What are the Four Filters of Listening?

How do you listen? Or how do you listen in a meaningful or effective way? It is easier to identify poor listening than great listening, and often people struggle to articulate what makes a good music listener. The reason it’s so hard to pin down meaningful listening is this: great listening is constantly changing. It's made of several contrasting aspects that have to be balanced to best match the moment or musical experience you find yourself in. But as you learn to master each of those aspects or principles, you'll have more of the experiences you want from music and get even more out of it.

I call these principles "filters," because they determine what is filtered into your hearing. After all, how you listen determines what you hear. What you hear determines how you feel and think.

My listening theory is made up of four filters. Two filters impact how you receive thoughts, and two of them impact what you feel. 

The Thinking Filters

The first thinking filter is the analytical filter. To analyze you need a frame, or a methodology. For many musicians analysis begins with a study of music theory, music history, or performance technique. To analyze means you’re taking something apart, naming each part and finding its function. Once you’ve identified each piece you can reconstruct it into a whole with increased understanding.

The second thinking filter is the critical filter. This filter requires the use of a rubric, which is used to determine the presence or absence of the most vital elements you’ve found in your analysis. The rubric serves as a divider between what you want and don’t want in music, or what you'd label "good" and "bad." When it comes to listening, the critical filter helps you identify what you want to open yourself to, and what you want to close yourself to. 

The Feeling Filters

The first feeling filter is the experiential filter. This filter is all about sensation and reaction. It’s a far more vulnerable filter than either of the thinking filters, but offers much more immediate returns. The point of the experiential filter is to feel the music in your body and heart as completely as you can.

The second feeling filter is the exploratory filter. This is the filter you use when you don’t know what you’re listening for, but want to listen deeply. Instead of approaching a piece with a preconceived notion, you approach it with a blank slate, and let feeling populate the slate for you. 

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Each of these filters plays a vital part in listening. Learning to balance the thinking filters with the feeling filters is a challenge that most musicians face, but it offers incredible rewards. With the four filters at your disposal you can overcome a practice rut, make a performance truly shine, or get more out of the pieces you already love.

To learn more about the four filters and how to develop them in your listening, check out my online courses or tune in to my podcast. As always, leave a comment below or reach out if you have any questions! I'm excited to help you in your musical journey.