Have you ever spent a hour or so listening to bird song?
There are so many places you can listen to bird song nowadays from going outside and finding a quiet park or field, especially early in the morning or by turning on YouTube whilst sitting in your home.
I know that people don’t often tend to buy albums of bird song music, let alone an album at all nowadays. I remember growing up going into garden centres and seeing CD’s of whale song, dolphin song and so on. Sometimes it was just the sound of the animals communicating but other times they have put the animal sounds over music. Some of the these CD’s were sold as relaxing or meditating albums which I am guessing is why the need was felt to add music behind the animal noises.
I know not everyone has a good quality handheld recording device but if everyone just recorded the journey they make to the shops or work and listened back I am sure there would be noises in the background that they don’t normally notice and yet this one recording could change that journey as they may work where certain background noises appear and try to listen out for them.
We can’t all be August Rush (feel free to check out the movie), and hear the sounds of the street and write a symphony but if we could how similar or different would everyone’s version of the world be. Are we all hearing the same sounds? Do some people enjoy listening the ‘journey to work’ soundtrack that plays as the make the trip every day?
I have heard birdsong both ways and I have to say although sitting inside and listening to it is definitely different, you lose things like the wind across your face, the morning sun giving off a little bit of heat plus the smells of the outside, granted not always pleasant on the senses.
I know some people may say that sitting inside is better as you do not get the weird or unpleasant smells, you don’t get disturbed by passers-by, you aren’t too hot or cold, you aren’t getting rained on. I understand that some people prefer the out doors and most, if not all of the elements but I do feel an environment can make a difference as to how you appreciate song in any form.
A few years ago I was sat in an old church watching a classical music concert. I have previously seen classical music concerts in theatres and halls. Granted the performance inside the church was a shorter length but I do feel as someone who feels the cold more that I enjoyed the concert less than I may have done had the temperature been a little warmer. I sat in another church listening to a choir, again beautiful music but the coolness in the air definitely made me enjoy it slightly less than watching a school choir perform.
I hope everyone has the chance to hear bird song in any form but outside would be best in my opinion. Just sitting and listening to it I feel generally can have a calming effect. In these busy days and times with so many things causing us stress anything we can do to calm down a little should help, even if it is only for a day or two. Maybe listening to bird song outside once then whenever you feel stressed just play a little on your laptop and see if you can make your senses remember what it was like to be sitting outside amongst it.