Melodic Terms/Concepts

Melody

The main, catchy line of single notes that drives the song.

Grace notes vs Accents

Both Grace notes and ?’s require a melody

But ?’s CAN exceed ½ a bar & be sustained

Counter Melody

A ????-Melody

Either plays at the same time as the main melody or fills the gaps.

Counter Melodies

? are; Additional melodies that play alongside the main melody—either at the same time or filling the gaps.

Inversions

Variations of a chord where a note other than the root (such as the third or fifth) is placed in the lowest bass position.

Arpeggios

Playing the notes of a chord one by one instead of all at the same time.

Staccato

Musical articulation indicating that notes should be played short, detached, and sharply separated.

Portamento

A smooth gliding transition from one musical pitch to another, similar to 808 slide notes or pitch bends.

Accent

An emphasis or stronger attack given to a specific note or beat to make it stand out

Grace

Short decorative note(s) leading into a primary note, capped at a 1/2 step.

Transpose

To move a, chord progression, melody or musical piece entirely into a different musical key.

Sustained chords

Chords that are held out or prolonged for a longer duration rather than being played short or re-triggered.

Chord progression

An ordered sequence of chords that provides the harmonic foundation and harmonic movement of a song.

Counter progression

A secondary harmonic or chordal movement played against the main progression to create harmonic tension and independence.

Layered Chords

Layered ?; Stacking the same chords across channels

to make the Main Chord Progression sound better

Layered melody (Turn this into a gif to reflect an actual layered melodic)

A single melodic line doubled or reinforced across multiple instruments or timbres to create a richer, unique composite tone.

Layered notes

Duplicated or stacked notes used to make a sound thicker and punchier.

Accents vs Layered Notes

? Notes: Identical pitches stacked together to thicken a sound.

? : Best for grace notes, resolution notes, or spontaneous flavor.

Dissonance

Notes or chords that create tension and demand resolution.

Minor

• ? Dissonance: Subtle tension created by close off notes/chords

• Dissonance: Very noticeable tension created by out of scale notes/chords

Resolve Note / Chord

The stable target note where a melodic line or tension finally lands, usually a tonic chord tone.

Resolution / Resolve

The movement from a tense, dissonant sound to a stable, consonant one that releases tension.

? can in the beginning of a Chord Progression/Melody

Dissonance