So, Atalli is great and all but Deep Listening: A Composer’s Sound Practice by Pauline Oliveros really scared the hell out of me…Silence
I don’t share much, I am not a sharer. But this one is pretty cool: I can’t hear silence. I have tinnitus, which is pretty common, and most closely associated with a perceived ringing in the ear. Medical science now tells us that this is happening in the brain, and not the inner ear, as was initially believed. After an MRI and a really excited ENT Specialist, who just loved the scans of my inner ear, I found there is nothing physically wrong with me (well, my ears anyways).
So with no apparent reason or cause, this is my situation: The worst reaction I get is very similar to what happens in a modern action flick (most notably Saving Private Ryan types) where there is a loud explosion! Nothing is heard on the soundtrack except a ringing… the other sounds slowly come back… This happens rarely, and without the explosion of course. Instead of an explosion I get a strange feeling that takes my attention away from what I am doing for a moment. Then sounds fade very quickly (under a second) and the ringing is turned up to whatever level it is going to go to. It varies from loud, shout type ranges to a quiet whisper of a voice.
The most subtle version of my condition is what really freaks me out. And I knew I would encounter it and would want to experiment a little with it while going through some of the practices outlined in the book. Ya, the book. Remember? This is all about a book…
Try this: find your quiet space, your quietest space where there is no sound. As trained musicians we know that we will always hear some sort of sound. If we try this in a classroom, you will immediately notice the sounds of the building breathing (or living if you will). If you can manage to find an actual quiet space, where there are no sounds, chances are, when you focus enough, you will hear something. I always have my little ringing friend, it is always there, like an old tube television in the next room showing static with the volume at about 10%. You can hear it if you try, and if you are trying to hear something, you will notice it. Almost like a constant hiss in the background.
Anyways, I knew some of the practices outlined by Oliveros would take me into this space, a space I really didn’t want to go, despite my interest in fucking around with my own situation a little bit (kind of a ‘kan’t beat em, join em type of attitude). So instead of focusing on trying to take you through some of the practices outlined in the book, I focused on trying to have those without tinnitus experience, perhaps, hearing with a constant ringing. So that will be the focus of my presentation.
More about the book:
Oliveros writes: “What is Deep Listening? This question is answered in the process of practicing listening with the understanding that the complex wave forms continuously transmitted to the auditory cortex from the outside world by the ear require active engagement with attention.” (xxi)
The author begins by explaining that hearing is made possible by the use of the ear and the science and physiology that makes the waves recognizable and analyzable. Listening requires attention, it is not merely a passive act.
So the Deep part “has to do with the complexity and boundaries, or edges beyond ordinary or habitual understanding.” (xxiii) Oliveros explains the relationship between Deep and Listening involves the “whole space/time continuum of sound– encountering the vastness and complexities as much as possible.” (xxiii)
With this information, we can begin to play with out attention and our focus during different listening activities. The book has a fantastic repertoire of Oliveros’ activities, workshops, and practices that she has developed over the past couple of decades.
Moreover, Oliveros goes to to explain that Deep Listening is also a form of meditation in that “Attention is directed to the interplay of sounds and silences or the sound/silence continuum.” (xxiv)
The practice of Deep Listening takes practice, control, and discipline and is intended to expand conciousness to the whole space/time continuum of sound/silences… a process that extends the listener to this continuum as well as to focus instantaneously on a single sound or sequence of sound/silence.” (xxiv)
Final thoughts: Best quote from the whole book that had the biggest impact on my listening: Deep listening comes from noticing my listening or listening to my listening and discerning the effects in my bodymind continuum…” (xxiv)
Listen to your listening. Listen…listen…