Do guitarists listen to music on the radio differently?

RandallFlagg

I had a conversation recently with a chap from work, we were out driving and listening to the radio and he seemed to know all the words to a lot of songs which was impressive, as we were chatting it became apparent that we listened to music quite differently. I explained that I seek out the underlying instruments, especially guitar first, noting the drumming patterns, effects used, bass lines, keyboard parts, noting any key changes and after a few listens put it all together with the vocals. He said he just listens to the singer and doesn't really care what's going on with the instruments.

Do musicians hear music differently to non musicians, is it a good thing or a curse?

thecolourbox

I think I'd prefer to only listen to the singing when the radio on as it is consistently awful music whereas the singers are not too bad

Philly_Q

I don't know, because I've never listened to music as anyone other than me.

bodhi

I think I hear mostly guitars and vocals.

Funkfingers

The general public just wants to be entertained. Technical stuff is of zero interest to them.

I can think of one self-proclaimed non-musician who pays a great deal of attention to music. Brian Eno.

scrumhalf

Tbere was a Pete Townshend interviee donkeys years ago where he said that he was listening again to all the albums he listened to before he took up the guitar and they all sounded different.

I finf that as eell, I listen out for different things. 

fastonebaz

Yes. 

All music on popular radio is shit. 

Planet rock is mostly good although sometimes I can't understand how some bands even got a record deal let alone air time. 

thegummy

Without a doubt.

Especially when I got into bass, I started hearing basslines on the radio so clearly whereas before I wouldn't have noticed.

Of course it depends on the radio itself, some devices (including mobile phones' built in speaker) don't even reproduce the bass which can be annoying for a bassist!

EricTheWeary

I remember from a really long time ago an interview with Neil Murray who said something like having studied music had taken away the pleasure from just listening to it. 
Thankfully I've remained fairly ignorant. 
There are certainly songs I hear differently now because I've learned them for bands but I don't think you have to have studied music at any length to recognise a guitar solo or what a middle eight is or hear a key change. It sometimes amazes me how opinionated people can be about musician's technical skills without actually having a Scooby. 

merlin

Yes is the answer. And the same goes for all musicians I would say. 
Transcribe a few tunes completely and then you'll start listening totally differently. If you don't read/write then try isolating them and noticing everything that goes on....or playing along as much as you can. You listening skills will quickly change

thumpingrug

Absolutely.  I hear the guitar and bass parts clearly, but often its several listens of an album before I really hear the drums.

AlexC

Most popular contemporary music - and this is true since the 1920s - has the vocals as the top line dominant melody. That is what most people latch onto. And - to a lesser extent - ‘the beat.’ What was interesting about the rise of the dance scene in the 90s was the cult of the superstar DJ which took the place of the adoration of the vocalist.
Of course musicians listen to music differently - just as film-makers watch movies and tv differently, authors read books differently, etc, etc.
A lot of creation comes from the act of deconstruction and, definitely, from understanding.

mudslide73

Deffo yes. It's sort of ruined it a bit for me. I also think gigs by name bands are a bit less special once you've done a few yourself (seen the inner workings etc.). Although some gigs can blow you away precisely because of that too.

I have gone from being ambivalent about a song to absolutely loving it once I've learned it though. So I think it can work the other way.

crunchman

thegummy said:

Without a doubt.

Especially when I got into bass, I started hearing basslines on the radio so clearly whereas before I wouldn't have noticed.

Of course it depends on the radio itself, some devices (including mobile phones' built in speaker) don't even reproduce the bass which can be annoying for a bassist!

Definitely this.

I'm still primarily a guitarist, but I have been playing bass a bit in recent years, and find myself listening differently now.

I've also been dabbling in recording, so I'm finding I'm listening to how songs are arranged a lot more.

A few years ago it would have just been guitar and then vocals.

thegummy

AlexC said:

Most popular contemporary music - and this is true since the 1920s - has the vocals as the top line dominant melody. That is what most people latch onto. And - to a lesser extent - ‘the beat.’ What was interesting about the rise of the dance scene in the 90s was the cult of the superstar DJ which took the place of the adoration of the vocalist.
Of course musicians listen to music differently - just as film-makers watch movies and tv differently, authors read books differently, etc, etc.
A lot of creation comes from the act of deconstruction and, definitely, from understanding.

I find that the poppier the music the more sonic space the vocal takes up.

In some pop the vocal takes up nearly the whole sound with instrumentation just filling in around it.

I heard a nickelback song on the radio in the doctors the other day and noticed how much dominance the vocal was given compared to the rock music they're coloured after.

On some indie rock the vocal isn't even necessarily louder than other instruments, sometimes just blended in equally. I personally like this approach as long as they're mixed in a way they're always audible.

Sassafras

Drums first, which is unusual because I'm absolutely crap at playing them.

HAL9000

scrumhalf said:

Tbere was a Pete Townshend interviee donkeys years ago where he said that he was listening again to all the albums he listened to before he took up the guitar and they all sounded different.

He could probably actually hear them the first time around...

grungebob

I think you listen to music differently. 
I listen and wait for it to either effect me or pass me by. 

pintspiller

I remember enjoyment/appreciation of music changing when I wrote and arranged songs for myself.

Rocker

I listen to the song if the song tells me something. No amount of fancy guitar work will alter that. 

thegummy

I also think that people in general listen to music very differently.

My best mate is very in to lyrics - when he listens to a song for the first time he's fully paying attention to the lyrics (as one would pay attention to the content of a lecture for example) and knows after one listen what the lyrics are about.

When I listen to a song for the first time I'm barely paying any attention to the lyrics. Maybe after a few listens a couple of lines might pop out and grab my attention. It's only really when I've listened to a song a lot that I know what all the lyrics are about (and I do get great pleasure from great lyrics).

It affects the music we like too - he likes a lot of rap where lyrics are such a key part and isn't that into music where the lyrics are second place to the melody they're singing.

He's really the only person I've talked to about this at length so it's possible that either one of us is a weirdo and everyone else is like the other lol