“How Can You Listen To That?” plus 1 more

The new frontier

Before the pandemic, I made a point to catch at least three live indie music acts a month. Much of the time, I was not too familiar with the bands I was going to hear. It’s an experiment of sorts to give myself the opportunity of a direct experience without any mediation. A friend of mine became quite critical of me because he could not understand how I could go to a show without even knowing what I was getting into. How could I listen to two divergent genres of music within the same week? He needed time to hear the latest album, internalize the songs, and let it all sink in. The live show was a way for him to recapture those experiences and build new bonds with the group, as a fan. I do this as well, and as I suspect, you do, too. Seeing your favorite group play live is probably the most rewarding way to connect with them. However, if this is your only way into music, then you are keeping yourself away from new musical frontiers. And you don’t need to do that.

Get out of the house on a Tuesday night

In the city where I live (Philadelphia), there’s a great assortment of venues that host live indie music. The shows are generally between $12 to $24. That price range is not going to break the bank, whereas, going to any one arena show would kill my concert budget for a half year. Plus, (and I realize this is not the case for everyone, depending on where you live) there are shows every night of the week! Get away from the commercially successful (arena) bands for a moment and go to the indie shows. Whether you get into the music or not, you’ve connected to your local indie music community. If you go to shows often enough, you will see familiar faces and make connections. This is a much more intimate vibe than an arena concert.

The strategy

So how do you decide what concerts to attend? I check the listings and choose shows that interest me. How do I know if I’m interested? I don’t know. I look at what’s in front of me: the press picture and a brief description (usually written by the promoter). From there, I go to Spotify and listen to a couple of tunes but not too many; I just want to get a sense of their music. In fact, I have often skipped the pre-listening part to just rely on my initial reaction. That’s the entire map of the basis of my decision to go see a show. I don’t care if this is the comeback tour, if the lead singer broke up with his girlfriend, if the band now only plays harmonicas, or if the drummer finally got clean. I’m going with my gut instinct and with the intention of going to a show to learn something and maybe, just maybe, become a fan.

Ways of listening

If you’re exclusively into a certain genre of music, then how are you going to expand your range of listening? How can you listen to jazz and then head over to a speed metal show? To be clear, there are folks who have been listening to Bob Dylan their entire life and they will continue to do so. They get into a certain type of music at a certain age and it just becomes the music they listen to. It’s part of their identity. It’s a beautiful thing and it can calcify a whole generation’s way of life. If you are interested and willing, you can expand the breadth of your musical scope by changing the way you listen to music at any age. It’s that simple and yet the mental hurdles appear to be difficult. Weirdly, in my experience, I have found that one can learn to listen to new (or different music) very quickly. Using the strategy above, puts you into an unknown space and will free up your expectations.

“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” — Steve Martin

Sound chaser

You bridge the gaps in your listening habits by stepping outside of your comfort zone. If your habit is to listen to music that has “good” lyrics, you can open up by excluding that parameter and replacing it with another. Focus on the sound. What instruments are being played? Do you like the overall sounds and textures? What do you like about them? Notice the differences between lo-fi and highly produced (polished) recordings. Does noise bother you, or does it bring you into the recording? Spend some time checking out the Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. Or, start with a band that you like and get into the Fans Also Like tab. Conduct a random sampling of some of those groups. Save the ones you like to your library.

What’s the story?

It’s fine to get into a group by knowing their story, the story of what makes them who they are. In fact, the story is what drives promotion. Some music writers don’t write so much about music as they do write about that group’s story: how they came to be, what they do, what they eat, and how they reek of patchouli. For this, you can do some research or read music publications like Pitchfork, for example. You’ll find that all of the writing is about the story. There’s not too much gushing over how the melody for this really catchy tune uses a descending minor third to great affect.

The architecture of music

If you do want to go deeper than the story, refocus on how music is made; how it’s built. When you notice how music is structured, you begin to hear it differently. This is especially true when bands compose music that breaks the normal songwriter’s form. You don’t need a degree in music theory. Just listen (and re-listen) to a song and see if you can visualize the structure. Try to find the verse and the chorus. Is the guitar player using the main melody to structure their solo? You’ll begin to see how a tune is made and can extend that new, deeper, mode of listening to other music.

The proof is in the pudding

At the end of the analysis, you want to hear good music. You want to like what you are hearing even if you have listened to all aspects of it (the form/structure, the words, the story, the sounds). You want to be moved. What’s really interesting about this whole process is when you actually get into a group’s music, based on their live show. When you go back and sample their other tunes on Spotify (or on the vinyl that you picked up at the merch table), it re-ignites the experience of the performance. Of course I don’t like the music from every indie show I’ve been. However, I always learn something and bring that back with me into my own music making. It could be something as simple as how the drummer holds the sticks or how the guitar player only plays with 5 strings. Listening to different music is a dose of good medicine to open your ears more than you thought you could. As a result, my collection of music, and my ears, have grown bigger.

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John Merigliano is a songwriter and composer. He writes about music and the creative process. You can learn more by going to www.pussyft.com or www.johnmerigliano.com.

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The ‘Hammer’ of the Blues Gods

Studying musical cultures from around the world (or even from our own backyard) is a voyage of discovery. It activates our curiosity and challenges our notion of what defines music. We become more receptive to new ways of hearing and, in turn, we respond by setting out to learn this new music. Most of the time, we do this by imitating our idols. This could be, for example, learning a guitar solo note-by-note. Unfortunately, this approach can also quickly lead to a very bad and common habit; one that I like to call the “Blues Hammer Syndrome.” The syndrome leads to a lack of authenticity, hinders your musical development, and demonstrates a lack of respect for musical heritage.

An Acceptable Vernacular

Copying styles can provide you with patterns for playing and improvising. In a limited way, going through the motions of learning a solo or some “licks” can unlock the instrument for you in that you’ll pick up a vocabulary. But, it’s not your vocabulary.

“That whole thing of replicating what others do is a siren call. The sirens lure you to the rocks of unoriginality.” — Stewart Copeland

These habits can become a kind of vernacular whereby all of your friends are playing the same licks. When you do this, you deny yourself the opportunity to dive into the origins of the music that you are imitating to really appreciate or understand it. You are just copping the best parts. Worse yet, you are not taking any steps forward in your own musical development because you are covering the same ground over and over again.

Move Over Rover and Let Jimi Take Over

Here’s a common example, illustrated by a scene (first 20 seconds) from Terry Zwigoff’s film, Ghost World (2001). For me, this moment in the film clearly articulates how some great musical languages have been presented in a mediocre way. In the scene, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a dyed-in-the-wool Delta Blues enthusiast and record collector, takes Enid (Thora Birch) to a local bar to catch an original blues act. Our lone guitarist (think Robert Johnson) presses through his final solo acoustic tune. With the exception of Seymour and Enid, his authentic blues playing is ignored by everyone in the bar in favor of watching sports on TV.

Our blues player finishes his set, takes a bow, and disappears into obscurity. Seymour could not be happier that he was able to catch this legend’s set and wonders why no one else is listening. Enter “Blues Hammer,” a local blues rock outfit of pimply teenagers. Watching their entrance, we hear our suburban boy yelling about “picking cotton in the fields all day” and rattling off some standard bluesy licks on his guitar. The crowd abruptly abandons their sports TV for the livelier performer. Dancing ensues while Seymour looks on in utter confusion and dismay.

“It’s just that when you’re playing in standard tuning all the time, you’re sounding pretty… standard.” — Thurston Moore

The Problem with Copying

You might be thinking, “What’s wrong with Blues Hammer? They sounded great and everyone loved them!” Sure, there’s nothing wrong with the “Hammer” in and of itself. I certainly would have grabbed a beer, sat down next to Seymour and, in a friendly way, suggested that he lighten up a bit. “Blues Hammer” is doing fine and they were probably paid well for the gig because they brought warm bodies into the venue. My main beefs with “Hammer” center around the issues (mentioned earlier) of authenticity, personal development, and a respect for musical heritage (or lineage).

Your Musical Lineage

We learn from others. They, in turn, learn from others. We learn music from our teachers who have passed along information from their teachers. We will pass on a part of their teaching as well. The classical conservatory is an orthodox version of this type of education. You know that if you make it into Juilliard, you are going to study with teachers who made a name for themselves in their respective fields. And they have studied with teachers who were outstanding, as well. Connecting yourself to that lineage is an amazing honor and opportunity. “Blues Hammer” is the blueprint for the way a lot of us learn how to play music, adopting tired and worn-out tactics from a musical genre that has a rich history. And it goes nowhere. Your lineage does not have to be connected to great players. You just need to recognize where you come from. This will give you a better idea of where you want to go.

Do Your Homework

If you want to learn a new musical style, one of the best things you can do is to travel where that music is played. Get to know what these clubs smell like. Listen to the way the performers play. Meet some musicians and ask them questions. If you cannot do that, find a teacher who can guide you and recommend relevant listening. If you cannot do that, listen to records on your own and immerse yourself in the culture of the sound. Go to the library (“What’s a library?”) and do some research. Read about the context and the culture in which this music is situated. Yes, you can start with the internet, however, if you don’t take an actual trip to the library and spend some undistracted time among the stacks, your ability to internalize this new information could be hindered.

This approach will give you a deeper understanding and respect for how a certain type of music came to be. Every new piece of information you bring into your own musical habits will stave off the “Blues Hammer Syndrome.” You’ll gain respect for musical traditions and lineages (even if you decide to break with those traditions) and then you’ll begin to develop a distinctive and authentic sound.

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John Merigliano is a Philadelphia musician who performs under the moniker Pussyft. He writes about music and creativity.

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