Listening exercises

Short list of various listening exercises proposed by R. Murray Schafer, Agnes Szeląg, Jonáš Gruska and others. They are designed to help you with your aural focus, hearing sensitivity and might even stimulate your creativity.

1. Try to count how many different sounds you can hear over short period of time.
2. Compare your results with others and discuss.

1. Find a good spot outdoors or next to an open window.
2. Clear your mind and start to focus on your breath.
3. Slowly start to move your aural focus towards sound of your body.
4. Continue with your immediate surroundings and move further and further away.
5. Note how many sounds can you hear. What is the furthest sound? Which one seems to be closest?

Interesting way to temporarily sensitise your hearing: plug your ears with earplugs/cotton for at least 15 minutes. The better isolation you can make, the better. Remove the plugs just before the listening opportunity – you will notice your ears will be much more sensitive to the details for few minutes.