Analytical listening to music 

STAGE 1 (GENERAL ATTITUDE)

• Put your phone away :-) 
• Play an example at least two times without breaks before you start asking yourself questions about the music
• Don't make notes in this stage
• Don't start judging immediately, but listen with an open attitude to the music
• Be perceptive; prick up your ears to perceive what's present in the sound 
• It can be helpful to close your eyes in order not to be distracted

MUSIC!

STAGE 2 (GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS)

• Stay away from your phone
• Instruments? 
• Voices?
• Western / non Western?
• Global characteristics of melody, harmony, rythm, dynamics?
• Can you perceive clear episodes?
• If yes: how many, and where do they begin and end approximately?
• What can you say about the course of tension?
• Feel free to make notes and for example a drawing (!)

MUSIC!

STAGE 3 (ANALYTICAL DESCRIPTION)

• You still don't need your phone
• Is there repetition?
• If yes: where approximately, in what way and with what means?
• What can you say about time intervals between repetitions?
• Are there contrasts?
• If yes: where approximately, in what way and with what means?
• Is there variation?
• If yes: how and with what means?
• What can you say about texture (relations between voices/parts: polyphonic, homophonic, heterophonic, ...)?

MUSIC!

 STAGE 4 (BRINGING TOGETHER AND CONNECTING)

• Nice isn't it? Spending some time without a phone! ;-)
• Try to put together the information you acquired until now
• Sequential form, Balanced form, Developing form or a combination?
• Existing composition genre, form type?
• Formscheme / course of the form with helicopter-view?
• Style, composer? 

STAGE 5 (CONCLUSION)

• Where is your phone?