The Joy of Critical Listening
by rachMiel

Everyone has their own unique way of listening to music. For some it’s a sonic massage, for others a mood enhancer; it can be a call to dance, a healing drone, an object of analysis, a celebration, a lament. Listening is an utterly personal experience and there is no right (or wrong) way to do it.

That said, I encourage you to develop your ability to listen critically to music. Not just to let it wash over you, but to appraise it, evaluate it, to pay attention to what works and what doesn’t work.

There are two main types of criticism: subjective and objective. Subjective criticism is personal, reflecting the tastes of the critiquer. I love IDM tracks like this; I hate classical pieces like that. Objective criticism seeks to go beyond the personal, to get to the essence of the music itself. The critic strives to enter, without expectation or prejudice, the world the piece inhabits and to assess its strengths and weaknesses within the unique "rules" of that world.

Most untrained musicians (and, alas, many trained ones) critique pieces solely from a subjective point of view. Now don’t get me wrong: Subjective reactions to music are good, a huge part of why music makes the world go 'round. But, in addition to your finely developed subjective critiquing skills, I encourage you to develop the ability to critique pieces objectively. Being able to do this with your own pieces will help your music immensely!