IELTS® Listening Practice 2

(Section 2: You will hear a radio presenter talking about guitars in a radio broadcast. First, you will have some time to look at questions 11 to 16 [20 seconds]. Listen carefully and answer questions 11 to 16.)

Radio presenter: 

Hello and welcome to the show. In this episode, I will talk about the types of guitars and the recent trend in the guitar market. Now, the range of guitars available is huge — there are acoustic guitars, electric guitars, twelve-string guitars, steel guitars and bass guitars – plus many others that we don't have time to discuss today.

First, let's look at electric guitars - that is, guitars that are plugged into amplifiers. These guitars are slim and worn close to the neck, so less force is needed to press down on the strings. They can be very noisy so they are best used for public performances such as concerts and shows. Make sure to keep your practice space in mind as well; you may cause quite a disturbance with an electric guitar if you're practicing in common areas or in an apartment, for example. If that's the case, you may have to avoid these types of guitars.

Next, we have steel guitars. These guitars originated in Hawaii and are unusual because they are worn horizontally across the player's lap. These are quite specialist instruments and are usually played by more experienced musicians. If you are just starting out as a budding musician, this probably will not be the best guitar for you. However, it would be a great goal to work towards if you are devoted to playing guitar and are hoping to get better with time!

Next, we have twelve-string guitars, and as the name suggests, they have 12 strings, made up of 6 regular strings and 6 thinner ones. One good thing about twelve-string guitars is that they produce rich, beautiful sounds that you will never get from a 6 string guitar.  Many folk and blues musicians looking for a bit of authenticity like to play twelve-string guitars. Another thing about twelve-string guitars is that they are also usually used as “complementary rhythm” instruments as they back up the lead guitar pretty well.

Finally, we come to the acoustic guitar. These are always a popular choice with beginners because the prices of basic acoustic guitars are quite low – you can buy a brand new guitar of this type without breaking the bank. They are suitable for ensemble playing – that is, playing in groups. They are often sought after by songwriters because they go well with singing voices. If you plan on playing solo, starting off with an acoustic guitar will make it easier to learn the fundamental principles of guitar playing!

(Before you hear the rest of the talk, you will have some time to look at questions 17 to 20 [20 seconds]. Now, listen and answer questions 17 to 20.)

Now, guitar sales are experiencing a sway from retail sales to online sales. Online guitar retailers are growing by leaps and bounds. Over 50 percent of guitars, sold through a variety of sources, are being bought on the web. Physical retail stores, on the other hand, are experiencing a decline in sales. A report from research firm IBISWorld shows consecutive growth of guitar sales of total markets in the last five years. Even if today's music fans are more likely to worship pop stars and rappers over their parents' guitar heroes, there's little to indicate that the guitar's reign is over – and there might actually be more to show the opposite. It's true that six-string guitars have stumbled a bit in popularity, but electric sales rose more than 10 percent between January 2018 and January 2020.  Sales of acoustic guitars have soared in the last 5 years, thanks to the abiding popularity of the instrument in country music.

Now, in terms of consumer groups, half the guitars every year are bought by first-time players, 90 percent of whom abandon the instrument in the first year; the 10 percent who stick with it, on the other hand, are willing to shell out as much as $10,000 on guitars and other accessories over the course of their life. This makes education a new area ripe for potential as it will get people to buy guitars and actually stay with them. Another trend is that 50 percent of new guitarists today are women. More companies have been seeking out relationships with female artists and have highlighted women in marketing campaigns.

OK, so that's about all the time I have for today, so thank you very much for listening!