The Art of Sound

To enjoy music you don't need a perfect ear or a conservatory diploma. You only need to be a human who is able to feel. Everything else is the work of professionals

But why most of us do not get even 10% of pleasure that Her Majesty Music can provide?

Let's start with what music is, how it's created, and how it gets to us as listeners

Music is the art of sound

A musician creates a piece of music by means of organizing sounds in a certain way. He imbues his music with meaning, feelings and emotions, which he expresses during performance

The meaning, feelings and emotions of a musical piece are conveyed to the listener through the melody, tempo, harmony and charisma of the performer. This is what we as listeners typically respond to first

Furthermore, the musical work is enriched by polyphony. There is a significant difference between listening to a melody with three chords and listening to an orchestra, where individual instruments or groups of instruments play independent melodies

Also, a piece of music is enriched by the sound of instruments, each of which has its own distinct 'flavor', which we are used to refer to as timbre. Musical instruments, like voices (which are also musical instruments), differ greatly in terms of timbre. Some sound extremely plain - they play their part but add no distinctive flavor; while others captivate us with their sound and after-sound from the first note

True musicians care a lot about the sound of their instruments since the sound of one guitar can give shivers while the sound of another can leave indifferent; the same saxophone can colorize one piece of music, but sound inharmonious in another

It is also essential that music does not sound in a vacuum, but in a one or another environment. Just remember how different we sound talking in a gym, in a little cafe in the basement, or just on a street... Pure sounds do not exist in nature. And, of course, music also sounds not in a vacuum, but in a room that has its own acoustics

Therefore, the better the acoustics of the hall, the stronger our emotional delight in the sound of music. On the other hand, the more purified the sound is by various modern technologies (which leads to a simplification of the timbre of the instruments, the absence of room echo), the more indifferent a listener remains

Nothing will ever replace live communication, live music and live sound of instruments

The meaning, especially the feelings and emotions of a piece of music, are best transferred from an artist to a listener when they are close by. There is a special energy between us when we listen to live music

However, no matter how good a musician is, if he plays solely to get paid, the energy exchange is much weaker. No matter how skilled a violinist is, if he just mechanically plays his part for the hundredth time, there will be no energy exchange

We also don't attend to concerts very often. Even rarer, we can get so near to the musician that we actually feel him or her. Even more seldom, we are able to be present in the studio when the artist records his masterpiece for the first time with that special energy... And we'll never be able to stand really close to some musicians, either because it's too expensive or because the time machine hasn't yet been invented

In everyday life, we have to listen to recorded music

For most of us, now it looks like this: we put on wireless earbuds, go to a streaming audio service, select a playlist, and are glad that thanks to modern technology, listening to music has become so convenient!

But do you recall how, the day after the concert, you listened to one of the compositions on Spotify and felt almost nothing, except for a small emotional echo of yesterday's impressions?

Remember how John Coltrane on YouTube left you far less impressed than the underground saxophonist who had you so engaged in his music that you were late for your meeting?

The more realistic sound, the stronger our impressions, feelings and emotions

Of course, the musical material itself and the performer's professionalism are important. However, sometimes they fade when compared to the sound of a live instrument or voice

The best audio-system is the one that creates the effect of a listener's presence in the recording studio together with performers

That is, conveys to a listener maximum of the audio information recorded in the studio with minimal loss. We should be able to hear where the recording was done, what instruments were used, how the musical instruments and microphones to catch the sound of those instruments were set, how the musician played this time, and so on

This is a huge amount of microsounds, which create realistic images and a fascinating effect of our live presence in the studio

We don't have to understand what we hear. We as listeners should just feel it. Feel close to the world-class musician(s) from any era and experience an unforgettable pleasure

Modern ways of listening to music are becoming more convenient, but they are losing the ability of reproducing a realistic sound

Only a stationary audio system with proper speakers can convey the most realistic sound. In all other circumstances, we make more minor or major compromises

No streaming service can compete with the sound quality of a good CD (it is worth noting that finding CDs with high sound quality is also not an easy task, but that's enother story). No wireless headphones, especially earbuds, can transmit the richness of the Stradivarius violin sound, and so on

As a result, when listening to music we are usually limited to hearing melody, rhythm, and harmony. But we lose the real beauty of polyphony, the richness of instrument sound, the depth and echo of the room, and the emotional state of the performers

Thus, the music we listen to does not elicit so much special feelings and emotions in us. And we think that this is our peculiarity - we do not comprehend music, are not music lovers, do not have a musical ear, and so on. But in fact, it's just a matter of how we listen to music, and what the audiosystem used is capable of

Experiment with various ways of listening to music, try to feel the difference, look for the sound that suits you and enjoy! Her Majesty Music is worth it