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General Listening to Music
Most people listen to music as they carry out their daily tasks, but how much of that music do they actually absorb?? Often we can sing along with a song from start to finish but don’t notice instruments, tonality, key, tempo, texture etc. When we study music we must LEARN TO LISTEN in a more analytical way. Remember it’s not enough to learn definitions off by heart, rather you must learn to recognise the SOUND of the following characteristics of music.
Rhythm: Pulse - Even? Dotted rhythms? Syncopation? Swing? Compound time, Simple time, Time signature
Pitch: High, Low, Medium, Step, Leap, Intervals, Contour, Sequence, Inversion,
Timbre: Instruments, Instrumental sections, Voices, Pitch, Specific instrumental characteristics such as bowing, vibrato, Hammers, beaters etc.
Orchestration: Combinations of instruments. See “genre”
Texture: Thick/Dense, Thin/Sparse, Homophonic, Polyphonic, Monophonic, Imitation, Canon, Block chords, Broken chords, Note clusters,
Articulation: Legato, Staccato, Detaché, Specific instrumental characteristics such as bowing, vibrato, Hammers, beaters
Harmony: Tonality, Major, Minor, Modal, also see Texture, Modulation, Cadence, Atonal,
Tempo: Fast, Medium, Slow, (Italian terms), Tempo changes, sudden or gradual.
Dynamics: p, pp, ppp, mp, f, ff, fff, mf, Cresc. Dim.
Form (structure): Repetition, Contrast.
Genre (Style): Mixture of all of the above. Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, Jazz, Traditional, Pop, Rock.
The following are examples of “vague” exam questions where it would be worthwhile examining all of the previous characteristics.
Describe the use of canon in this excerpt.
Describe 2 ways in which the music of the next verse differs from the excerpt.
Describe 2 features of Romantic (or any other era, or the composers) style heard in this excerpt.
Describe how Handel conveys a triumphant mood in this excerpt.
Describe the texture of this section.
State one similarity and one difference between this movement (or section) and the one which immediately precedes (or follows) it.
Describe the manner in which the piano plays the opening lines.
This recording is a fusion of 2 different styles. Identify and describe both styles as heard in the
excerpt.
Describe 2 rhythmic features of this theme.
Describe the part played by the French horns when they enter.
The following are examples of more direct Questions where listening is important.
From where in the work is this excerpt taken.
The texture of the excerpt is?
What instrument plays at x?
Through the excerpt the snare plays a backbeat. Explain.
Name and describe a compositional technique heard in the excerpt.
Name and describe an instrumental technique heard in the excerpt.
Describe the tonality of this section.
What is the cadence at x.
Add the missing melody and/or rhythmic notes at bars x.
Pitch: High, Low, Medium, Step, Leap, Intervals, Contour, Sequence, Inversion,
Timbre: Instruments, Instrumental sections, Voices, Pitch, Specific instrumental characteristics such as bowing, vibrato, Hammers, beaters etc.
Orchestration: Combinations of instruments. See “genre”
Texture: Thick/Dense, Thin/Sparse, Homophonic, Polyphonic, Monophonic, Imitation, Canon, Block chords, Broken chords, Note clusters,
Articulation: Legato, Staccato, Detaché, Specific instrumental characteristics such as bowing, vibrato, Hammers, beaters
Harmony: Tonality, Major, Minor, Modal, also see Texture, Modulation, Cadence, Atonal,
Tempo: Fast, Medium, Slow, (Italian terms), Tempo changes, sudden or gradual.
Dynamics: p, pp, ppp, mp, f, ff, fff, mf, Cresc. Dim.
Form (structure): Repetition, Contrast.
Genre (Style): Mixture of all of the above. Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern, Jazz, Traditional, Pop, Rock.
The following are examples of “vague” exam questions where it would be worthwhile examining all of the previous characteristics.
Describe the use of canon in this excerpt.
Describe 2 ways in which the music of the next verse differs from the excerpt.
Describe 2 features of Romantic (or any other era, or the composers) style heard in this excerpt.
Describe how Handel conveys a triumphant mood in this excerpt.
Describe the texture of this section.
State one similarity and one difference between this movement (or section) and the one which immediately precedes (or follows) it.
Describe the manner in which the piano plays the opening lines.
This recording is a fusion of 2 different styles. Identify and describe both styles as heard in the
excerpt.
Describe 2 rhythmic features of this theme.
Describe the part played by the French horns when they enter.
The following are examples of more direct Questions where listening is important.
From where in the work is this excerpt taken.
The texture of the excerpt is?
What instrument plays at x?
Through the excerpt the snare plays a backbeat. Explain.
Name and describe a compositional technique heard in the excerpt.
Name and describe an instrumental technique heard in the excerpt.
Describe the tonality of this section.
What is the cadence at x.
Add the missing melody and/or rhythmic notes at bars x.