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Matt Kandler
Mrs. Gardner
English 10h/ Period 4
27 January 2015

Listen Closely
Here is the A string, said Gary, and if you put your finger on this fret, it sounds like
this...piiing
The vibrant sound of the A note rung from my Ibanez amplifier, through the walls of Tall
Toads Music Store, and into my ears as my bass teacher took me on my first audio adventure. I
sat, listening to that single note; I was truly aware of how incredible the ability to hear was. I
tentatively grabbed the bass and plucked my first note.
Like this? I asked, although at that moment I knew the sound I was hearing was
something different, something amazing.
From then on, I not only continued playing bass, but I also continued to observe the
beauty of being able to hear such an array of vivid sounds from ears on the sides of my head. I
began appreciating music more, listening to the soundtracks of movies and how they add to their
movies, and just stopping to listen to all of the sounds around me in nature.
My ears were especially inclined to bass lines in rock songs because of my bass playing
background. I specifically remember listening to the song Say it Aint so by Weezer, and
having the click in my mind as I took in each aspect of the song through my ear canals. I could
travel to the scenes of angst in the song, and experience the resolve as a brilliant picture in my
mind. Soon after, I was watching Interstellar, a movie with an exquisite soundtrack. Hearing the
soundtrack, I discovered the story it told alongside the movie. Each song was designed to take

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the listeners ears on a journey that perfectly contrasted with the visuals and script. Discovering
the power of this soundtrack made me the explorer that Matthew McConaughey played. When
outside, I found a place of silence. What could be easily missed by someone distracted, was
revealed to me in an extravagant burst of sound as I opened my ears and took in little sounds;
birds chirping, wind blowing, the crunch of leaves. Nature could truly be appreciated because of
all of the sounds my ears took in. Each aspect of sound that can be heard throughout all of the
world perfectly accompanies visuals, experiences, and environments.
As stated by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an ear is , the characteristic vertebrate
organ of hearing and equilibrium consisting in the typical mammal of a sound-collecting outer
ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is
separated from a sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae. While the definition tells what an
ear is, it lacks to tell how an ear enriches its user. Having ears is like having a gateway to another
dimension. They allow one to communicate, to understand, to survive, to feel the joy of music,
and to be fully immersed in the experiences life has to offer. Without the ability to hear, humans
could not speak to each other, understand emotions as easily, or show tones. Hearing even
contributes to the ability to love, as grants people the ability to express themselves and hear
others expressions. Survival can be greatly attributed to having ears, as the ability gives reaction
time and ultimately safety from danger. Music would be nonexistent without hearing. Without
music, what would the universal language of positivity be? Finally, life experiences without
sound would be like a 2D experience in a 3D world. The ability that having ears gives are
needed in all portions of life.

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Work Cited
Merriam, and Webster. "Medical Definition of an Ear." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster,
2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.