Listening vs. Hearing: The Soundwalk

I spent a soundwalk, invented by musician and former professor R. Murray Shafer, in a familiar place. I did so thinking it’d be more interesting to try this exercise in my own neighborhood where I don't always give full attention to the sounds surrounding me.

In some ways, West 96th & Broadway through 98th Street seems like it’ll never change. I’ve lived there all my life, and although the neighborhood has changed aesthetically over the past 19 years, the keynotes, signals and soundmarks remain the same, namely: bustling traffic at virtually all hours, hustling passersby and strolling tourists speaking countless different languages, along with blaring construction. I’ve always enjoyed these sounds, but none were new.

Though I haven't discovered new sounds, I learned that the above mentioned sounds are simultaneously keynotes, signals and soundmarks. For example, the ever plentiful horn honking is a background sound (keynote), a foreground sound intended to attract attention to either the person who cut you off or to call the attention of a pretty girl strolling along the sidewalk (sound signal), and a sound identified consciously by anyone who’s familiar with the area (soundmark).

After partaking in this assignment, I realize I often pay special attention to sound. Some days I make a conscious decision to listen, and not simply hear, this din. On these days, I don’t wear my iPod and observe and listen in order to clearly see and hear everything around me; to do, rather than then be passive.

I like soundwalks, and have apparently been doing it a long time before ever knowing who Shafer is.