Soundscapes (Land[Sound]scapes) sind Klanglandschaften, die sich Menschen in Soundwalks oder in Field-Recordings ›er‹-hören. Soundscapes sind Gründungsbestandteil des klangkulturwissenschaftlichen Diskurses der Sound Studies. Begründer der Wortschöpfung und des zugehörigen Beforschens von Klanglandschaften ist der Komponist Murray Schafer.

»A soundwalk is any excursion whose main purpose is listening to the environment.
It is exposing our ears to every sound around us no matter where we are.«

Hildegard Westerkamp: Soundwalk (1974)

Eine der zentralen Herangehensarten der Beforschung von Soundscapes ist der Soundwalk, eine Vor›gehens‹art, die auf die Komponistin Hildegard Westerkamp zurück›geht‹. In ›Klangspaziergängen‹ können sich Menschen ihre klangliche Umwelt ›er‹-hören, z.B. mittels Anleitungen wie diesen:

»Start by listening to the sounds of your body while moving. They are closest to you and establish the first dialogue between you and the environment. If you can hear even the quietest of these sounds you are moving through an environment which is scaled on human proportions. In other words, with your voice or your footsteps for instance, you are talking‘ to your environment which then in turn responds by giving your sounds a specific acoustic quality.

Try to move
Without making any sound. Is it possible?

Which is
the quietest sound of your body?

(If, however, the sounds you yourself produce are lost in the ambient noise of your surroundings you experience a soundscape which si out of balance. Human proportions have been disregarded here. Not only si your voice inaudible but your ear also is assaulted by a multitude of loud and chaotic noises.)

Lead your ears away from your own sounds and listen to the sounds nearby.

What do you hear? (Make a list)

What else do you hear?
Other people
Nature sounds
Mechanical sounds

How many Continuoussoundscontinuoussoundscontinuoussoundscontinuoussoundscontinuous

Can you detect
Interesting rhythms
Regular beats
The highest
The lowest pitch.

Do you hear any
I n t e r m i t t e n t o r d i s c r e t e s o u n d s
Rustles
Bangs
Swishes
Thuds

What are the sources of the different sounds? What else do you hear?

Lead your ears away from these sounds and listen beyond into the distance.
What is the quietest sound? What else do you hear?
What else?
What else?
What else?
What else?

So far you have isolated sounds from each other and gotten to know them as individual entities. But each one of them is part of a bigger environmental composition. Therefore reassemble them all and listen to them as if you are listening to a piece of music played by many different instruments. Be critical and judge if you like what you hear.

Pick out the sounds you like the most and create the ideal soundscape in the context of your present surroundings. What would be its main characteristics? Is it just an idealistic dream or could it be made a reality in our modern society?«

Hildegard Westerkamp: Soundwalk (1974), S.19/20