Listening to instruments
A viola’s strings sit a fifth below the violin’s
Listen for the viola’s lower string range and middle voice, and discover why it is more useful to follow its musical role than call it a large violin.
LIVE MUSIC · FESTIVALS · CULTURE
There is more to a good night than the headline act.
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Music Listening
A trill and a tremolo ask a musician to repeat different things
Trills alternate neighbouring notes, while tremolo can describe repeated notes, chords or other effects. Read the musical context before deciding how to play.
Music Listening
Two note names can lead to the same piano key
Explore enharmonic notes at the piano and see why C-sharp and D-flat can share a key while keeping different written names.
Musical Sound
Watch the bellows to hear more in an accordion performance
Watch an acoustic accordion’s bellows as well as its keys to understand airflow, phrasing and why a sustained note can change in intensity.
Instruments and Listening
A piano’s sostenuto pedal holds selected notes rather than every new note
Sostenuto can sustain selected notes while later notes remain separate. Check the piano’s pedal function before trying a short listening experiment.
Listening More Closely
An ostinato stays recognisable while the music around it changes
Hear how an ostinato holds a repeating pattern while melody, harmony or instrumentation changes around it, using a simple listening exercise.