Listening to instruments
A concertina and an accordion organise their buttons differently
Buttons and bellows do not identify a playing system on their own. Learn what to ask when listening to a concertina or accordion.
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Listening to instruments
A drum brush can make rhythm without leaving the drumhead
Listen for the sweep as well as the tap when a drummer plays brushes: continuous contact can carry a pulse of its own.
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.
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.