Talking About Music: Words and Expressions You Can Use

Who doesn't enjoy listening to music? In today's post, we give you some words and expressions you can use to talk about music.

There are many things to discuss about music. You can talk about the kind of music you like, the musical instrument you play, and your reaction when you listen to music.

To talk about the kind of music you like, you can use the following expressions.

I listen to _____.
I enjoy listening to _____.
I listen to all kinds of music, except _____.

Some of the different types of music forms are: jazz, blues, pop, rock, heavy metal, hip-hop, classical music, electronic dance music (EDM), and R&B (rhythm and blues).

Here's a nice video that shows the difference between the different types of music:

To talk about the musical instruments you play, you can use the following expressions:

I play (the) _____.
I can play (the) _____.
I can't play any musical instrument.

Here are the most common musical instruments: piano, guitar, saxophone, violin, flute, drums, trumpet, ukulele, cello, clarinet, harp, and harmonica.

Finally, to talk about your reactions to music, you can use the following expressions:

It sounds _____.

great – You like the music.
awful – You don't like the music.

I like the _____.

beat – You like the rhythm of the song.
melody – You enjoy listening to the song.
lyrics – You like the words of the song.

It makes me feel _____.

good – The music gives you positive feelings.
bad – The music gives you negative feelings.
relaxed – The music removes any bad feelings you have.
energetic – The music gives you energy or makes you feel active.

Now, try using the above expressions to answer the following questions.

1. What music do you listen to?
2. Do you play any musical instrument?
3. What do you like about your favorite type of music?
4. What don't you like about your favorite type of music?

How well did you do? If you want to practice using these expressions with an online English teacher, schedule a free lesson with us now!

We'll write more about music next time! Keep visiting The Learntalk Blog for more.