Chapter 2

5 Elements of Music

1. Pitch 2. Rhythm 3. Volume 4. Tone Color (timbre) 5. Texture

Song Form

A 32 bar a a b a chorus.

Contrast/Variety

A departure from that which has been presented. A phrase or section that is different from what preceded it.

Verse-chorus

A form in which there are different texts to each verse and a return to the chorus after each verse. - Verse has dominant lyric interest - Chorus has dominant musical interest

Bar or Measure

A line of music.

Chord

A meaningful (not random) combination of three or more tones.

Strophic

A musical structure in which parts are arranged to form a whole; the form of a piece of music.

Cadence

A point of repose at the ending of a musical.

Consonance

A relatively stable, comfortable sound.

Phrase

A section of music with a recognizable beginning and ending; a complete musical thought.

Motive

A short melodic pattern or phrase that is used for further development and sometimes the basis of a section of music or a complete composition.

Monophonic

A single line of music without accompaniment.

Melody

A succession of musical tones, usually of varying pitch and rhythm, that has identifiable shape and meaning.

Ternary

A three part musical form where the first section is repeated after the second section ends.

Genre

A type or category of music (symphony, hymn, song, march)

Dissonance

An active, unstable sound.

Register

An area of the sound spectrum (high, middle, or low).

Scale

An ascending or descending series of tones organized according to a specified pattern of intervals.

Mixed meter/Asymmetrical meter

Clear pulse but the strong beat occurs in different patterns than just the beginning.

Accent

Increasing the intensity (increase stress or emphasis) on a single note.

Nonmetric

No rhythmic pattern can be perceived. (No pulse, weak pulse, irregular pulse).

Homophobic

One melody accompanied by other voices to articulate a harmony.

Tension/Resolution

Release of tension to make the listener relate more comfortably to the music (static, floating, or lacking a tendency to move forward).

Timbre

The characteristic quality of the sound of an instrument or voice (how you recognize it).

Texture

The density of sound; the number of simultaneously sounding lines

Range

The difference between pitches from low pitches to high pitches.

White Noise

The entire range of frequencies sounding at once.

Downbeat

The first beat of each bar. One in each bar. If 12 down beats, then 12 bars.

Tonality

The gravitational pull of music toward a tonal center.

Pitch

The highness or lowness of a tone produced by a single frequency.

Dynamics

The level of loudness.

Syncopation

The occurrence of accents in unexpected places, usually on weak beats or on weak parts of beats.

Meter

The organization of rhythm into a pattern of weak and strong beats. Each beat constitutes a bar or measure of music.

Tempo

The rate of speed at which music is performed.

Beat/Pulse

The reoccurring "heart beat" of music.

Form

The shape or structure of a piece.

Polyphonic

Two or more voices or parts, all with an individual melody, harmonizing together.

Binary

Two sections, usually contrasting and of around equal length. Often both of these sections are repeated and while contrasting usually have some related aspect of melody, harmony or rhythm.

12 bar blues

Used in almost all forms of jazz and pop music. There are 12 bars divided into three 4 bar segments with a specific cord progression.