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.
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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.
Instruments and Listening
Scordatura changes an instrument’s tuning before the first note
Scordatura deliberately changes normal string tuning. Hear how it contributes to musical character, and distinguish the tuning instruction from the key signature.
Music Listening
A Picardy third lets a minor-key piece end with a major chord
Hear how a minor-key piece can close with a major tonic chord. A simple keyboard comparison makes the Picardy third easier to recognise.