Hearing comprehension issue?

Post Reply New Topic

I have an issue I'm not sure is an aspie related problem or not.
When it comes to comprehending song lyrics I have a real problem figuring out what is being said. Simple and slow songs I can understand what the words are but pretty much anything on contemporary radio I am at a loss. I hear the voice just fine but picking out what is being said is nigh impossible. I'll use Miley's wrecking ball as an example, i can only figure out less than half of what the words are. I hear volume just fine and have no issue comprehending spoken conversation no matter how complicated. Actually in a public setting I can usually listen in on more than one conversation at a time. Is the music overloading my brain here and short-circuiting my comprehension? I also notice I dont have quite as bad an issue deciphering female vocalists as I do male. Wondering if anyone has or has heard of something similar.
thanks

I have this problem with music too. Most of the time I can only understand a few words here and there. I've never been a big fan of music because of this, although I do like to listen to it for the general sound sometimes. However, unlike you, I also have problems with people talking (especially if there is background noise), and I cannot listen to and understand more than one conversation at a time.

I've always thought that those things were related to some kind of auditory processing problem. I have read that auditory processing problems are fairly common among people with ASDs, and they can be at various severities (which might be why you're okay with people talking and only have trouble with music, while I have issues with talking and music).

I've found that finding lyrics online and reading them along with the song a few times helps me start to understand the words. I do this sometimes if I really like a song but am not sure what they are saying, just to make sure that I actually like the message.

Thank you and ill take your cue and further research the auditory processing issues. I have an ex sister in law thats a SPLH worker and if i get good info from her ill pass it on here in this thread.

Reading the lyrics to songs will help me understand the meaning of the song more but not in processing it when listened to. In most music the human voice to me is just another melodic instrument and part of the band like the guitar or piano.

The multiple conversation thing may be something i have force conditioned myself to do on account of my severe ADHD.

I think with me, I usually read the lyrics enough times to memorize most/all of the words, so then I'm able to listen to the song and know what they are supposed to be saying even if I can't actually understand it without the memorized words following along in my head...if that makes sense?

I think the way you describe the human voice as sounding much like another instrument is very accurate and a great way to describe this problem. I usually have a hard time explaining it to other people, so thanks!

glad to know im not the only one and happy to hear i was able to give you a good example to use.

I was pointed in a direction of credible information to research however its all highly academic and will take time to sift through. one thing she did mention was that there is a strong link between auditory processing issues and ADHD. I guess that means in my case anyway it could be one or the other as a root cause? Tells me most of a "why" anyhow and for now thats enough. If i find anything relevant in these doctoral dissertations and scientific papers ill for sure pass it along here.

Yeah, sounds familiar. I definitely have more trouble than most with understanding song lyrics; also speech in bad radio connections. I've definitely thought it linked to auditory processing problems, especially since getting my formal AS diagnosis.

Of course, lots of people can mishear lyrics. Like these people (clicky): Kiss This Guy

Yes, I often have difficulty hearing and understanding the lyrics in music. This is most notable in today's recordings of rock and pop songs. While my ASD may play some part, there are a couple of other things that, for me, seem to impact more greatly my understanding.

First, as a former recording engineer, I am aware of a contemporary convention of placing vocals well down into the mix. That is, dynamically they are less "out in front" of the instrumentation. For me this makes them harder to hear and understand. (It also doesn't help that these days vocal style seems to be prioritized above diction)

Regarding the male/female thing, it turns out that the typically higher pitch of a female voice helps it to rise above and stand-out over the mix. The human ear is inherently more sensitive to sounds in the range of 2-3 kilohertz; the pitch of female voices comes closer to that range than do those of males.

Sorry for ragging on, but this is one of my fav topics and my aspiehood compelled me to jump in

That makes sense. I believe I've heard from several sources that for automated machine voices it's better to make it sound female than male, as both genders tend to pick up on it more readily than male voices. Especially important for potential emergency situations, like in aircraft or spacecraft.

you had my dream job, ages ago i helped with sound for some friends bar bands and a hometown megachurch's sunday productions but admit freely thats in no way close to pro studio work. seems like a lifetime ago. the church was fun, twin 64's, awesome. just getting to sit behind those things made waking up early on sundays worth it.

the pitch dynamic for female vocalists makes perfect sense and explains why Ozzy is one of the few males i have no problem deciphering.
funny, my wife is a fan of maroon five, who sings more like a girl than most girls, and i cant figure out most of it, then again i dont like it anyway so i may just be refusing to spend any effort whatsoever listening to it.

another thing about modern music production/recording style is that vocals are no longer panned hard to the center but dispersed in an ambient mix so that they no longer stand out from everything else.

And then there's this: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mondegreen

I usually have the same problem--not just with song lyrics, but with spoken words, period, especially if there's a lot of background noise. I've discussed this in other threads, but for those of you who haven't read them, look this up: "Meniere's disease."

@Marky9: my hearing is worse for the lower ranges, so the male/female voice thing applies.

Granted, this issue could arise from any number of things...part of me still suspects CAPD, also.

The neighbor's AS kid had auditory processing issues, could have passed for a toddler, but used bigger words than most the professionals around me. Where does a 'deaf' person pick this stuff up?

I was subjected to pediatric hearing tests, which involved some kind of flashing, clown-like figures, in the corners of the room -- like harlequins or jack(s) in the box. (As I remember this, I start to feel dizzy, seem to lose track of the ground underneath me.) There were many kinds of sensory stimuli, and the audiologists were impatient with me, because I didn't know what to do. My mother never seemed to make it perfectly clear, whether my answer would result in another blood test, my blood being drawn, or a surgery.

My ears were tubed, based on these test results. (When you are thoroughly-insured, you are thoroughly-treated. It is true.)

My mother would think that I was leading her on, or being rude with my line of questioning. She would be loud, which made it impossible for me to concentrate, or thought I should catch on to her hints, when I requested clarification. I told authorities that I was 'deaf,' because she was yelling at me, which could have gotten her into trouble.

It was speculated that I may have nerve damage.

I was put in a speech class, but, come to think of it, was always in trouble for non-participation, as I was more withdrawn.

Closer, physical inspection eventually showed that my ears were in excellent, working condition. The tone of the conversation was that I was in some way leading them on, or being rebellious, somehow.

I seem to be in a state of sensory overload, most of the time, but my longterm memory holds onto noises, sounds, and trivia in minute detail. I have academic honors but made the teachers uncomfortable for staring at their mouths as they formed the syllables. I can see it, still. I looked around, but noone else was facing, straight ahead. I tried to act like them but became distracted.

In short, when everything seems to be quiet, I catch on to irregularities and patterns which noone else notices, am probably lost in deep thought about what I am hearing, can not technically be called deaf, even when I appear to be walled-off to everyone around me.

I recently had to watch a 'webinar,' and make a parts list, from a lisping narrator. It took me several hours of my own time. Coworkers said they were skeptical of me.

But, I'm finding that I have extra difficulty with accents.

When I break down words, mentally, this is based on consonants, which do not come across, the same way.

I could never understand music well. Some artists sing their song so fast, I don't even know what they are saying.

mungo jerry in 1968 did a song called "in the summertime" whose sung lyrics can barely be made out by me. I "heard" amusing misconstrued lyrics therein.

Seems I owe a correction here, after discussing this with an old friend this afternoon it seems that i dont "get" conversational speech quite as well as I thought. He pointed out to me that on the phone I dont do it very often at all but in person i routinely ask for things to be repeated.
Lightbulb moment here and I realized also I tend to look at peoples mouths as they speak. Eye avoidance or attempted lip reading? I remembered too a random axx beating i took with my dad telling me i only heard what i wanted to hear when i wanted to hear it. Most likely i didnt do something i was told or could have been simply asking him to repeat himself, then again if he didnt have a reason hed make one up.

Nerve damage, thats what i was told ages ago when i was last tested. Told me nothing could be done about it and id just have to live with it.
Now we know better.

Still sifting through the academic stuff, not finding much that applies. Most of it is focused on SPLH issues with autistic children and why little if anything can be done to help them clinically. Nothing relating to adults or ASD.