Did you know that you can learn more about music just by listening to songs?
Try listening to a song by your favourite artist. Can you name the time signature? Try tapping out the beat. Is the tempo fast, or slow? Does it change during the song? You could create a “Time Signatures” playlist out of songs you know, to help you identify and understand time signatures. If you’re not sure what the time signature is, you can google it, or ask your music tutor!
Familiarise yourself with 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 (the most common) and 6/8. Some more unusual time signatures include 7/4, for example in the song “Money” by Pink Floyd, and 6/4 in the song “Electric Feel” by MGMT. Some songs even change time signature, which can be really important to pay attention to when you’re playing. A great example is “Happiness is a Warm Gun” by the Beatles. It has over 4 different time signatures to give each part of the song a distinctive feel!
Another thing you can do is to try to identify the instruments in the song. Do you think that they are electronically generated, or “real” instruments, or a mixture of both? Listen to the different parts that they play, how they complement one another and how they contribute to the structure of the song. The combination of different instruments and sounds gives a song “Texture”. What patterns can you hear?
Can you identify when the chord changes occur? If you’re able to, try to identify the types of chord they’re playing. If you have access to your instrument, you can attempt to work out melodies, chords, riffs or root notes by ear. This is an incredibly useful skill: before the internet, and sites like GuitarTabs existed, musicians had to work out how to play the latest hits by ear! It’s not always safe to assume that the tablature you downloaded is accurate. It pays to be able to listen, experiment, and work things out yourself.
If you’re a vocalist, or even if you’re not, have a listen to the lyrics! Look them up if you can’t make out what they’re saying. This can save you from having a bad case of “misheard lyrics”, or the unfortunate experience of realising that the song you’ve been playing in front of small children is perhaps not so appropriate! A surprising number of people don’t listen to song lyrics. This is a pity because some songs have excellent lyrics that are worth knowing, or are simply fun to sing along with when you know them (e.g. the bridge of Bohemian Rhapsody).
Listening to music with focus and intentionality is an activity you can do on the go, and it can help you understand your chosen instrument, and how it can be played, better. Try it today!
