Music - Pitch

Pitch

The highness or lowness of a sound

Melody

A series of pitches, one after the other

Harmony

When three or more pitches occur at the same time

Tonality

Most compositions are based on one pitch which acts as a "home"

Scale

A series of pitches based on a main, or "home" pitch. There are usually eight pitches in a scale ascending and descending by step.

Tonic

The first note in a scale

Key

The "home" pitch and scale used in a composition

Drone

A long, continuous low pitch played to maintain a tonal centre

Semitone

the distance between one pitch and another pitch closest to it.

Tone

a distance between two semitones.

Major Scale

tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone. Major scale sounds happier.

Minor Scale

tone: semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone and a half, semitone. Minor scale sounds sadder.

Chromatic Scale

consisting of all semitones (every black and white note on the piano.

Pentatonic Scale

consisting of five notes.

Mode

scales with different patterns of tones and semitones.

Modulation

when a composition moves away from the "home" tonality or key and then back again. It means temporarily changing the home key.

Chords

consist of three or more pitches played at the same time. A chord can have more than three notes.

Chord Progression

the name of a pattern of different chords.

Cadence

a two chord progression that acts like a punctuation point in a musical phrase or section.

Perfect Cadence

a progression from chord V to I. It often marks the end of the piece.

Plagal Cadence

chord IV to I.

Interrupted Cadence

chord V to VI. It sounds unfinished.

Imperfect Cadence

chord I to V. Makes the listener expect the music to continue.

Consonance

Based on major and minor scales.
Creates a feeling of resolution and stability.

Dissonant

Use major, minor and chromatic scales.
Use of chords with added notes, chromatic notes, tone clusters.

Phrase

a section of an instrument or vocal line, containing part or all of a melody. Usually goes for 4-8 bars.

Range

the lowest to highest note an instrument can produce. The range of pitches in a piece can be wide or narrow.

Interval

the distance between two pitches.

Contour

the shape of a melody. It can be ascending or descending in pitch. It can be described as smooth or jagged.

Imitation

where a part of the melody or an entire melody is copied exactly by another instrument.

Repetition

the main melody likely to be repeated more than once in a composition so that it creates a memorable impact. The main melody can be repeated, as can individual notes, or sections of the melody.

Ostinato

a repeated pattern of notes.

Sequence

a fragment or motif that is repeated at different pitches. A melodic sequence repeats in the melody alone. A harmonic sequence affects all of the parts.

Ornamentation

frilly bits added to a melody to make it sound more interesting.

Trill

rapid alteration of two neighbouring pitches.

Turn

a melodic figure that rises and falls by step around the main pitch.

Improvisation

the most prominent and memorable tune in a composition.

Counter Melody

a second contrasting melody that is played at the same time as the main melody.

Call and Response

a type of melodic construction where there are two sections of a melody. The "call" is a melodic phrase that changes and is followed by a "response" that is the same each time.

Question and Answer

a type of melodic construction with two sections. The "question" is a phrase that is not resolved and ends in and interrupted or imperfect cadence. The "answer" is a second phrase that develops the melodic material provided in the question, and resolves it back to the home pitch or tonic.

Canon

a melodic construction where a theme or tune is introduced, then a few bars later, another instrument or line plays the same melody, followed by another instrument, and another.

Motif

a part of a melody that has an important role in a composition.

Fragment

a section of a melody that is shorter than a phrase.