BOX SET: 6 Minute English - 'Music' English mega-class! Thirty minutes of new vocabulary!

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English,

I'm Neil.

And hello, I'm Rob.

Today we’re discussing music and

the idea that songs are

becoming faster. What music do

you like, Rob?

Oh me? I like rock music.

It has good vocals and it's loud!

How about you, Neil?

Well, I like anything and I prefer

streaming my music actually.

No old-fashioned CDs to buy and

load up – it's easier to play and you

can play it anywhere! And streaming

is where you listen or watch music

or videos directly from the internet

as a continuous stream.

Did you know that some people

believe that streaming music online

is actually changing the songs

people write? And it might be leading

to songs getting faster.

Well, that's what we're discussing

today. Let's hope it doesn't happen to

this programme, otherwise we might

become Three Minute English!

But before it does, let's get on with

our question for everyone to answer.

In 2017 Luis Fonsi's summer hit

Despacito officially became the most

streamed song of all time. Do you know

approximately, how many times it was

streamed? Was it:

a) 1.6 billion times,

b) 3.6 billion times,

or, c) 4.6 billion times?

I know the song was popular but

4.6 billion sounds too big – so I'll

go for a) 1.6 billion.

OK. Well, we'll find out later in

the programme. But now back to

our discussion about how music

producers are adapting their songs

for modern technology. Researchers

have found long instrumental

introductions to pop songs have

become almost extinct.

Of course the aim of many pop songs

is to be enjoyed by many – to be

popular - but they also need to be a

commercial success – they need to

make money.

Brendan Williams, a music producer

and professor of music technology

can explain what he thinks influences

the songs. Here he is speaking on BBC

Radio 4's You and Yours programme…

I think that, you know, one of the things

that’s driving this, there are a number

of things. They’re all radio, they’re all

singles designed for radio playlists.

Radio playlists are extremely important

factors in judging the success of a track

and obviously do feed into the kind of

commercial success of a track.

So, he mentions that radio playlists

are important factors. A playlist is a list

of songs that a radio station plans to play.

And he says that radio playlists affect the

commercial success of a song.

By the way he called a song a track – that's

a recorded piece of music. And notice how

he used the word driving which means

having a strong influence. So getting a

song played on the radio is important and

it has to be made in a way that will suit

the radio station's playlist.

Now, we know there are thousands of songs

out there to listen to – and plenty of ways

to listen to them – so how can record

companies get someone to listen to

their particular song?

Well, have a listen to Brendan Williams

again to see what he thinks…

… But then there’s the influence of

streaming services like Spotify, where

if a track isn’t played for at least

30 seconds then it doesn’t register

a play and Spotify…

And if we don’t hear the vocals then

we might not carry on listening.

Is that the theory?

Absolutely, yeah, yeah.

That’s the theory – it's to get through…

I guess to get into the meat of the song

to hear the lyrical content and get

through to that first chorus.

Well, it seems songs no longer have

an 'intro' – the instrumental piece of

music that's played before the

singing begins. In the old days, radio

DJs – disc jockeys who played the

records – loved to talk over that bit!

Now we need to get to the lyrical

content – that's the lyrics or the words

of the song - as soon as possible.

So, the theory, or idea, is to present

listeners with vocals and a chorus

more quickly, as it will make them

want to continue listening! That's

because if a song isn't streamed

for more than 30 seconds, it doesn't

register a play – it doesn't get measured

or recorded as a play – so it doesn't

make money.

So a song needs to hook the listener

in quickly – in other words it needs to

attract their attention and be easy to

remember – another word for this

is catchy. Do you have any favourite

catchy songs, Rob?

Oh, I do, I do. It's got to be Happy

by Pharrell Williams.

A very catchy song.

Well, something that is always catchy

in this programme is our quiz question.

Earlier I mentioned that in 2017, Luis

Fonsi's summer hit Despacito officially

became the most-streamed song of

all time. Did you know approximately,

how many times it was streamed?

Was it: a) 1.6 billion times,

b) 3.6 billion times, or

c) 4.6 billion times?

And I went for a staggering

1.6 billion times.

Well, it's not staggering enough,

Rob. It was actually streamed 4.6

billion times.

Amazing. That's a number that we

can only dream of for this

programme – or is it?!

Well Neil, shall

we download to our memory, some of

the vocabulary we've learnt today?

Streaming describes the activity of

listening or watching music, radio or

videos directly from the internet as

a continuous stream.

Something that is a commercial

success is popular and makes lots

of money – like a new computer

game or pop song.

A good pop song, Rob – not something

annoying like Gangnam Style.

Well, that was a huge commercial

success because it was catchy – a

word that describes something that

attracts attention and is easy to

remember.

We also mentioneda playlist – that's

a list of songs that a radio station

plans to play. And we also use the

same word – playlist – to describe

a list of songs you compile yourself

on a streaming service.

We also heard the adjective driving,

which in the context of our discussion

means having a strong influence.

And we mentioned the verb to register.

If you register something you record,

count or measure it. Like every

download of this programme is

registered. But how do we download

this programme, Rob?

By going to our website at

bbclearningenglish.com.

And we have an app too – download

it for free and stream all of our content!

Bye for now.

Bye.

Hello, and welcome to 6

Minute English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Rob.

Rob, do you like metal?

Er, that’s an odd question.

I've never really thought about it.

I mean, I use

metal things every day – my toaster,

my bike, the underground…

No, no - not that kind of metal, this

kind of metal.

Oh, that kind of metal. The musical

genre, the type of music...

Yes, and in particular, death metal.

That fast, loud, aggressive sounding,

guitar-based music style?

Yep, that’s the one.

Nope. Not my cup of tea at all. What

kind of person do you think I am?

Well, that’s the point. The type of

person who likes death metal may

not be the kind of person you think

they are. More on that shortly, but

first, a quiz. The electric guitar is an

essential element to death metal music.

In which decade were the first electric

guitars produced? Was it:

a) the 1920s

b) the 1930s, or,

c) the 1940s?

I think quite early, so I’m going to say

the 1920s.

Well, we'll see if you're right later

in the programme. Does violent

music give people violent thoughts?

Recent research claims to have found

the answer. This is how the topic was

introduced on BBC News. What was

the conclusion?

A psychological study of fans of death

metal suggests that they are not

desensitised to violence despite the

genre’s association with growling,

often graphically violent lyrics including

depictions of cannibalism.

Researchers found that

the main response of fans to

the music they love was joy, not violence.

Adding that most are very nice people

who wouldn't dream of hurting anyone,

let alone eating them.

So what conclusion did the

researchers come to?

Well, they found that the response

to the music was joy, not anger or

violence. It made people happy.

There was a fear that listening

to music with violent lyrics, which

means violent words, would make

people desensitised to violence.

If you are desensitised to something,

you don’t see it as unusual or

unacceptable, it doesn’t bother you.

The newsreader also said that the

lyrics of death metal include topics

such as cannibalism, which is the

practice of eating human flesh.

Listening to someone singing about

eating people apparently didn’t make

them feel like snacking on their

neighbours. Let's hear the

introduction again.

A psychological study of fans of death

metal suggests that they are not

desensitised to violence despite the

genre’s association with growling, often

graphically violent lyrics including

depictions of cannibalism. Researchers

found that the main response of fans to

the music they love was joy, not violence.

Adding that most are very nice people who

wouldn't dream of hurting anyone,

let alone eating them.

Professor Bill Thompson from Macquarie

University in Sydney conducted this

research.

What does he say people

don’t feel when listening to this kind

of music?

Most fans are not angry. Most are

actually musically trained people

who really get a lot of empowerment

and aesthetic interest out of the music.

They feel joyful.

They feel transcendent,

they feel empowered. But what they

don’t feel is angry.

What don’t people feel?

They don’t feel angry! What

they do feel is joyful, the adjective

from joy. They feel happy. Something

else they feel is empowered. This

is a feeling of being in control of

your life, that you can make and

follow your own decisions.

Music is certainly a powerful

art form. Professor Thompson

also said that fans have an

aesthetic interest in it. This

means that they appreciate it

as an art form. Let’s hear

Professor Thompson again.

Most fans are not angry. Most

are actually musically trained

people who really get a lot of

empowerment and aesthetic

interest out of the music. They

feel joyful. They feel transcendent

they feel empowered. But what

they don’t feel is angry.

Time to review our vocabulary,

but first, let’s have the answer

to the quiz question. In which

decade were the first electric

guitars produced? Was it:

a) the 1920s

b) the 1930s

c) the 1940s

What did you think, Rob?

I took a guess at the 1920s.

Well electric guitars were early,

but not quite that early, I'm afraid.

The first ones were produced in

the 1930s. So well done if, unlike

Rob, you got that correct. Now,

onto the vocabulary.

Yes, we had a few words connected

with music. We had genre for a

style of music and also lyrics for

the words of a song.

Some of the lyrics of death metal

songs are about eating people,

which is called cannibalism.

Cannibalism is a form of extreme

violence and there was some concern

that people exposed to such violent

lyrics in songs might become

desensitised to actual violence.

This means that they would accept

violence as normal and not be worried

by it. However, the research showed

that this doesn’t happen and fans

actually feel joy, which is another

way of saying happiness.

The research also suggested that

fans have an artistic appreciation

of death metal, described as an

aesthetic interest.

The final word was for a feeling

that fans might get after listening

to the music, empowered.

Someone who is empowered

is in control of their own life

and decisions.

And I feel empowered to bring

this edition of 6 Minute English

to a close. We look forward to

your company next time. Until then,

you can find us in all the usual

places on social media – that's

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and

YouTube. And there's our website,

and of course, we have a free app

which you can find in the app stores.

You'll be able to listen to 6 Minute

English on the move. You just walk

and we talk. Just search for

bbclearninglish. Bye for now.

Goodbye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I’m Neil.

And I’m Georgina.

[Singing badly] DO, RE, MI, FA, SOL,

LA, TI, DO!

Neil! What are you doing?! Please stop!

Oh, hi Georgina! I’m practising my singing.

I’m going to do virtual karaoke tonight

with some friends!

Karaoke?! – really, Neil?! I heard you

singing at the Christmas party and to

be honest I think you might be tone

deaf – you know, you can’t sing in tune.

Me? Tone deaf?! I’m a nightingale!

Listen: DO RE MIIII!

Between you and me, I think Neil

is a bit tone deaf! Wait until I tell

him singing is the subject of

this programme.

I heard that, Georgina! And I’m

glad this programme is about

singing because I love it and

what I lack in ability, I make up

for in enthusiasm!

I’m sure your karaoke buddies

would agree with you, Neil.

That reminds me of my quiz

question, Georgina. As you know,

I love karaoke - meeting up with

friends to sing the words of our

favourite pop songs over a

musical backing track. Karaoke

was invented in Japan and

its name is a combination of

different Japanese words – but

what words? What is the

meaning of ‘karaoke’? Is it:

a) machine voice?,

b) angry cat?, or,

c) empty orchestra?

Well, after listening to you sing,

Neil, I’m tempted to say b), angry

cat, but that would be mean, so

I’ll guess, a) machine voice.

OK, Georgina. I’ll take that

as a compliment. But however

good - or bad - my singing may

be, there’s no doubt that the act

of singing itself is a very complex

skill, involving a huge number of

processes in our bodies and brains.

So what happens physically when

we sing a musical note?

Usually something unexpected in

your case, Neil! So here’s Marijke

Peters, presenter of BBC World

Service programme, CrowdScience,

to explain exactly what happens

when we open our mouths to sing.

Listen out for the different body

parts Marijke mentions:

Vocal folds, also called vocal cords,

are crucial here. They’re two flaps of

skin stretched across your larynx

that vibrate when you sing and

create a sound. The pitch of that

sound, how high or low it is, depends

on the frequency of their vibration, so

if you want to hit the right note they

need to be working properly.

Important body parts needed to

sing include the vocal cords - a pair

of folds in the throat that move backwards

and forwards when air from the lungs

moves over them.

The vocal chords are stretched

over the larynx - also known as the

voice box, it’s the organ between the

nose and the lungs containing the

vocal folds.

Singing is similar to what happens

when you play a guitar. The vocal

cords act like the guitar strings to

produce a buzz or vibration – a

continuous and quick shaking

movement. They vibrate over the

larynx which, like the body of a guitar,

amplifies the sound.

So why do some people (Neil!) find it

hard to sing in tune? Is it because

they cannot physically reproduce

sounds? Or because they hear

sounds differently from the

rest of us?

Well, according to psychology

professor, Peter Pfordresher, it’s

neither. He thinks that for poor

singers the problem is generally

not in the ears or voice, but in their

brains – specifically the connection

between sound perception

and muscle movement.

So there’s no hope for you?

Not necessarily. Here’s Professor

Pfordresher encouraging the

listeners of BBC World

Service’s, CrowdScience:

I think there’s reason for you to be

hopeful and however accurate or

inaccurate your singing is, one

recommendation I would have for

you is to keep singing because there

is evidence that singing itself, whether

accurate or inaccurate, has benefits

socially and also for stress responses,

so good reason for you to keep it up!

Whether you’re tone deaf or pitch

perfect, there’s lots of evidence for

the health benefits of singing.

For one, singing strengthens your

stress responses. Otherwise

known as ‘fight or flight’, stress

responses are the human body’s

reaction to external threats that

cause an imbalance, for example

pain, infection or fear.

From operatic Pavarottis to

enthusiastic karaoke fans, Professor

Pfordresher thinks singers should

keep it up – a phrase used to

encourage someone to continue

doing something. So, Neil, maybe

you should keep singing, after all!

You’ve changed you tune,

Georgina! Maybe you’d like to

come with me to karaoke next

time we’re allowed out?

Hmm, I think some practice would

be a good idea, but first let’s return

to the quiz question. You asked me

about the meaning of the Japanese

word karaoke…

Right. Does karaoke mean,

a) machine voice, b) angry cat,

or, c) empty orchestra?

What did you say?

I said a) machine voice.

Which was… the wrong answer!

Karaoke actually means c) empty

orchestra, or in other words, music

that has the melody missing.

Well, that’s better than an angry

cat, I guess! Let’s recap the vocabulary

starting with tone deaf – a way to

describe someone who cannot sing

in tune or hear different sounds.

Like playing a guitar string, singers

use their vocal cords – a pair of folds

in the throat that are stretched over

the larynx, or voice box, another part

of the throat, to produce a sound

vibration - a quick, shaking

movement.

No matter how good or bad a

singer you are, singing is good

for your stress responses – the

‘fight or flight’ mechanism your

body uses to regain inner balance.

So no matter what Georgina

thinks about my singing, I’m

going to keep it up – a phrase

used to encourage someone

to continue their good

performance.

That’s all from us. Keep singing

and join us again soon at

6 Minute English. Don’t forget

we also have a free app you

can download from the app stores.

Bye!

Goodbye!

Hello. This is 6 Minute English

from BBC Learning English.

I’m Neil.

And I’m Sam.

In this 6 Minute English, we’re

talking about music. What sort

of music do you like listening

to, Sam?

Well, I wouldn’t say I have

one specific type. My taste in

songs is more eclectic – a word

that describes taste which

includes a wide variety of styles.

Well, in this programme, we’re

talking all about grime – a style of

music which originated in London –

specifically in the tower blocks

of east and southeast London.

Yes – the artists are predominantly

young black men and often cite

the decaying tower blocks they

grew up in as an inspiration for

the urban style of music.

Well, before we continue talking

about grime music, I have a

question for you, Sam. Stormzy

is one of the most famous

grime artists, but what is his

real name? Is it:

a) Michael Omari

b) Martin Owusu,

or, c) Marvin Appiah.

I think I might know this

one – I’ll say a) Michael Omari.

We can find out if you’re right

at the end of this programme.

For many people, knowing the

origin of a type of music helps

them to understand more about

the style and lyrics.

Here’s writer Jude Yawson

talking with BBC journalist Andrew

Marr about his experience growing

up on an estate in southeast

London on the BBC Radio 4

programme, Start the Week…

Yes, so I lived like on an estate.

It’s, it’s in Annerley, near Crystal

Palace. And for me growing up

with this experience was like

literally acknowledging the different

cultures and peoples that lived

within, like this estate. And it was

around the age of about, say,

seven or eight – that’s when

things for me and my particular

estate started to get a bit more

contentious with the other

people that were moving in.

Kids were coming of age,

becoming more like free and

venturing out and around the

estate. And, you know, police

kind of, like. harassing, but...

So you’ve got different cultures

knocking into each other and

the police knocking into

everybody else.

So Jude Yawson describes

his upbringing. He used the

word contentious – likely to

cause or create an argument – to

describe life on the estate.

Yes, and he said the kids

were coming of age – meaning

transitioning from a child into

an adult. In his interview, he

goes on to say how a teacher

gave him the advice that if he

ever got stabbed, not to remove

the knife - as he would bleed

to death.

He says that at the age of 14

when he was told that, he felt

grateful and that the teacher

was looking out for him, but in

hindsight questions why a

teenager should receive

that information.

What this does is give us

an insight into life and the

background that led to

some people, like Stormzy,

creating grime music. He says

that it started off in the bedrooms

and basements of tower

blocks and homes in these

areas of London, with many

artists’ works being broadcast

on pirate radio stations.

That said, for some people,

this type of music represents

something different. There are

some who think the hard-hitting

lyrics and strong beats glorify

violence.

They see it as an aggressive and violent

form of music.

However, Jude Yawson,

speaking with Andrew Marr

on BBC Radio 4 programme

Start the Week, has a different

interpretation of what grime

music is all about.

I describe grime as like

a soulful shout… there’s a

necessity in literally getting

all of this content out of

yourself. And one of the

most predominant grime

artists, Wiley, was basically

the first person that created

this sound – it’s like 140

beats per minute. Because

that’s such a raw tune, but

the chorus literally chants

like ‘there are lots of signs

in life, some that you may

not realise’. And, for me, I

was listening to that as like

an 11- or 12-year-old and

it’s very existential.

He used the word

predominant, which describes

the strongest or most

important thing, to describe

the artist Wiley. That’s who

Jude Yawson says was the

first person to create the

grime sound.

He also used the verb chants –

sings repeatedly over and

over – to talk about the chorus

from one of Wiley’s songs.

And he described the

experience of listening to it

as being existential – relating

to human existence.

Which inspires me to

go and listen to some grime

music after today’s show, but

before we do – I asked you

a question about the real

name of the grime artist

Stormzy.

You did. And being a fan

of many different music

styles – I think I know this

one! I said a) Michael Omari.

You really do know your

music, Sam. You’re right. In

fact, his full name is Michael

Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari

Owuo Jr. I think that I’ll have

to make the next question

much harder for you! So, before

we leave today, let’s recap

the vocabulary, starting with

eclectic, a word which

describes taste which includes

a wide variety of styles.

Contentious means creating

or causing arguments.

We also had coming of

age – transitioning from

child to adult.

Predominant refers to

something that is the

strongest or most important.

Chants is a verb which

means sing or repeat the

same thing over and over

again. And existential

means relating to

human existence.

Well, we certainty

learnt a lot about grime

music and its origin.

There are lots more 6

Minute English programmes

to enjoy on our website at

bbclearningenglish.com.

Thanks for listening and

goodbye.

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning English

I’m Neil.

And I’m Georgina.

Hello, Georgina. How are

you today? Georgina?

Georgina!

Oh sorry, Neil, I didn’t

hear you - I was listening to

music on my headphones!

Ah, I see! Listening to music

stored on your mobile phone

or iPod when out on-the-move

doesn’t seem like a big deal

now, but the concept of

personal portable music

didn’t exist until 1979, when

the Japanese electronics

company, Sony, launched

the Walkman.

Years before iPods and

MP3 downloads, the Sony

Walkman was the first widely

available portable music player.

It revolutionised the way fans

listened to their favourite bands.

In this programme, we’ll

be taking a nostalgic look

back at the 1980s and the

birth of the Sony Walkman.

And, of course, we’ll be

learning some new

vocabulary as well.

Now, it may not seem

so revolutionary to young

people nowadays, but

back in the late 1970s portable

music players were

unheard of.

The idea behind the

Walkman was simple – a

high-quality stereo cassette

player, small enough to hold

in your hand, allowing you to

walk down the street listening

to your own soundtrack.

They became so popular

that by the time production

of the Walkman ended in

2010, Sony had sold over

220 million machines

worldwide. So, my quiz

question is this: when the

original Walkman model

first went on sale in 1979,

how much did it cost? Was it:

a) 50 dollars?,

b) 100 dollars?, or,

c) 150 dollars?

Things were a lot cheaper

in 1979, Neil, so I’ll say

b) 100 dollars.

OK, Georgina – we’ll find

out later if that’s right. Now,

the inspiration behind the

Walkman came from Sony

chairman, Akio Morita. He saw

Japanese teenagers listening to

heavy transistor radios carried

on their shoulders and had a

vision of a smaller stereo which

could be held in the hand.

However, few of Mr Morita’s

colleagues had faith in his

idea for a portable music

player. Here’s Andrea Koppen,

of Sony UK, speaking to the

BBC in 1989, taken from the

BBC World Service

programme, Witness History.

People were very sceptical - they

couldn’t believe that people

would want to walk around with

headphones on and carry this

cassette with them - and he

actually laid his job on the line

and said, ‘If it doesn’t take off,

I will resign’… and they didn’t

have much money at the time,

so their advertising was very

tight… and they decided to

give it to students to try… and

so people saw them on

the trains, in campuses, in

towns and the newspapers

picked up on it immediately.

The Walkman was designed

to be used with headphones - a

pair of padded speakers worn

over the ears so you can listen

to music without other people

hearing.

Akio Morita was confident

his stereo plus headphones

idea would take off - suddenly

start to be successful and popular.

In fact, he was so confident of

success that he laid his

job on the line – an idiom

meaning to risk losing something

important, such as your job or

reputation.

Luckily, he didn’t lose his job

because many people started

buying the new Walkmans,

something the newspapers

picked up on - noticed or

gave particular attention to.

Morita’s idea was a massive

success. Released at the start

of the summer holidays for

Japanese students, within 3

months the entire first run of

30 thousand Walkmans had sold out.

Meanwhile, music lovers

outside of Japan were

desperately trying to get hold

of the new machines. Among the

first to buy one was music

journalist, Tim Jarman.

Here he is speaking to Farhana

Haider, for BBC World

Service’s Witness History:

It was made available in the

US in June 1980. The Walkman

was especially popular with

the 16 to 24 age group.

They thought it could be a

niche product, that might

not sell, but it really caught

the public imagination in every

market that it was offered in.

When the Walkman was sold

to the rest of the world and became

popular with youngsters, people

thought it was a niche product –

something marketed for sale to

a small, specific group.

But instead, people of all ages

began wearing Walkmans to

listen to their favourite music

on the move, and the new

invention caught the public

imagination – an idiom meaning,

made the public interested in

or excited about something.

Many put the Walkman’s

success down to its perfect

combination of sound quality,

small size and affordable price.

But exactly how affordable,

Georgina? Remember my

quiz question?

Yes, Neil. You asked how

much the original Walkman cost

when it came out in 1979.

What did you say?

I thought it cost b) 100 dollars.

Well, Georgina, things were

cheaper in 1979, but not that

cheap – the actual price was

c) 150 dollars.

That’s around 530 dollars today!

In this programme, we’ve been

looking back at the iconic Sony

Walkman, the first portable stereo

made up of a cassette player

plus headphones – pairs of padded

speakers worn over the ears.

Sony chairman Akio Morita

was so confident his invention

would take off – become popular

and successful - that he laid

his job on the line. That means

risked something important,

like his job.

His colleagues at Sony worried

the Walkman was a niche

product – a product targeted

for sale to a niche, or small

and specific, market.

But luckily for him, the

Japanese newspapers picked

up on his idea – noticed it and

gave it particular attention.

As a result, the Sony Walkman

caught the public imagination –

made the public excited and

interesting in it.

That’s all for this programme.

Until we meet again at 6 Minute

English – happy listening!

Happy listening!