Instruments and Listening
The serpent is a wooden wind instrument with a brass-like beginning
The serpent’s wooden body and finger holes can be misleading. Its lip-vibrated mouthpiece explains why instrument families are not simply material labels.
LIVE MUSIC · FESTIVALS · CULTURE
There is more to a good night than the headline act.
Independent notes on festival planning, live music and getting more out of the shows you choose.
Plan your festival day →
Before the next set
All articles →
Rehearsal Notes
Tacet is an instruction to listen while others play
Tacet tells a player to remain silent for a movement or extended section. Learn how the instruction changes rehearsal preparation and attentive listening.
Instruments and Listening
Listen to the bellows: the compact world of the portative organ
A portative organ combines keys, pipes and a hand-operated air supply. Learn what to watch in a performance and how it differs from a large church organ.
Instruments and Listening
A celesta looks like a small piano but strikes metal plates
The celesta combines a keyboard with struck metal plates. Learn how its sound differs from a piano and what to listen for in a recording.
Listening to instruments
Why horn players keep a hand inside the bell
A horn player’s hand inside the bell affects sound and pitch. Learn what to watch and hear without confusing ordinary placement with hand-stopping.
Instruments and Listening
A natural harmonic begins with a light touch on a string
Natural harmonics reveal a string’s vibrating patterns. Compare a light touch at the twelfth fret with a normally fretted note.