Short journal · Original editorial · Listening between the notes
A song begins with a sound that is easy to miss.
Listening can begin with a transition rather than a verdict. Notice an entrance, a pause, a repeated sound, or a change in density. Describe the effect as your response, not as a fact about every listener.
Listen again for what enters before the main voice.
Try the change once before turning it into a permanent routine. Keep the part that helps and revise the part that does not.
Try a question
What would you notice after trying this in one small, real situation?