Download Elements of Music

The Elements of Music - the Basic Building Blocks of Music
Rhythm - The combinations of long and short, even and uneven sounds that convey a sense of
movement. It is the movement of sound through time. Concepts contributing to an
understanding of rhythm are
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regular vs. irregular
accented – emphasis is placed on a given beat or beats
strong vs. weak beats
long vs. short notes
equal vs. unequal emphasis
complex vs. simple
syncopated – accents on beats that would not normally have emphasis (often found in
jazz)
Time signature (simple or compound) eg. ¾ , 4/4, 6/8, etc.
Non-metrical – no specific pattern of accented or unaccented beats
Ostinato - a short melody or pattern that is constantly repeated, usually in the same part
at the same pitch (i.e., drum pattern for “We Will Rock You)
Melody - A logical succession of musical pitches arranged in a rhythmic pattern. An important part of
melody is rhythm. The notes vary in pitch and duration. Form also applies to melody.
Melodies include repetition as well as contrast. Pitch characteristics of melodies include:
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Direction - up, down, stay the same
Range - wide or narrow spectrum of notes ranging from low to high
Position - Maybe use notes of high pitches or transposed to low pitches
Intervals - The distance between the pitches of the melody may be steps from one note
to an adjacent note, or skips where pitches leap from one to another skipping a tone or
tones.
 Conjunct – notes in melody change by small intervals. Notes move in stepwise
motion or are very close to each other on the staff
 Disjunct – notes in melody move by large leaps. There are large spaces
between the notes.
Motif (like a ‘riff’ in guitar) – small building block of a melodic phrase
Phrase – a musical sentence; usually 4 to 8 bars in length
Ostinato - a short melody or pattern that is constantly repeated, usually in the same part
at the same pitch (i.e., drum pattern for “We Will Rock You)
Harmony - The vertical blocks of different tones that sound simultaneously; a progression of chords.
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Consonant – relatively pleasing sound to the ear. The notes that are combined sound at
rest; like they don’t need to resolve to another note that does sound at rest.
Dissonant – harmony that sounds as if it is incomplete, like it needs to move to another
more consonant combination of notes
Texture – The way in which the different musical lines are layered
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Monophonic – single line, unaccompanied texture (described as ‘thin’)
Polyphonic – many independent lines of music occurring simultaneously (‘thick’ or
‘dense’)
Homophonic – a main musical line with an accompaniment that supports the main
melody. This accompaniment is usually simple, and often moves rhythmically with
melody.
Form - The design of music, incorporating repetition, contrast, unity, and variety. The organization of
music, its shape or structure.
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ABA – Ternary
ABACABA - Rondo
AB – Binary
Verse/Chorus – Strophic
Through Composed – no repetition
12 – Bar Blues
32 Bar Song Form
The Expressive Elements of Music
Timbre - The distinctive quality of tone of a sound.
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Instrumentation
Bright, Dark, Brassy, Warm, Raspy, Smooth etc.
Dynamics - The volume of sound; the loudness or softness of a musical passage.
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p – piano – soft
pp – pianissimo – very soft
f – forte – strong (loud)
ff – fortissimo – very strong (very loud)
m – mezzo – means medium or moderately and can be added to either a “p” or a “f”
crescendo – gradually increase volume
decrescendo – gradually decrease volume
Tempo - The pace at which music moves, based on the speed of the underlying beat. Usually
indicated by using Italian terms such as the ones below. The tempo is often indicated by a specific
metronome marking which indicates a certain number of beats per minute (bpm). The metronome is a
device that keeps time by clicking at a specified number of beats per minute.
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Largo – slowly or broadly
Andante – moderately slow; walking pace
Moderato – moderate pace
Allegro - quickly
Vivace – lively and spirited
Accelerando (accel.) - with gradually increasing speed
Ritardando(rit.)/rallentando (rall.) - becoming gradually slower