Music listening guides
Start with a listening question. Each guide pairs a clear explanation with an exercise, source notes and routes into the music map. The comparisons are starting points, not rigid definitions.
How to use a listening guide
- Choose a listening question below: compare traditions, practice hearing a part, or identify a recording version.
- Read the short explanation, then open the credited recording examples. Keep the same version when you replay a passage.
- Try the exercise and record one thing you hear. Follow the linked artist, genre or related guide to test it on more music.
Compare musical traditions
Funk vs soul: what to listen for
Compare funk and soul through rhythm, vocal phrasing and two recording examples. Build your ear without treating genre labels as fixed rules.
Read the guide →Blues vs jazz: shared roots, different listening questions
Compare John Lee Hooker's Boogie Chillen’ with Miles Davis's All Blues. Follow a repeating figure, vocal space and ensemble responses in a four-pass exercise.
Read the guide →House vs techno: listen beyond the kick drum
Compare Basement Jaxx's Jump 'n Shout with Rene Wise's Dry Beetle. Follow bass, percussion and changing layers with identified versions and a practical exercise.
Read the guide →Reggae vs ska: compare the offbeat, bass and space
Compare ska and reggae through the placement of chords, bass and drums. Follow two credited recordings while keeping Jamaica's musical context in view.
Read the guide →Samba vs bossa nova: listen to how rhythm is arranged
Explore samba and bossa nova through guitar, percussion and vocal space, using Luiz Bonfá's source audio and a clearly credited catalog recording.
Read the guide →Disco vs funk: compare the pulse and the interlocking parts
Use Chic's Le Freak and James Brown to compare dance pulse, bass, guitar and arrangement, while recognizing the overlap between disco and funk.
Read the guide →Build your listening skills
Jazz for beginners: a three-pass listening guide
Start listening to jazz with melody, pulse and conversation. Try Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughan examples, then explore the connected music map.
Read the guide →Rhythm vs tempo vs beat: hear the difference
Separate beat, tempo and rhythm with a counting exercise, two recording starting points and a way to explain why busy music can feel fast.
Read the guide →Swing vs straight rhythm: a beginner's listening exercise
Hear equal and unequal subdivisions, keep the beat steady and explore swing feel without treating it as a fixed ratio or a label for all jazz.
Read the guide →How to hear the bass line in a song
Find a low-pitched line, separate it from the kick drum and compare bass movement in James Brown and Miles Davis recording examples.
Read the guide →Understand songs and recordings
Song vs recording vs track: what are you comparing?
Understand a musical work, a particular recording and a track on a release. Use credits and version information to compare performances accurately.
Read the guide →Cover vs remix vs remaster: how to compare versions
Use Chic and Jody Watley's I Want Your Love, a named Dimitri from Paris remix and a documented 2018 remaster to compare performance, mix and mastering.
Read the guide →