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How do you train your ears?

How do you educate yourself to refine your ability to listening to music and being able to tell about the details of the sonic nature?
I guess, first off, one has to listen to lots of music on lots of different systems, and catch intrinsic details and subtle differences. Knowing basic music theory and being proficient in one or more musical instruments would also help.
However, simple listening may not improve one's ability unless the listening practice is guided by educated practices that have been exercised by experts and those with golden ears.

How have you refined your hearing/listening capability?
Any good source you know of to recommend to novices and enthusiasts?
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sidssp
1,077 posts
 
The only way I know of is to go to live musical events and listen to real instruments as often as you can.
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
The only way to establish an unbiased frame of reference is to go to listen carefully to live performances of various types in various venues.
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shadorne
7,333 posts
 
For getting started (complete beginner) I'd suggest the basic audio course by Alton Everest: "Critical Listening Skills for Audio Professionals".
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stringreen
5,112 posts
 
I agree with Sidssp. Probably the worse thing you can do is listen to most recorded music. That is the idea of what the recording engineer had in mind. Put that bias into a stereo system, many of which has different brands of players with their manufacturer's biases, amps,with theirs, speakers,with theirs, cables,with theirs, etc., and if some idea of real music comes to you, it is just an accident. The real thing unamplified should be the standard.
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
"The real thing unamplified should be the standard. "

Of course the real thing should be the standard. Everything else is just a reproduction of the real thing.

Some genres are amplified naturally though in live performance. That should be considered a real standard for those genres in those cases as well.

No recording or playback system, regardless of cost or quality, should be regarded as a standard for purposes of training the ear. For purposes of providing a model for a good playback system, yes, but that is different.
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