It’s easy to plug into your music as you walk down a city street, which is something I am also guilty of. Walking down the street and actually taking in the sounds, as simple as it may seem, is something I rarely do. But by doing so I really appreciated the city symphony that plays out every minute of every day.
Engines are the base of the live city orchestra. They rev and pull forward, rushing to get from one light to the next. The larger the engine, the larger the car, and the deeper the sound. Even with eyes closed, it’s possible to guess at how large the cars and trucks are based on the low rumble of the engine as it grumbles by. It’s more of a keynote sound, until they attract more attention--the beeping of the impatient horns, the truckers blasting fast metal music, or the warning beeps of a truck in reverse. Then suddenly, the “keynote sound” becomes the “sound signal.”
On the sidewalks, smaller sounds ensue but only are noticeable when paying attention to them. But even then, passing conversations are mostly unintelligible, either because of murmuring or the diverse range of languages being spoken on any given block. But on the other hand, people are yelling, people are on the phone (also yelling) which is possibly to eavesdrop on, even as the drills stutter on the sidewalk across the street. High heels knock against the pavement at different decibels depending on the shoe, and strollers make a steady, grainy roll.
Even with eyes closed, as I kept walking it became easy to identify the sources of sound that contributed to the rushing, bustling city symphony.
