Listening is Inter-Reactive: Tony Levin on Listening

Tony Levin is an American musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He is best known for his work with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, and currently leads his own band, Stick Men. Levin has recorded or toured with hundreds of artists including: Paul Simon (with whom Tony appeared in the 1980 film “One Trick Pony”), John Lennon, James Taylor, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Liquid Tension Experiment, Judy Collins, Carly Simon, Buddy Rich, Ringo Starr, Chuck Mangione, Peter Frampton, Paula Cole, Sarah McLachlan, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, and Steven Wilson.

Levin is an expert in his field because he truly makes his living on his ability to listen and respond appropriately. We asked him to help us learn more about listening, so that we can learn from it and apply it in our own work-lives. Here is what Tony said:

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The ability to listen is part of what separates a very good musician from an average one.

Unless you’re playing solo, what you are doing when you play your instrument is getting the right notes and sound out of it, AND inter-reacting with other musicians. If you concentrate only on your own part (which is normal for beginners) you won’t be as good at making the overall musical product as good as it could be if you stretch your brain and strive to be aware of what everyone is playing and how it’s blending together, and adjust your playing to best suit that.

In live performances there are lots of hurdles, always. But before that comes the bigger ones, the internal ones — no matter how much you have practiced your instrument, it takes a different kind of concentration to listen to other things while you’re playing. The way to master it is to have it be automatic (non conscious) so you can devote your attention to a number of things. The only way to become well-skilled at that is to do it–practice–a lot.

Have a mental ‘post it’ note in front of you (well, virtually in front of you) while you play with others – simply saying ‘Listen.’

This information is discussed in our Customer Service curriculum. If you’re looking for ways to improve your communication skills, register for one of our public classes.

If you enjoyed reading about “Tony Levin on Listening” please take a moment to click through our other musician interviews on the subject:

Guitarist Steve Morse on Listening – IC Interview

Kasim Sulton: One Word – Focus – IC Interview

Arnold McCuller – Listening for the Spirit – IC Interview

Jordan Rudess — Listening with Focus – IC Interview

Rod Morgenstein – Listening: One Cohesive Unit – IC Interview

Nick Beggs — Listening means Understanding Relationships – IC Interview

Musician Carl Palmer on Listening – IC Interview

Pat Mastelotto— Listening Requires Concentration – IC Interview

Simon Phillips — Listening Outside Yourself – IC Interview

How Listening to Others Can Make You a Better Person