass than from the main melody? Have you heard that the piano deck is opened, and it feels like the microphone was placed inside?...

So, it means that you are a connoisseur, and the basic level of listening to music is not enough for you :)

As we climb higher, we listen to not only the “naked sound”, but also a whole range of overtones and aftertones. The better the recording and audio system - the richer the pallette of instruments' sounding, the stronger the emotional impact and the more pleasure we get

But that’s not all

2) Now imagine how the instruments are placed in space

Where is the vocalist standing or sitting? Where does the sound of each instrument come from? Is the guitar player standing still or moving around?..

This is the next level, which reveals a much more voluminous musical picture to us. Now we feel that the instruments do not sound from one point, but are somehow placed in space, on a stage or in the studio

Thus, the sound becomes even more realistic, we become much more comfortable listening to music, and, accordingly, get more pleasure

Unfortunately, not every recording and not every audio system are able to reproduce the placement of instruments in space. Therefore, we often feel the discomfort of the fact that the vocalist screams at the ear of the violinist, and the saxophonist sits on the shoulders of the pianist. And such cases we meet even in recordings of the world-famous performers

But still, let's move one more step higher

3) Imagine where the track was recorded

Is it a small recording studio or maybe a church? Is it empty or is the room full of people? Is it a pub in the basement where they drink beer, or a concert hall where they strictly adhere to the dress code?

At this level, we hear the nuances of the sound of the instruments, as well as the volume and the echo of the room

Here we listen to music, where on the way from a performer to a listener no one cleansed or simplified anything

At this level, we hear the most realistic sound of music as when it was recorded. And it becomes much easier for our imagination to transfer in space and time to where the recording took place

Here we experience a magic that we often cannot understand and explain. But we feel it, not only with our ears, but also with our body and soul

In fact, there is no magic. Only the mega-professionalism of all who create the masterpieces - from musicians to masters who truly value, protect and bring to a listener the most realistic musical picture

So, enjoy music and show appreciation for those who, in spite of current trends, pass on true talent from generation to generation and across decades