The Appreciative Ear

Sounds from the Ground Up

Abstract

The hills are alive with the sound of music that increasingly falls upon unappreciative ears. It is the claim of this article that an appreciation of underground sounds can spur real, relevant responses to the environmental crises of our time. When people are educated in the earthly sounds, their sources, and benefits, they are more inclined to feel a sense of obligation to steward the earth. The focus here is on sound artists and acoustic field researchers and scientifically measuring the sounds. Sounds underfoot, more than any other category of sensate phenomena, teach appreciation by beginning at the ground level.