HOW TO LISTEN TO

MUSIC

By Ali Capener

BEN HOWARD
Benjamin Ben John Howard was
born on the 24th of April, 1987 in
London, England.
Ben grew up in Devon, England.

BEN HOWARD CONTINUED

He has released five EPs and two studio
albums. His EPs are as follows: Games In The
Dark (2008), These Waters (2009), Old Pine
(2010), Ben Howard Live (2011), and The
Burgh Island (2012). His two albums are Every
Kingdom (2012) and I Forget Where We Were
(2014).

END OF THE AFFAIR: A

HISTORY
Track 8, End of the Affair, is one of the
most emotionally intense songs on the
album. He explained how he gave this
song its raw essence in an interview with
UK based XFM.
Ben explains he wrote a huge chunk of
it in Ireland and recorded it in one live
take.

CONRAD: A HISTORY
Track 9, Conrad, is an ode to the author
Joseph Conrad. In the same interview with
XFM, Ben talks about his love for reading
and how that influenced the song.
I really enjoy reading, Ben explains.
There are slight variations and different
interpretations [in books] and thats why I
love books.

END OF THE AFFAIR TIMED

LISTENING GUIDE

0:00 Introduction The introduction begins with the guitar and the bass playing the
melody. The dynamics in the very beginning are soft and quiet.
0:52 Verse 1 The verse is accompanied by the guitar and bass. The guitar and bass
are presenting the rhythm that plays throughout the song. The dynamics remain
soft throughout the first verse. The lyrics start the song off with a very melancholy
feeling.
1:18 Chorus The guitar and bass are again an integral part. The guitar gets to play
the more prevalent part of the chorus. Its sharper than the bass and that adds to
the timbre of the chorus. The guitar creates louder dynamics and a bigger focal
point of the song.
2:16 Verse 2The guitar and bass are still the prevalent rhythm makers. The lyrics
are still very melancholy and slow. Again, the dynamics are slow and smooth. The
harmony of Bens voice is in perfect unison with the instruments.

END OF THE AFFAIR TIMED

LISTENING GUIDE

2:42 Chorus The chorus remains the same, with guitar and bass providing the rhythm and melody.
Again, the main focus is on the guitar chords. The dynamics get louder once more. The lyrics add a lot
to the timbre of the song because this song is clearly about something personal.
At 3:26 the piano comes in and lends to the rhythm while accentuating the guitar. The piano creates
extra harmony, an extra texture to the song. That, again, adds to the timbre of this specific song.
4:15 Bridge The bridge begins with the guitar and some light background vocals. The dynamics get
continuously louder. The energy of the song is building.
At 4:30 the bass comes in and creates an ominous feeling. That definitely adds to the timbre and
texture of this song because its what makes this song so unique and wonderful.
At 4:45 the drums come in to give it more beat and a feeling of tension. Again, the dynamics continue
to get louder and more intense.
At 5:13 the lyrics are back and the drums really emphasize the building tension and anger. Major
beats from the drums and bass, creating the feeling of anger. Dynamics are again louder.
At 6:19 the song slows down a bit to emphasize the lyrics and let you, the listener, hear and feel the
anger. The dynamics here are slightly softer, no drums or anything, just vocals.

END OF THE AFFAIR TIMED

LISTENING GUIDE
At 6:43 the guitar, bass and drums pick back up and the rhythm
starts again. The song resumes, essentially. The dynamics here are
louder and the beat is faster and more intense. You can really feel
the anger here.
At 7:27 the bridge finally ends, the song slows down and vocals
come in. The guitar is playing, but only in the background. Vocals
are being focused on right now. Dynamics turn down a bit and the
last bit of vocals is heard.
7:46END

CONRAD TIMED LISTENING

GUIDE
0:00 Introduction The song begins with the strumming of the guitar which begins the melody. The
dynamics are at a comfortable level and are very consistent.
At 0:24 the kick drum comes in as well as the bass and they give the song its beat. The bass gives
the dynamics a bit of a kick. This song focuses a lot on the bass which I think adds to the timbre of
this song.
0:47 Verse 1 The verse begins with the lyrics which creates a story for us. Calm dynamics, smooth
texture, perfect harmony with the voice and instruments. Kick drum is an integral part of the song.
2:10 Chorus The chorus has more of a beat with the drums and guitar playing in harmony with the
vocals. Dynamics increase slightly with the volume of Bens voice. Vocal humming takes place at
the end, giving this song its timbre and specific texture.
3:00 Verse 2 The second verse begins by repeating the first line in verse 1, but he changes the
line from out to where you see to out enough to see. Dynamics are still comfortable and
smooth.
3:47 Chorus The chorus remains the same lyrically, but is changed rhythmically by the drums
focusing on the cymbals. Vocal humming comes back, again giving this song its specific sound
and timbre.

CONRAD TIMED LISTENING

GUIDE
At 4:12 the rhythm of the song comes back with the drums
reentering. The bass comes back as well as the guitar. The pace
picks up once more, giving the song its texture.
At 4:47 the lyrics stop and vocal humming replaces them for the
remainder of the song. The kick drum, guitar, bass and cymbals
remain the focus. Dynamics remain comfortable, but get slightly
louder with the crash of the cymbals. Texture continues to be nice
and smooth.
6:08END

BIBLIOGRAPHY/REFERENCES
Ben Howard interview with DIY Magazine
London Evening Standard
Ben Howard Wikipedia
Ben Howard interview with American Songwriter
Ben Howard interview with XFM