Ordinary listening blends analytic and synthetic modes simultaneously

Evidence

The boundaries between analytic and synthetic listening are not rigid. Are we listening analytically or synthetically when we parse a compound sound into several distinct musical instruments and perhaps many distinct simultaneous notes? Or, when we recognize two singers in unison as such, rather than a single voice? (Depending on the voices, the context, vibrato, and so on, this may be quite difficult to do.) It is one form of analytic listening to hear out individual partials, but perhaps a not so distantly related form to hear out patterns of several partials that might indicate the presence of an oboe, for example, among other instruments playing simultaneously. According to this definition, normal listening is part analytical and part synthetic, even when individual partials are not heard. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2178

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sharpens the analytic/synthetic distinction: hearing out individual partials vs. hearing out patterned bundles that identify an instrument — the latter is analytic too, just coarser.
• XREF: Ties to auditory scene analysis / Bregman’s notion of grouping, and to the broader question of how sound becomes perceived objects. — connects to: Listening actively shapes the sound it perceives rather than merely registering it — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 346; Focal and global attention constitute two distinct modes of listening — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 189; Global listening expands consciousness while focal listening yields clarity — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 211 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2178

Broader Connections

• Listening actively shapes the sound it perceives rather than merely registering it #expands (0.82) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 346
• Focal and global attention constitute two distinct modes of listening #corroborates (0.75) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 189
• Global listening expands consciousness while focal listening yields clarity #expands (0.72) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 211
• Sonic interaction design studies sound perception in active embodied contexts rather than passive listening #expands (0.72) — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 2571