Western MusicTonal and contemporary

Listening foundations

Feel the ground under a groove

Keep a steady pulse in four, hear how drums and bass lock together, and notice when the harmony changes and the phrase returns to the tonic.

Pulse · Meter · Phrase

Then, in Western Rhythm and Meter:

• Tempo and subdivision of the pulse. Keep a steady beat and divide it into two and four equal parts. Open
• Hearing meter and accent. Hear whether music moves in twos, threes or fours. Open

Melody and the pull of the tonic

Hear a melody as a shape

Follow a melody's steps and leaps, hear its pull toward the tonic, and recognize the same tune moved higher.

Contour · Scale degrees · Transposition

From pulse to groove

Feel the time inside the groove

Hear subdivisions, offbeats and syncopation, tell straight from swing, and feel a beat divided in three.

Subdivision · Syncopation · Swing

Then, in Western Rhythm and Meter:

• Reading durations with rests and ties. Read note values, rests, dots and ties. Open
• Rhythmic dictation. Write down a rhythm you hear. Open
• Syncopation and displaced accents. Hear, write and play accents that fall off the beat. Open
• Sight-reading rhythm. Read and play a new rhythm at sight. Open

Harmony and voice movement

Hear chords from the inside

Hear major and minor color, follow the bass under each chord, and hear the arrival from dominant to tonic.

Chord quality · Voice leading · Cadence

The shape of a song

Hear how sections make a song

Hear where sections begin and end, tell verse, chorus and bridge apart, and hear how a song builds and returns.

Sections · Contrast · Arrangement

Then, in Western Rhythm and Meter:

• Rhythmic composition and revision. Compose short rhythmic phrases and improve them. Open

From tone color to the mix

Hear what a mix changes

Hear balance, left and right, low and high, and parts that cover each other. Then make one mix choice on purpose.

Timbre · Balance · EQ

Then, in Western Rhythm and Meter:

• Bringing it together. Use pulse, reading, dictation and syncopation on music you have not seen. Open