Musical Compostion - How To Listen To Music Like A Composer

Did you know that there is more than one way to listen to music? I first read about this from a small book by composer Aaron Copeland.

You see most people listen to music as if something were washing over them. They listen to the oncoming barrage of notes and chords and never wonder or understand how it achieves the effect it does.

Not composers. They listen differently. While most people enjoy music for music's sake - a composer listens for sections or how the music is constructed.

I'm not saying that composers never listen to music for pure enjoyment. That would be terrible. No. What I'm saying is that a composer or anyone who takes the time to learn, can begin to hear how music is put together.

And most music created today is comprised of sections. More specifically, we have A and B sections, introductions, transitions and endings and so on.

All these "pieces" go into creating a piece of music. Even spontaneously improvised pieces of music have been given a name by composers. They call it "through composed" which means that there are no distinctly repeating sections.

For example, in the lesson "Winged Realm," students learn how to listen to a piece of music and then deterrmine the form and arrangement of the piece. Learning this skill is highly recommended since it helps you hear what the composer is doing.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!