Word that means listening to music

7

• IELTS-style questions on the topic of music

• Sample answers

• A list of common music vocabulary with definitions & sample sentences

• Links to online reading and listening resources

Part 1

1) What types of music do you like to listen to?

It depends on what mood I’m in but
generally, I like easy listening
although I am a massive fan
of country music and play
this genre more than any
other.

2) Are there any kinds of music that
you dislike?

I’m not really into jazz. It’s just not my taste in music, especially when
the musicians improvise. It sounds like they are
all playing different tunes
and there’s no harmony.

3)  Do you ever go
to music gigs?

I love listening to live music and go to local gigs at least once a month. I only go
to concerts by top bands once in a blue moon as I live a long way from the big music venues.

4) Have you ever been in a music group or a band?

I
was a vocalist in my church
music group for several years
and also sang in the choir
when I was in school.

5) Does your country have a
traditional type of music or dance?

Folk music and Morris dancing are both traditional
in the UK. The music for this type of dancing is often played on the fiddle and accordion, with a drum
to give the dancers a good rhythm
and beat.

Part 2

I
like many different groups but
the one that comes top of my list has to be Bruce Springsteen and the E Street
Band.

I
first heard their music way back in 1980. I had a boyfriend who had one of their
albums and I was a fan from the first track I heard. I’ve been
listening to them ever since. The song
that really hooked me was “The River”. It’s still one of my favourite songs of all time. It has a slow,
haunting melody and beautiful
lyrics.

In
those days, very few people in my country had heard of Bruce Springsteen but
all these years later his band
are often on tour here and they
play sellout concerts around the world. His
nickname is “The Boss” which shows how much people respect him and his great
music.

Although
the E Street Band are essentially a rock
band, there are strong influences of folk, rock and roll, blues
and country in their music
which helps then appeal to a wide audience.

I
was once given two tickets to one of the band’s
concerts at Cardiff Arms Park
rugby stadium; a great venue. They were a Christmas present and I took my sister along with
me. It’s the only time I’ve seen them at a live
gig but it’s an event I shall never forget. What a wonderful experience.
We sang along to all the songs.

The
highlight of the show was when they performed “The River. At the end, the band stopped playing and Bruce
led the audience in singing the
chorus over and over again.
It was amazing and a very special moment. I actually found it quite moving as
that was the song that had
started me as a fan all those
years ago and there I was singing it with him. There was silence when it
finally ended and then the applause
started and went on for what seemed like forever.

It’s
hard to put in words why I like Bruce Springsteen and his band so much. I think it’s because their lyrics are so real while most of
the songs have a strong melody that stirs your soul. That’s
the best way I can put it.

Part 3

1) Is it important to listen to
music with other people?

I think that listening to
music can be both a social experience and a personal one. Young people in
particular like chilling out
with friends while listening to their favourite tracks. There’s also something special about attending a live gig with your mates and singing along to the familiar tunes with all the other fans.

I’ve only ever been to a
couple of music festivals but
what I remember as much as the bands and
the fantastic music was the atmosphere of the events and that was created by all
the people who were there.

On the other hand, you can
enjoy music just as much when listening on your own. The fact that everywhere
you look there are people walking around wearing earphones or headphone
seems to be proof of this. So, in conclusion, I would say that while it’s nice
to share music with others, it’s not especially important.

2) Why
do you think older and younger generations prefer different types of music?

That’s
something I’ve never really thought about but I suppose it’s because they grew
up listening to different types of music as styles change over time.

Speaking
for myself, there are many talented new bands
and singers that I enjoy listening to. I often buy their albums and download
them onto my MP3 player, but
there’s nothing quite like the music I loved when I was in my teens. Perhaps it’s
as much to do with the memories it brings back as the music itself.

That’s
how I see it and I guess that many other people probably feel the same.

3) Do you think that music should
be a compulsory subject in schools?

I
do believe that music should be taught in schools. This is for several reasons.

Firstly,
it’s important to develop children’s creativity and music is a great way to do
this. They should be encouraged to learn to play a musical instrument, but it’s valuable if they just enjoy learning
and singing a few songs
together.

Secondly,
making music is an excellent way of teaching youngster how to work together in
a fun way and most of them enjoy performing to their friends.

Finally,
most schools put on concerts
and other musical performances. Taking part in these gives children confidence and
they are an important part of the curriculum.

While
older children may drop the subject for exams, having school choirs and orchestras provides
other opportunities for them to continue their interest in music.

Click this link to get a PDF download of these practise questions & sample answers.

• Do not try
  and learn this list of music vocabulary.

• Identify
  the vocabulary you find useful for answering practise questions about this topic.

• Record
  these in your vocabulary notebook and practise using them regularly.

Music Vocabulary Set 1: Key definitions

Set 1: Music genres

There are
many different styles of music around the world. These are some of the
mainstream genres but do add others to your own music vocabulary list if there
are particular styles you like that aren’t included here.

music genre – a distinct type or style of music

— My favourite music genre is rap.

pop – popular music; music liked by a
broad range of the population

— Pop songs are enjoyed by lots of different types of people
because they have a good rhythm, a catchy melody, and are easy to remember and
sing along to.

rock music
– music that is based on amplified instruments, especially the electric guitar
and electric bass, and characterized by a strong bass line and strong rhythms

— The Rolling Stones play some of the
best rock music ever written.

heavy metal – a type of highly amplified
harsh-sounding rock music with a strong beat, characteristically using violent
or fantasy imagery

— I like some rock music but find heavy metal a bit too loud.

rap – a
type of music in which the words are not sung
but are spoken in a rapid, rhythmic way

— Whilst I’m not a great fan of rap music, I do think it’s amazing how they speak so fast and
remember the words.

country music – a
form of popular music originating in the rural southern US. It is a mixture of
ballads and dance tunes played characteristically on fiddle, banjo, guitar, and
pedal steel guitar.

—
There’s a great country music venue
in my town where everyone dresses up as cowboys when they go to gigs.

jazz – a style of music that is generally
loud and rhythmic, where the musicians often make the music up as they go along

—
Louis Armstrong is still a popular jazz
musician many decades after his death.

reggae – a form
of music with a distinct beat that originated in Jamaica and is still
associated with the Caribbean

— Bob Marley was the first internationally known reggae musician.

blues – African-American
music that expresses grief or sorrow about injustice and a longing for a better
life

— Did you know that the blues
is named after the expression ‘to feel blue’ which means to be sad or
depressed?

traditional music – songs and tunes particular to a country or region which have been performed over a long period of time, usually several generations

— Traditional music is part of our culture and should be preserved.

folk – traditional music which included
songs written a long time ago and new songs written in the old style

—
We have some talented young folk
musicians in my country who love performing songs from the old days and writing
new folk songs for our generation.

classical music – a form of music developed in Europe mainly in the 18th and 19^th centuries by musicians highly skilled in musical composition

— I find that classical music
really stirs up the emotions and I particularly enjoy listening to Beethoven and Bach.

opera – a
musical play, often very dramatic, in which most of the words are sung

— I’m not a fan of opera
as I really don’t like the style of singing.

musical – a play or film that
uses singing and dancing in
the story but also includes a lot of spoken dialogue

— Although there are lots of great new musicals being written, I still love West Side Story the best.

instrumental music – music where you
just hear instruments playing and there is no singing

— I’m not happy when they play instrumental music on my favourite
radio station as I like to be able to sing along the lyrics.

easy listening
– a type
of music that is not complicated, is pleasant to listen and doesn’t need much
of your attention

— When I
get home in the evening I put on some easy
listening to help me relax after a busy day.

background music – music that is playing while something else is happening

— My friend likes to have background music on while she’s
studying but I need a quiet place to work.

Music Vocabulary Set 2: Musical instruments & playing music

If there are any traditional musical
instruments popular in your country that you might want to talk about, add them
to your own music vocabulary list.

instrument – something you play to make music

Some common instruments:

traditional
instruments – a type of instrument that 
has been played for many generations or that was popular in the past,
often unique to a country or region

— A sitar is a
traditional Indian musical instrument.

to take up (a musical
instrument) – to
begin learning a musical instrument

— I’m going to take up the guitar.

to read music – to understand and follow written
musical notes

— I’m so glad I learnt to read music when I had piano lessons as
a child because it really helps me now that I sing in a choir.

to play by ear – to play without reading the
musical notes

— Many talented musicians can’t even
read music and only play by ear.

talented
– to be naturally skilled at something

—
I never got the hang of playing an instrument even though both my
parents are talented musicians.

to
be musical – have a
skill in or a great liking for music

— My friend Sally is very musical and can play several different
instruments.

self-discipline – the ability to make yourself do things you know you
should do even when you do not want to

— You need
a lot of self-discipline to learn
the piano as you have to practise every day and play boring scales.

sense
of accomplishment – to feel
like you’ve achieved something you can be proud of

— Bernie
felt a real sense of accomplishment
at passing his Grade 2 flute exam.

vocals – a part of a piece of music that is sung

— My parents met in a band. Dad was a guitarist and Mum sang vocals.

Music Vocabulary Set 3: Musicians

musician – a person who plays a musical instrument, especially as a
profession, or is musically talented

— It was Jai’s ambition to be a professional musician and play in a famous
orchestra.

bass player
– someone who plays the bass

conductor
– the person who leads the orchestra

guitarist
– someone who plays the guitar

keyboard player
– someone who plays the keyboard

pianist
– someone who plays the piano

drummer
– someone who plays the drums

cellist
– someone who plays the cello

violinist
– someone who plays the violin

vocalist
– someone who sings

— Phil Collins was unusual in being both the drummer and lead vocalist in a band, the famous Genesis.

choir
– a group of singers singing together

— Lulu really enjoyed singing in the choir, especially when they performed at concerts.

orchestra – a large group of musicians who play many
different instruments together and are led by a conductor

— Jason was delighted when he was asked to play violin in
the school orchestra.

band – a group of people who
sing together and also play instruments

— I was so excited to be asked to play
bass guitar in the new band.

group – a collection of people
who sing together but do not necessarily play instruments

— All the groups performing
in the contest were excellent and it was hard for the judges to pick the best.

composer
– a
person who writes music, especially as a professional occupation

— My favourite classical composer is Mozart.

Music Vocabulary Set 4: Live music

a performance
– the act of entertaining other people by dancing, singing, acting or
playing music

—
The choir gave a wonderful performance at my sister’s wedding.

a gig
– a performance of a band

— My new band is playing their first gig at the weekend.

a show
– a performance,
especially involving music

— I’m
going to my kid’s school this evening to watch them perform in a show.

live
music – music
performed in front of an audience

— We have many clubs in my city and
I often go along with friends to listen to live
music.

Collocations:

• live show
• live
  performance
• live gig

music festival – an organized event, typically lasting several days, featuring
performances by various musicians, singers and groups

— I try to go to at least one music festival each summer.

concert – a performance of music by one or more
musicians or singers

— My orchestra is going to perform at a concert organized to raise money for charity.

stage
– a raised platform on which musicians, actors or entertainers
perform

— I felt nervous when I walked out on stage and saw the large audience waiting to hear me sing.

venue – the place
where a public event such as a concert happens

— The disused warehouse was
the perfect venue for a rock
concert.

Music Vocabulary Set 5: Recorded music

recording / recorded music – music that has been
stored on a record, CD, computer, etc., so that it can be heard again

— I
have recordings of many of my
favourite bands stored on my computer.

MP3
player – an electronic device that can store and play digital audio files

— I always carry my MP3 player with me so that I can listen
to music whenever I want to.

headphones
/ earphones – an electronic device  that fits over or in the ears for
listening to music

— I wear earphones
to listen to music on my MP3 player while I’m out jogging.

album – a collection of recordings issued as a single item on
CD, record or another medium.

— I can’t
wait for my favourite band’s new album
to come out.

to download tracks – to obtain music from the internet

— I heard a great band at the gig
last night and I’m going to download
some of their tracks.

speakers
– a piece of electrical equipment for playing recorded sound, through which the sound is played

— The jazz album I got for my
birthday sounds amazing
through my new speakers.

Music Vocabulary Set 6: Describing music &
songs

a song
– a
usually short piece of music with words that are sung

— My favourite Ed
Sheeran song is “Thinking Out Loud”.

lyrics – the
words to a song

— Leonard Cohen wrote some
of the best lyrics of all time and
many artists still perform his songs today.

a melody – the main tune in a piece of music that is often played or sung more than once

— I had
trouble picking up the melody of the
new piece we started learning at choir rehearsal today and will practise it at home.

a tune
–  the musical part of a song, especially one that
is pleasant and easy to remember

a catchy tune – a tune or a song that’s easy to
remember and stays in your mind so that you find yourself humming or singing it

— I heard a really catchy
tune of on my kid’s TV programme this morning and I’ve been humming it all
day.

piece of music – a musical composition, especially but not necessarily an
instrumental one

— My piano teacher has given me a
new piece of music to learn before
my next lesson.

taste in music – the music someone likes

— My boyfriend and I have the same taste in music and go to live gigs
whenever we can.

rhythm
– a regular, repeated pattern of sounds

— I love the rhythm of
reggae music.

beat
– a characteristic
rhythm in some types of music

— Rap music has such a distinctive beat.

harmony – a pleasant musical sound made by different notes being
played or sung at the same time

— One of
the reason I enjoy country music so much is because many songs have lovely harmonies.

to be out of tune – to play or sing slightly wrong notes

— My dad likes to sing along the radio but is so out of tune that it sounds terrible.

to be in tune – to play or sing with the correct pitch

— Before the performance, the guitarist tightenend the strings of his guitar so that it was in tune.

to have a great voice – to sing well

— I think my friend should enter the singing competition as she has a great voice.

to be tone deaf – to be unable to distinguish the different notes in music

— I’d really like to able to sing but I’m tone deaf so I don’t think there’s much chance.

chorus – a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a song

— The choir sang lots of well-known songs and encourages the audience to sing along to the choruses.

upbeat – cheerful or lively

— If I’m feeling sad I put on some upbeat music and feel better almost at once.

nursery rhyme – a simple traditional song or poem for children

— I can still remember many of the nursery rhymes I learnt as a child.

lullaby – a quiet, gentle song sung to send a child to sleep

— If my baby wakes up in the night I just sing him a lullaby and he soon goes back to sleep.

sing to sleep – to make someone feel sleepy by sing them a gentle song

— My mum used to sing us to sleep when we were young.

Music Vocabulary Set 7: Music & the emotions

passionate –
to feel strongly about something

— I’m passionate about playing the saxophone.

to cheer
up – to cause to feel better

— Upbeat music always cheers me up if I’m feeling down.

relax / chill
out – to become less tense or
anxious

— After a stressful day at
work, I lie in the bath listening to classical music as this helps me to chill out.

energise
– to
make someone feel energetic or eager

— Reggae music energises me so that’s what I Iisten to
when I feel sluggish and need motivating.

Music Vocabulary Set 8: Other music vocabulary

rock band – a group of musicians that play rock
music

— One of the great things about
living in Manchester is that all the top rock
bands perform here.

pop star – a famous singer or musician who performs
pop music

— Many teenagers have the dream of
being a pop star as they want to be rich and famous.

famous – known about and recognized by
many people

— The Beatles are one of the most famous bands ever to have existed.

frontman –
lead singer of a band

— Roger Daltrey has been the frontman of The Who for over 50 years.

fan – a person who admires, supports or follows a person, band or team

— I’ve always been an Elvis Presley fan even though he died before I was born.

huge
following – to have a large number of fans

— Modern pop stars have a huge following
which they communicate with on social media.

to go on tour – to go on a planned series of performances around a region
or country

— I hope my favourite band go on tour again soon as they put on an
amazing live show.

sellout – a performance or sports event for which
no more tickets are available because it’s so popular

— The Bruno Mars concerts were a sellout at every venue on the tour.

record company
– a business that makes and sells musical recordings

— Our band
is getting well-known across the country and we’re hopeful of getting signed by
a record company.

record label
– a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and
music videos

— You know you’ve hit the big time if you get signed up with
one of the big record labels such as
Sony.

hit the big time
– to become successful and/or famous

— After winning the TV talent show, Shelley hit the big time and was soon singing
in huge venues around the world.

a hit – to be popular; a record that sells lots of copies

— “Happy” was a massive hit for Pharrell Williams.

the charts – a list of individual songs or musical performances ranked in order of number of sales or downloads over a specific period of time which indicates their popularity

— Ariana Grande’s new record is brilliant and I’m not surprised it’s made it to No.1 in the charts.

to sing along to – to join in singing

— My favourite songs in the charts are always the ones you can sing along to.

a sing-song – to sing informally, often with other people

— I have wonderful memories of my gran playing popular songs on the piano at family get-togethers and everyone joining in for a sing-song.

music-lover – someone who really enjoys listening to music

— I can’t say I’m a great music-lover although I do enjoy listening to the radio when I’m driving.

applause – approval or praise expressed by clapping the hands together

— The applause continued even after the band had left the stage.

• a round of applause – an outburst of clapping from an audience to show approval

     — The audience gave the choir an enthusiastic round of applause as they came on to perform.

to be into / not into – to be interested in or involved with / to not be interested in

— I’m really into folk music but not into jazz at all.

to improvise – create and perform music, drama or verse spontaneously or without preparation

— I don’t enjoy listening to jazz when it’s improvised as it sounds like the musicians are all playing different tunes.

once in a blue moon – hardly ever

— I’m definitely a music-lover but only go to live gigs once in a blue moon.

Click this link to get a PDF download of this list of music vocabulary.

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Английская лексика на тему музыки

1. Questions about music

Do you like music? — Вы любите музыку?
Can you play any instrument? — Ты умеешь играть на какому-нибудь инструментах?
Do you like singing? — Ты любишь петь?
What is your favourite type of music? — Какая ваша любимая музыка?
What genre of music do you listen to? — Какой жанр музыки ты слушаешь?

2. Actions

to sing along
to sing karaoke
an earworm — навязчивая мелодия
It’s just an earworm. — Это просто навязчивая мелодия.
to get stuck in your head

to have taste in music — иметь вкус к музыке
to be tone deaf — медведь на ухо наступил (быть глухим)
set my favourite song as a ringtone — установить мою любимую песню в качестве мелодии звонка

to own a lot of vinyl — иметь много виниловых пластинок
to own a lot of records — иметь много записей
to own a lot of physical albums — иметь много альбомов (физических альбомов)

3. Words to describe the type of music

fast tempo — быстрый темп
The song is so upbeat.
a complex song — сложная песня
heavy music — тяжелая музыка
loud music — громкая музыка
relaxing music — расслабляющая музыка
soft music — мягкая музыка
piercing music — пронзительная музыка
hurt your ears — навредить твоим ушам
rhythmic music — ритмичная музыка
uplifting music — воодушевляющая музыка
melancholic music — меланхолическая музыка
catchy music — запоминающаяся музыка
lively music — живая музыка
harmonic music — гармоническая музыка

make you fell better (happier) — делать тебя счастливее, чувствовать себя лучше

It has a pleasing melody. — У него приятная мелодия.
That sounds awful. — Это звучит ужасно.
It makes my ears hurt. — У меня болят уши.
That’s too much of noise than music. — Это шум, а не музыка.
It heals. — Она исцеляет.
It stirs up my imagination. — Она будоражит мое воображение.
It’s rejuvenating. — Она делает моложе.

4. Концерты

a concert — концерт
a gig — концерт
live show — прямой эфир

5. Люди

a musician — музыкант
a band — музыкальная группа
women performers — женщины-исполнители
a vocalist — вокалист
a singer — певец
an artist — исполнитель

a music lover — любитель музыки
a music buff — любитель музыки
a music expert — музыкальный эксперт

to pick certain tunes — выбирать определенную мелодию
to develop a deeper understanding of music — развить более глубокое понимание музыки
to explore different genres of music — исследовать разные жанры музыки

an album — альбом
a record — запись
vinyl — виниловая пластинка
a vinyl lover — любитель виниловых пластинок
CD
physical music

6. Составляющие музыки

a tune — мелодия
to play a tune — сыграть мелодию
rhythm — ритм
a good track (song) — хороший трек (песня)
catchy beat — запоминающийся ритм
to like a beat of that song — любить ритм этой песни
fast tempo — быстрый темп
slow tempo — медленный темп
the sense of rhythm — чувство ритма
a downtempo song — тихая (спокойная) песня

7. Успех

Many girls are head over heels in love with him. — Многие девушки по уши влюблены в него.

head over heels — по уши

8. Top 10 genres of Music Industry

8.1. Electronic Dance Music — Электронная танцевальная музыка
be produced by DJs
add dozens of tones to a piece to create unique music
hear them in clubs
was known in the form of Jamaican dub music

8.2. Rock Music
has been rocking the world since the 1950s
started actually around string instruments
Its loud and strong beats make it popular among the youths.

Rock bands:
Metallica, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, The Doors

8.3. Jazz
has its roots both in the West African and European culture
Originating in the late 19th to early 20th century.
Women performers:
Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln and Ethel Waters

8.4. Dubstep — Дабстеп
falling in the electronic music genre

8.5. Rhythm and Blues — Ритм-энд-блюз
Vocalists:
Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Usher and the legendary Michael Jackson
be a combination of hip hop, funk, dance, pop and soul focusing on themes like relationships and freedom

8.6. Techno — Техно
the use of technology today has greatly enhanced the quality of techno style music and popularizing it among people day by day

8.7. Country Music — Кантри-музыка
to be a popular genre of American music which originated in the 1920s
having its roots from American folk and western music
using simple forms of instruments ranging from electric and steel guitars to drums and mandolin or mouth organ

Music singers:
Kenny Rogers, Shania Twain, Johnny Cash Taylor Swift

8.8. Electro — Электро
It is a blend of hip hop and electronic music. — Смесь хип-хопа и электронной музыки.
using a drum machine, vocoder and talkbox

Notable artists who have been into this form of music:
Arthur Baker, Freeez, Man Parrish and Midnight Star

8.9. Indie Rock — Инди-рок
It was originated in the 1980s and has gradually changed the music industry.

8.10. Pop Music — Поп-музыка
This form can include any form of music ranging from urban and dance to rock, country and Latin.
Instruments highly used are electric guitars, synthesizer drums as well as bass.

8.11. Classical Music
J.S. Bach — St Matthew Passion
Tchaikovsky — Symphony No. 6
Beethoven — Grosse Fuge
Mozart — Requiem

8.12. K-pop
Kpop is Korean popular music.

9. Types of musical instruments

9.1. Percussion instruments — Ударные инструменты
the piano, the xylophone, the cymbals

9.2. Wind instruments — Духовые инструменты
the saxophone, the flute, the trumpet, the clarinet

9.3. Stringed instruments — Струнные инструменты
the guitar, the violin, the cello

9.4. Electronic instruments — Электронные инструменты
the Xth Sense

9.5. Membranophones — Мембранофоны
Cylindrical drums, barrel drums, hourglass drums

10. Apps for listening to music

Amazon Music (free/subscription)
Spotify (free/subscription)
Apple Music (subscription)
YouTube Music (free/subscription)
Bandcamp (individual purchases)
Shazam (free)

11. Benefits of Learning a Musical Instrument

11.1. Creativity
produce your music out of artistry

11.2. Memory Skills
can help exercise your brain

11.3. Boosts Your Confidence
need to perform in front of your fellow students, teachers, or family and friends

11.4. Coordination Skills
stimulating your brain and body to communicate with your mind, hands, and eyes

11.5. Maths
enhancing the sense of rhythm, beat, and scale. These are critical factors that stimulate your problem-solving skills.

11.6. Improved Academic Achievements

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