The Music Stem / Courses / Sound and Listening

Learn to listen

Sound and Listening

Hear and describe pulse, melodic contour, timbre, texture and form in any music you meet.

The lessons

1. Attentive listening. Hear where a sound begins, how it lasts, how it ends and the silence around it. Open
2. Sound properties. Tell pitch, length, loudness and tone color apart. Open
3. Pulse and grouping. Feel a steady beat and hear how accents group it. Open
4. Melodic contour. Follow a melody as it moves up, down or stays the same. Open
5. Timbre and articulation. Hear how a note starts and the color of the sound that follows. Open
6. Auditory memory. Hold a short pattern in your memory and recall it after a pause. Open
7. Texture and form. Hear the layers of a piece and how its sections return and contrast. Open
8. Independent listening. Listen to music you do not know and describe what you hear with confidence. Open