How Do I Write a Listening Log???

Listening is a very important aspect of being a great musician! How do I sound compared
to them? What can I do to improve my sound? Why do I like the John Schmidt but not
Taylor Swift? Music is around us all day everyday, so what are we really listening to??

There are 5 main elements of music. We can break each element down into key words
and phrases. By understanding what each element includes it will be much easier to write
your listening logs. Use your dictionary to help you. Keep this sheet in your music folder
as a reminder.

Rhythm

Key Ideas:
- Beat (strong or weak)
- Tempo (largo, lento, adagio, andante, allegro, presto, retardando,
accelerando…etc.)
- Time Signature (duple or triple meter, 2/2, 2/4, ¾, 4/4. 6/8, 9/8….etc.)
- Duration (are the notes long or short? Quarter notes, half notes, sixteenth
notes….etc.)
- Syncopation (off beat)

Melody

Key Ideas:
- Is the melody clear?
- Can you hear one melody? Or more than one melody playing at the same time?
- Does the melody change? When?
- What instrument is playing the melody? Does it change? How?

Harmony (a.k.a. Accompaniment)

Key Ideas:
- Is the harmony chords?
- Is the harmony another melody?
- Does the harmony change? How? When?
- What instrument is playing the harmony? Does it change? How?
Form (a.k.a. Content)

Key Ideas:
- AB (Binary)
- ABA (Ternary Form)
- ABACA (Rondo Form)
-
There are many other forms; try to figure out the form of the piece by listening for
reoccurring sections and using letters to label them.

Tone Colour (a.k.a. Mood)

There are many, many things that influence the Tone Colour of a piece which is
essentially how it sounds. Here are a few ideas.

Key Ideas:
- Instruments (what instruments are being used?)
- What sound do the instruments have? (Bright, dark, warm, soft, harsh…etc.)
- Dynamics (pp, p, mp….etc.)
- Articulation (staccato, legato….etc.)
- How do the dynamics and articulation affect the sound of the piece? (angry,
joyful, energetic….etc.)