You Are What Music You Eat: Diving Deep Into Musical Immersion
Today I want to unpack an idea that’s been rattling around in my head for years—a concept that’s as simple as it is transformative for any musician, educator, or die-hard listener. I call it “You Are What Music You Eat.”
No, I’m not suggesting you start chowing down on vinyl records (though some album covers do look pretty tasty). I’m talking about a kind of immersion that gets to the heart of how we internalize the music we’re studying, performing, or composing. The way you consume music—how deeply you let it soak in—directly shapes the musician you’ll become.
Let’s get to the heart of it.
What Does It Mean to Immerse Yourself in Music?
When I talk about musical immersion, I’m not just talking about practicing your scales or memorizing a piece. I mean living and breathing the music you want to make. For me, it starts with a question: How deeply are you immersing yourself into the music you’re trying to compose, improvise, or learn?
It’s a critical question—I think too often musicians limit immersion to hands-on practice time. Sure, practice is essential (that’s a given), but all those quiet, observant moments spent listening, analyzing, and even letting music drift in the background all add up—sometimes in ways you don’t notice immediately.
Let’s break it down.
Four Angles of Musical Immersion
Say I’m trying to soak up the world of Charles Mingus. I’m not approaching Mingus like a tourist—popping in for a greatest hits playlist, then heading off to the next destination. I want to become fluent in his language, really hear what makes his sound tick.
Here’s how I do it:
Intent Listening:
This is where I sit down, eyes closed or open, and listen with utter focus. No distractions—just me and the music. I’m trying to recognize chords, scales, melodies, rhythmic nuances, and all the micro-details that define an artist’s style. Sometimes, 10 minutes of this kind of deep listening teaches you more than hours of casual exposure.Background Listening:
The music flows while I make coffee, answer emails, or go about my day. This isn’t wasted time—it’s low-key brain programming. My subconscious absorbs the grooves, textures, and quirks that might elude me in a formal listening session. The music becomes part of my environment, influencing me even when I’m not “paying attention.”Studying Transcriptions:
Sometimes I’m not listening at all—I’m staring at the score, taking notes, marking up chords, investigating patterns. This analytical angle lets me break down Mingus’s magic into visual chunks and theory I can apply. Often, writing things out yourself uncovers the architecture beneath the surface.Listening While Studying Transcriptions:
The most enlightening moments happen when I combine listening and score study. I follow along on paper while the music plays, watching (and hearing) how abstract notation becomes living sound. This practice reveals connections between the written page and the real-world performance.
These four approaches give me different “nutrients”—each supplements and informs the others. Sometimes I rotate through all four in a day, sometimes I linger where I feel I have more room to grow.
Why Mix Listening With Study?
Music isn’t just notes on a page or sounds in the air—it’s feel, pocket, nuance, intention, and so much that’s impossible to quantify. There’s “unspoken magic” in the groove of a bassist, the swing of a drummer, or the phrasing of a soloist.
Here’s the kicker: you can read every transcription out there, play the notes as written, and still miss the feel. The pocket—the way the beat sits, the sway and the push and pull—is absorbed over time, through repeated exposure and living the music from all angles.
Some things can only be learned by osmosis.
The Power of Environment: Living the Music
Think about learning a new language. The fastest way isn’t sitting in a classroom reciting vocabulary—it’s moving to a country where the language is spoken, eating the local food, hearing the slang, and getting lost in everyday life.
Music works the same way. I’ve met musicians who spent months in Brazil studying samba and bossa nova, or trekked to West Africa to be surrounded by masters. There, immersion isn’t just theoretical—it’s total. You wake up hearing the rhythms, eat food prepared to match the local vibe, breathe in the culture every second.
You can’t do this with Charles Mingus, unfortunately—he’s not hosting any workshops these days. But you can replicate some of the results with conscious effort. Immerse yourself from every angle you can: listen, analyze, play, transcribe, and surround yourself with people who love and live the music.
Why Read Music? Another Dimension to Immersion
Some folks are hesitant to dive into reading music. The truth is, notation gives you access to another tier of understanding. It’s a new lens—sometimes you spot harmonic moves, structures, or inner voices that you’d miss by ear.
If you’ve ever seen Mingus’s handwritten scores, you know there’s a whole world of intention lurking behind the notes. Mark up those scores, scribble thoughts, connect inspiration to theory—make it hands-on.
Think of it Like a Musical Diet
Let me riff on that metaphor of “You Are What Music You Eat.” Imagine your musical study is a meal:
Listening: The protein that builds your inner library of sounds.
Studying/transcribing: The vitamins that challenge your brain and spark growth.
Background exposure: The minerals that sink deep and become part of your subconscious.
Score analysis while listening: The spice—little flavors that tie experience and theory together.
You want a balanced diet, right? You wouldn’t eat only bread or salad every day. Mixing methods, changing your “nutritional intake,” brings out depth, nuance, and long-term results.
Practical Tips: Immersion in Your Daily Routine
I get questions all the time from students and readers about how to fit quality immersion into a hectic schedule. Here’s what works for me:
Wake up and listen: The first thing I do, before the day crowds in, is spend at least five minutes with a piece I’m working on. My mind is fresh, open; it sticks.
Go to sleep with music (or scores): The last thing at night, I’ll either listen quietly or review a transcription. The brain will keep working on it overnight, solidifying connections.
Rotate through the four angles: You don’t need to do all at once—spread them throughout your day. Background listening while you cook. Focused listening during a break. Score study during dedicated practice hours.
Mix in community: Sometimes immersion means jam sessions, rehearsals, lessons, or just nerding out with friends about a new recording.
Over time, this routine shapes your ears, fingers, and mind in profound ways.
The Results: Living the Music
After weeks or months of immersive study, the results sneak up on you. Maybe your phrasing changes, your improvisations deepen, your understanding of harmony gets more refined. You notice details you never caught before, and your playing feels more connected.
You’re not just replicating Mingus’s notes—you’re channeling his intention, attitude, and artistry.
The Challenge: Start With One Song
So here’s my challenge to you—no matter what level you’re at, no matter what genre fires you up:
Pick one song. For a week, immerse yourself using all four angles. Go deep. Notice what changes in your playing, your listening, your appreciation.
Intent listening: Try ten minutes of undivided attention
Background listening: Loop the song through your routine
Score study: Mark up a transcription, even just the melody
Score-and-listen: Follow along while the record plays
Do this in the morning, before bed, or whenever you have a slice of quiet. Share your results with me—email, comment, carrier pigeon—however you roll.
Final Thoughts
True musical growth is deeper than memorization and technical exercise. It comes from living in the sound, absorbing the culture, and letting the music change you from the inside out. The more angles you take, the more fully you embody what makes an artist or a style unique.
So next time you set out to learn a piece, ask yourself: How am I immersing myself in this music? Am I truly eating what I want to become?
And hey, if this resonated with you, subscribe to my mailing list, share with a friend, or search anatomyoftone.com for more ideas, resources, and practical tools for musicians.
Until next time—keep living the music.