Imagine that you're from another world and happen upon Earth for the first time. You have the ability to sense not only the visual, but beyond it. Soon you discover an arc of sound traveling East to West along the Earth's surface as the planet revolves. Sweeping along it lights an with bird song for a few minutes each morning. You've discovered the arc of the chorus - the social network of the birds.
When I first went away to college I decided I'd try to catch as many sunrises as I could. By themselves they're beautiful but there's also the arc of the chorus and other morning sounds. Even in cities the noise would be low enough to hear the birds in the trees rather than the rumble of transportation. There's a rich variety - even when you try listening a kilometer or so away.
A fun little experiment you can do on your computer or phone is to record a number of sounds: nature, city noise.. a variety of sounds. Now mix them together being careful not to throw too much in at a time. I generally only try three or four tracks at a time. Now try listening only to frequencies around 2.5 kilohertz - say 2000 to 3000 Hz. That's close to the resonant frequency of your ears - the range you're naturally turned to. What you discover is a a lot of birdsong survives the filtering. It's as if we're tuned to it. I have to wonder if the proximity of birds was important to our ancestors. It might mark water, protected areas and even a warning system. But that's just conjecture.
It has taken me a long time to be visually and acoustically observant and I still have a long way to go. (those who know me are laughing as I'm very single tasking and not very observant when walking and talking at the same time). I suspect with sound a lot of unlearning is necessary. We're taught at an early age to consider some sounds - particularly talking - much more important than others. Sometimes it's good to be still and listen to a variety of sounds. You might be surprised how much depth and variety exists.
Tuck your phone away or leave it at home. Smartphones are okay for investigations - taking photos, using it as a microscope, using it to listen to bat calls - but they represent a task master that wants and sometimes demands your attention.
It isn't just the countryside or wilderness that's interesting. One hot Summer day I was walking by myself in Manhattan when a thunderstorm moved in. There was the drama of the wind and rain, but the thunder is what stays with me. You look at the width of the street and the building heights and do the back of the envelope finding the buildings are tall enough. Realizing you're safe just get wet and wait. The echoing up and down the avenue and off the buildings was amazing. The reverberation time was at least ten seconds. It wasn't as dramatic as being in a fire lookout in an electrical storm, but it's high on the list.
It's an interesting world to explore. Who knows what you'll find. Some blind people have even taught themselves a modest ability to echolocate.
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