Indulging in your love of music can look different to different people. While some people flit from genre to genre, others take a deeper dive and explore every minute detail of one type of music to immerse themselves in what they love.
There really is no denying that music has a massive influence on everyone’s lives. Regardless of what your life looks like, music will, in some way, play an influential role.
If you want to take your love for music one step further, whether to forge a career in the industry or simply learn as much as possible, let’s look at some ways you can do this.
Watch Documentaries and Biopics
Documentaries are always an easy way to learn more about your favorite artist, the genre of music, the musical era, or anything else. For instance, you can watch ‘The Last Waltz’ to learn about the history of rock music or ‘What Happened, Miss Simone?’ to understand the life of Nina Simone. From watching documentaries based on musicals, for example, or influential figures in the industry, such as Clive Davis, you can really immerse yourself in the variety of different documentaries.
In addition, while not 100% factually accurate, you can watch biopics and movies based on different genres to learn more about the artists and what life was like for them. If nothing else, it can give you more appreciation for them or teach you something you may not have known.
Explore Different Genres
Exploring different genres and learning about the origins of various types of music can afford you a way to really understand what each one is about, even if you don’t actually like it.
Loving music doesn’t mean you need to be selective, and you can learn a lot about all kinds of music by simply broadening your listening habits and introducing different styles of music.
You could start by looking at your favorite genre’s influences and roots. Then, you can move into associated genres and keep going until you have taken an eclectic journey through sound and history.
Listen Actively
Listening actively means immersing yourself in the song’s structure, getting to grips with the instruments and composition, and analyzing the overall sound it creates. So, instead of being a passive listener, get involved, be a part of the music, and really bring it to life.
Check Out Local Venues
Find local music venues and events and make it your mission to get involved. You can uncover new genres and artists and really explore the sounds in person in a way that other listening methods can’t deliver. Even if you don’t enjoy it, you can still appreciate what goes into making music by simply being present when live music is being played. Attend open mic nights, festivals, and anything else that involves local musicians. If you want something more, travel to locations worldwide that are renowned for being musical hubs, such as Nashville, New York, and even Liverpool, UK, home of The Beatles.
Learn Music Theory
It doesn’t matter if you want to be a singer, play an instrument, create music, or anything else. Learning the theory behind music can give you solid foundations to build on and really get to grips with what you love. Understanding music theory can help you appreciate the complexity of music, improve your musical skills, and even enhance your listening experience.
Understand concepts like rhythm, harmony, beats, chords, scales, etc., and learn how they are utilized within music to make the sounds you love and appreciate. There are many online resources like ‘MusicTheory.net’ and courses on platforms like ‘Coursera’ and ‘Udemy’ that can help you with this and fully solidify what you know and are learning.
Invest in Good Headphones
Great headphones can be instrumental in breaking down sounds and allowing you to really improve your listening experience, especially if you are really getting into the finer details of how music is made. They can give you a more immersive listening experience, and they will go a long way in assisting you in really getting to grips with music theory and appreciating different types of music and how they were composed.
Read Blogs and Articles
Reading blogs and articles on websites dedicated to sound and music can be an elevating learning experience. Knowledge is power, and even if you’re not interested in making music in any way, you can learn a lot by simply consuming information to let you get a deeper appreciation of what you are listening to.
