Episode #76
Cybernetics, Yoko Ono and Inaudible Sound with Kate Doyle
Can you hear inaudible sound? What has romantic composer Robert Schuhmann in common with Yoko Ono? Beyond traditional music, inaudible melodies and complex acts of perception carry profound insights for how we think, communicate, and lead. Today, Music Thinker Chrstof Zürn sits together with music professor, musicologist, and author Kate Doyle to unpack the hidden dimensions of listening. Specifically, we explore how listening differently reveals deep connections between music, second-order cybernetics, and human empathy. In this episode, we dive into: Inaudible Melodies & Yoko Ono: How Robert Schumann wrote an "inner voice" into his score that was never meant to be played out loud, and why Yoko Ono's mental text scores in Grapefruit train our capacity for complex listening. Second-Order Cybernetics: The practice of listening to listening and observing the observer, and how taking responsibility for our descriptions changes our relationship with complex systems. Vedic Sound Gradations: Exploring ancient Indian theories where sound exists across gradations far beyond what human ears physically register. The Practice of Listening: Why Kate teaches active listening to non-music undergraduates in business, computer science, and pre-med to cultivate empathy and better collaboration. Full show notes (it is a long list this time) on: https://musicthinking.com/cybernetics-yoko-ono-and-inaudible-sound-with-kate-doyle/ Join the Community: If you are enjoying this conversation, please hit the subscribe button on your podcast player! Furthermore, join our monthly email newsletter to get the latest episodes, archive highlights, the Jam Card of the month, and more. https://musicthinking.substack.com/
