44   I can talk about music

A    Music instruments and musicians

 

Glossary

musical instrument  a thing that is used for playing music.

musician  a person who plays a musical instrument, composer a person who writes music. compose V.

lead singer  the main singer in a band, songwriter a person who writes the words and music for a song.

band  a number of people who play music to get her. SYN group.

conductor  the person in an orchestra who directs the musicians.

orchestra  a large group of musicians who play music together.

 

spotlight  the suffix -ist

We often use this suffix for the person who plays a particular instrument, e.g. guitarist, violinist, pianist, saxophonist, cellist, organist. But we say trumpeter, drummer, and usually keyboard player. The word for a flute player is flautist: note the change in spelling.

3     Test yourself. Cover the words and look at the picture. What are the instruments?

 

B    Who do you admire?

Music questionnaire

1     Write the name of a modern band or solo artist that you admire. ____

2     Has their music been influenced by anyone/anything? ____

3     Do they write and record their own music or play other people’s? ____

4     Do they often do live concerts? Have you seen them play live? ____

5     What was the last album they released? ____

6     Why does their music appeal to you? Is it because of: a great voice / talented musicians / lovely melodies / good lyrics? ____

 

Glossary

solo artist  a singer or musician who is not part of a band.

admire sb  like sb and think they have achieved a lot. admiration N.

influence sb/sth  make a change to the way sb thinks. influence N.

record sth  put music, a film. etc. onto a CD or tape. recording N.

album  a collcction of songs (often eight or ten).

release sth  put an album onto the market so people can buy it. release N.

appeal to sb  be attractive or interesting to sb. appeal N.

voice  the sound a person makes when they talk or sing.

talented  having a lot of ability. talent N.

melody  a series of musical notes in a particular order. SYN tune INF.

lyrics  the words of a song. 

6     ABOUT YOU Write your answer to the questionnaire, or ask another student.

Answers from a Japanese person

1     I like Marcus Miller very much.

2     His music has been influenced by Jaco Pastorius.

3     He records his own music but sometimes writes for other people.

4     He often does live concerts. I have seen him play live in Osaka several times.

5     The last album he released was called ‘Free’.

6     I like his music because he is a genius and the rhythms he plays are brilliant.