How to listen
Learn to listen
Short chapters, examples from the archive and a listening map from easy to hard. Every sentence carries its source and an evidence label.
Listener level
No level yet: the first step is the first two Foundations levels.
For level 1: Pulse and genre
○ Beat and pulse
○ Genre: tango, vals, milonga
Ear ladder
Know it by ear: easy to hard
Learn to recognise orchestras, singers, pieces and years by listening, one rung at a time.
Start the session →
Practice
Daily practice
About 10 questions a day: orchestras, singers, pieces, years and listening by ear. What you know comes back less often; what you miss comes back sooner.
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Learning paths
Curated sequences through Foundations, the advanced levels and the orchestra courses. Pick a path; your progress stays on this device.
Dancer’s ear
From the beat to the genres, from rhythm feel to phrasing; then the line between dancing and listening, and courses on orchestras dancers hear most.
0/9 stops →
Know the singers
Is there a singer, who is it, how much do they sing? From refrain singer to orchestra singer, from one voice to a duet; then courses on orchestras known for their singers.
0/8 stops →
DJ ear
Genres, orchestras and listening at tanda level; catching the record whose years or voice do not fit; the periods of the major orchestras.
0/10 stops →
Historian: year ranges
Placing a recording in its year range: the recording sound, the line-up, one piece across the years, and courses on the earliest orchestras.
0/9 stops →
Musician’s ear
Rhythm feel, instruments and texture; the chairs in the line-up and the arrangers; rhythm in depth.
0/8 stops →
Foundations
Foundations: step-by-step course
Ten levels, several steps each. In every step read the idea, train on many examples picked from the archive, then take the exam. Passing it opens the next step.
10 levels · learn, train, exam →
Advanced levels
After Foundations: deep listening
8 levels · 27 steps · the same learn, train, exam flow →
Orchestra courses
Listen to one orchestra end to end
26 courses →
T1 · Finding the pulse
Start listening to tango with the beat: the walk is built on it.
4 min
T2 · Tango, vals, milonga
Three genres are played at a milonga. Metre and bass pattern tell them apart within seconds.
5 min
T3 · Detached and connected: staccato ↔ legato
Same piece, two orchestras: listen for whether the notes are played short or long.
4 min
T4 · Marcato in four and in two
How the accompaniment plays the beats: four even accents, or two strong ones?
4 min
T5 · Syncopation
When the accent slips off the beat: syncopation, 3-3-2 and the bandoneon variation.
5 min
T6 · Melody and phrase
A tune on top of the beat: 4- and 8-bar phrases, A and B sections.
5 min
Listening map · dancer path
Level 1 · Pulse
Find the beat, walk on it and count it to four.
0/6 noticed
Level 2 · Tango, vals, milonga
Recognise the genre within 10 seconds.
0/7 noticed
Level 3 · Detached and connected: four big sounds
Tell detached, connected, lyrical and dramatic playing apart.
0/7 noticed
Orchestra guides
A full guide for every orchestra with enough playable, dated recordings in the archive: periods, line-up and singers, what to listen for, how it differs from its neighbours, signature pieces, listening sets and a guide exam.
27 guides · A guide needs at least 20 playable, dated recordings in the archive. Acts named after a singer do not get an orchestra guide.
tipicavictor
Not started →
Archive atlas
Every orchestra, vocalist, piece and year range in the archive. Numbers are read from the archive rows; duplicates are not counted.
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Genre quiz
Tango, vals or milonga? 12 questions on 15-second clips.
Glossary
compás · marcato · síncopa · arrastre · variación …
Labels
A note approved by an editor who listened to the recording.
A sourced generalisation; it may not hold for every recording.
Read from the archive fields.
A value measured from the audio.
Missing or contradictory in the sources.