ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the elements that make-up the listening experience and considers their relevance to electronic music. It discusses basic listening techniques that can be applied broadly to any piece of electronic music. The ability of a composer to create a musical experience by applying unexpected and new sonic contours is one of the fascinations of electronic music. The listener is equally challenged by electronic music. They are tasked with finding an effective listening style to maximize one’s enjoyment of the music while acknowledging that electronic music is innately different in so many ways to other types of music. In music theory, there is the dichotomy between formalists and expressionists that form two sides of a debate as to whether music engages the intellect or the emotions. Traditional music appreciation texts, such as Roger Kamien’s long-time bestseller Music: An Appreciation, provide an introduction to the elements of music so that the listener can build a musical foundation.
