Instruments and Listening
The clarinet register key opens a route to a twelfth, not an octave
Hear why the clarinet moves into a higher register by a twelfth, and use a short listening exercise to separate register from volume.
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Instruments and Listening
A mandolin’s paired strings shape the way one note rings
A standard mandolin’s eight strings form four paired courses. Learn why the pairs matter when tuning, reading music, and listening for a wavering note.
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.
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.