Listening to instruments
The nyckelharpa brings keys to a bowed string instrument
Meet the nyckelharpa, a bowed instrument with keys and resonating strings, and learn what to watch and listen for when you encounter it in a live performance.
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Listening to instruments
An Irish bouzouki brings a Greek instrument’s name into a different playing tradition
Listen for the Irish bouzouki’s paired strings and accompaniment role, and discover why its tuning and construction cannot be reduced to one fixed recipe.
Listening Details
An appoggiatura borrows emphasis from the note it delays
An appoggiatura creates a brief melodic lean before resolution. Use a short listening exercise to hear its emphasis without relying on jargon alone.
Listening More Closely
Alberti bass turns a chord into a repeating accompaniment pattern
Alberti bass breaks a chord into a low-high-middle-high pattern. Learn to hear the accompaniment separately from the melody and try a short listening exercise.
Music Listening
Hearing three against two: a first way into polyrhythm
Three-against-two rhythm fits three evenly spaced notes and two evenly spaced notes into the same span. Try a six-part counting exercise to hear both layers.
Live Music
The room adds a tail to every note: hearing reverberation at a concert
A concert hall changes what reaches your ears after each note. Listen for reverberation, clarity and the effect of position without confusing them with loudness.