LISTENING GUIDE FOR MUSICAL ANALYSIS

I. THE MICRO-LEVEL OF MUSICAL PERCEPTION

A. Articulation: attack or onset of sound

Accented (staccato) vs. unaccented (legato)

B. Loudness: amplitude of sound

Loud (forte) vs. soft (piano)

dynamics/changes in loudness

gets louder (crescendo) vs. gets softer (decrescendo)

C. Pitch: frequency of vibration of sound

high-pitched vs. low-pitched

D. Duration: rate of decay of sound

Long, sustained tone vs. short, clipped tone

E. Timbre or tone quality: the spectrum of sound

1. Vocal tone

a. vocal quality: noisy/raspy vs. clear/smooth

b. vocal production: tense/strained vs. relaxed/loose

c. vocal placement: chest; nose; head (falsetto)

d. vocal range: high - medium - low

e. vocal techniques:

vibrato - slight, regular variation in pitch

yodel - rapid alternation of head and chest tones

2. Instrumental tone

a. Aerophones: wind instruments (air vibrates in a tube)

flutes, reeds, trumpets, horns

b. Chordophones: string instruments (string vibrates)

lutes, harps, zithers (plucked, bowed, struck)

c. Membranophones: drums (stretched skin vibrates)

indistinct pitch vs. distinct pitch (tuned drums)

d. Idiophones: percussion (the material itself vibrates)

indistinct pitch

rattles, jingles, clappers, flat gongs

distinct pitch (tuned instruments)

xylophones (wooden keys or bars)

metalophones (metal keys or bars)

bossed gongs

tuned bells

e. Corporophones: body sounds (the body vibrates)

hand-clapping, foot-stomping, finger-snapping

f. Electronophones: synthesizers (electricity generates vibration)

synthesizers, samplers