Download Pitch - AceHSC

Pitch
(Melody) – Think Vocals
Steps or leaps (or both)
- Step is a semi tone or tone
- Leap is a 3rd, 4th, 5th etc etc
Contour – shape of a melody
- Jegged (leaps)
- Smooth (steps)
- Ascending or descending
- Draw diagram
Basics
– Scalic melodies
– Chord based melodies
– Imitation
– Repetition
– Developments of the melody
– Cadences
– Balance between variety and unity
– Melisma
– Chromatism
Range
- Wide (2-3 octaves)
- Narrow (few notes 1 octave)
Phrase lengths
- Even (symmetrical)
- Uneven (asymmetrical)
Imitation
- entire melody copied with another instrument
- often used with motifs
Repetition - memorable impact.
Ostinato – repeated pattern of notes
Ornamentation
- trills
- filly bits (if lots write- heavily ornamented)
Call and response
Canon
– theme/tune introduced then another instrument is added playing the same
melody, a few bars later, another instrument plays the same melody etc.
– Builds texture
Improvisation – heavily ornamented
Counter melody – contrasting melody played at the same time as the main melody
Sequence – motif repeated in different pitches
Melody question template
Harmony question template
Main melody
- What instruments plays it?
- Wide narrow range?
- Describe contour (smooth, jagged,
ascending, descending, sequence)
- Draw contour
- Phrases are long or short? (count number
of bars in each phrase)
- Ornamentation or improvisation?
Tonality
– Describe the overall tonality of the piece.
– Chords used (Major/minor, dissonant, blues
scales, atonal, modal)
– Does the piece modulate? When?
Counter melody; motifs or fragments
- (same as main melody)
Other riffs or melodic ostinato
- what instruments plays it?
- How many notes in the ostinato?
- Describe contour
- Where does the ostinato appear?
- How often is it repeated?
How do the melodies work together?
- Call and response? (What instruments?)
- Repetition (what is repeated, by whom?)
- Imitation (what is imitated, by whom?)
- Counter melody or canon?
Tone colour question template
Describe Overall mood and atmosphere
- Describe tone colour in each section
- How does the tone colour change from
section to section
Role of performing media
- List performing media and specify it’s
role(main melody, ostinato, riff, harmonic
or rhythmic role)
- Write about tone colour of each instrument
Performing techniques
- Specific techniques used to create effects
in instruments or voices?
Contrast of mood and sound
- Any contrasts?
- Which instruments?
- Where do they occur?
- Describe the tone colour of each and how it
changes
Structure question template
-
discuss every concept in each section
draw table
Sections ABC etc
- Repeated chord patterns?
- Rate of harmonic change?
- Style of chords?
- Identify cadences
Duration question template
Tempo and metre
- What is the tempo? (allegro, lento, moderato)
- Tempo constant or change? Where does it
change?
- Time signature? Multimeter?
- Describe beat (strong, indefinite, backbeat)
Introduction (do for each section)
- How many bars?
- Describe rhythm (lively, free, rigid)
- What instruments create the rhythm?
- Note values (long, short, dotted)
- Syncopation? Ostinatos? Polyrhythm?
Imitation?
- Describe and notate the main rhythms
Dynamics and expressive question
template
Overall dynamics
- forte, piano, mezzoforte
- Constant volume or changes?
How are dynamics achieved?
- texture, layers of instruments
- crescendos and dimuendos
Expressive techniques
- staccato
- legato
- tremolo
- pizzicato
Performing techniques
- go through each instrument and mention
techniques
Pitch
(Harmony) – think chords
Tonality
- Major (happy)
- Minor (sad)
- Modal (not major or minor)
- Pentatonic (five notes)
- Atonal
Basics
– Chords – major minor
– Ostinatos
– Rate of chord changes (harmonic change)
– Cadence
– 12 Bar blues
– Jazz chords
– Dissonance
– Pedal point (pedal point)
Modulation
- Where a piece moves away from the home key and then back again.
Harmonic change – rate of chord changes
Style of chords
- Triads
- Arpeggios
- Alberti bass
- Tone clusters
Blues
- blues scale
- 12 bar blues
Drone
– continuous low pitch played to keep a tonal centre (eye of the tiger)
– known on Piano as pedal point
Cadence
- Perfect
- Plagal cadence
- Interrupted
- Imperfect
Consonant Chords
- based on major minor scales
- creates feeling of resolution and stability
- pleasant
Dissonant Chords
- tone clusters
- creates feeling of tension and unease
- clashing intervals
Tone Colour (performing media)
Performing Media
Sounds
- Aerophones: wind instruments
- Chordophones: stringed instruments
- Membranophones: drums covered by a membrane
- Idiophones: percussion
- Electronic sounds: computerised sounds
Roles of performing media
- What has the main melody?
- What has a harmonic accompaniment role?
- What has a rhythmic role
- What provides a counter melody?
- What plays an ostinato riff?
Tone colour words/description
Mood
- Bright and energetic
- Calm and mellow
- Sombre and dark
Sound
- metallic
- Brassy
- Dry
- Majestic
- Sparkling
- Distorted
- Warm
- Breathy
- Rumbling
Changes in tone colour
- Does change
- Does not
Basics
-
solos
groups
trios
ensembles
electronic
cultural groups
-
dark, sombre, mysterious
-
Warm, bright, clear
-
Liquid, nasal, harsh
Duration (rhythm)
Tempo
- Adagio/ Lento (Slowly)
- Andante/ Moderato (Moderately fast)
- Vivace/ Presto (Quickly)
-
tempo remains constant
tempo changes
Accelerando - gradually getting faster
Ritardando - gradually getting slower
Rubato – expressive climaxes in each phrase
Time signatures and metre
- simple time - simple whole beats, crotchets or minims (4/4)
- compound time - based on dotted beats (6/8)
- multimeter - numerous changes in time signature (5/4, 7/4)
Accent and ostinato
- Accent - emphasis or stress
- Syncopation - When accent is on the weaker beats
- Backbeat – Accent is on second and fourth beats (form of syncopation)
- Polyrhythm – two or more conflicting rhythmic patterns or accents at the same
time (many rhythms)
- Cross rhythm – where two metres are played at the same time
- Free rhythm – beat is indefinite (no regular accents)
- Ostinato – repeated pattern
Note values – long or short
Dynamics and expressive techniques
Dynamics
- constant or changes
- crescendo or dimuendo
- dynamic level is piano (soft)
- dynamic level is moderately loud (mezzo forte)
- dynamic level is forte (forte)
Expressive techniques
- Legato – smooth and connected
- Staccato – short and detached
- Vibrato – vibrating or slightly shaking the sound
- Tremolo – quick repetition of the same note
- Tenuto – drawing out the full length of a note
- Glissando – rapid scale played in a sliding motion
- Pizzicato – plucked with the fingers
- Use of mute
- Strumming
- Drum roll – alternating drum strokes
- Distortion – electronic filter
- Double stopping – playing two strings at the same time
- Note bending
- Vocal effects – falsetto, scat
Structure
Binary Form – two main sections
Ternary Form – three main sections
Rondo From – many sections
Theme and Variation – a main theme still exists, it is changed in different sections
Through composed – does not repeat any previous material
Strophic – hymn
Coda – the end of a piece (outro)
Texture
-
Thin
Thick
Changes in texture
Build up of layers (canon)
Lines and layers
- Similar motion – melodic contour of two melodies imitate either ascending or
descending together
- Contrary motion – melodies move in opposite directions. One descends the
other ascends
Types of texture
- Monophonic texture – single layer
- Homophonic texture – melody with chordal accompaniment
- Polyphonic texture – many melodic lines (counter melodies)
- Unison – more than one instrument playing same note at same pitch
- Doubling – same melody played an octave apart
- Imitation
- Call and response
Texture question template
Overall density and layers
- Same all the way through?
- Texture builds up?
- Contrast thick and thin textures?
Texture changes
- Where do they occur?
- Effect of texture changes
Introduction (do for each section)
- How many bars in each section?
- How many layers?
- What instruments play each layer?
- What kind of texture? (polyphonic etc)
- Describe function of each layer (melody,
accompaniment)
- How do the layers interact with each other
(similar motion, contrary motion, canon)
Draw Diagram of the texture in the piece