Music 401:

What is music?

Organization of sound and silence; silence is powerful.

Active Listening

Involves fully concentrating on the sound, absorbing one thing at a time.

Passive Listening

Hearing but not fully absorbing; it's present but doesn't stick.

Pitch

How high or low a sound is; determined by frequency of waves.

Musical Alphabet

The natural note names: A, B, C, D, E, F, G; repeats at each octave.

Octave

The interval of eight notes between two notes of the same name.

Intervals

The distance between pitches, can move stepwise or leap.

Volume

The loudness or softness of sound; dynamics are significant.

Forte

A traditional volume marking meaning loud (f).

Piano

A traditional volume marking meaning soft (p).

Mezzo

A traditional volume marking meaning medium (m), with MP as medium soft.

Fortissimo

A traditional volume marking meaning very loud (ff).

Pianissimo

A traditional volume marking meaning very soft (pp).

Timbre

The color of sound, which helps distinguish different instruments.

String Family - name examples

Includes instruments like violin, viola, cello, and bass.

How is sound produced in string instruments? How does it produce a vibrating air column?

By vibrating strings, visible through the instrument. It produces the vibrating air column by plucking the strings with either your fingers or a bow

Brass Instruments - how does it create sound + give examples (how many pitch controls)

Create sound by vibrating air columns using buzzing lips; have seven positions for pitch control. (french horn, tuba, trumpet, trombone)

Woodwind Instruments - give examples (which reeds); How does it produce a vibrating air column?

Includes single reed (clarinet, saxophone) and double reed (oboe, bassoon) instruments. It produces its vibrating air column by blowing air in between the mouthpiece and the instrument

Pitched vs Unpitched Percussion; how do percussion instruments create vibrating air columns?

Pitched percussion makes a definite pitch (e.g. xylophone); unpitched percussion does not (e.g. bass drum). The instruments create vibrating air columns by striking

How does electronic music create vibrating air columns; Keyboard Family - give examples

uses speakers or transducers to generate sound waves; Includes piano, organ, and harpsichord.

Harpsichord

A precursor to the piano, compact with a narrow range and no sustain.

Organ

Can sustain sound indefinitely; larger pipes produce lower pitches.

Piano

Has a wide range of sound with pedals for sustaining and dampening.

Meter

Divides music notation into measures; can be duple, triple, or quadruple.

Tempo

Defines the speed of the beat; measured in beats per minute (BPM).

Traditional tempo terms

Andante (slow), Moderato (moderate), Allegro (fast).

Accelerando

A gradual increase in speed of tempo.

Ritardando

A gradual decrease in speed of tempo.

Rhythm

Indicates when to play a note or have silence.

Clef

Indicates the type of notes being used (treble or bass).

Melody

A series of single tones that create a recognizable entity; a sequence of musical notes arranged in a particular order of pitch and rhythm, perceived as a single, coherent, and memorable line

Harmony

The underlying components that add direction to the melody.

How is melody symmetrical and asymmetrical?

symmetrical (first is 8 per measure, second is also 8); asymmetrical (one is longer than the other)

What is melody essentially comprised of?

Melody is comprised of both steps and leaps.

What should you always remember about music?

Music is always changing

Ostinato

A rhythmic figure that is repeated throughout the piece; repeats with the same pitch/voice; it gives the piece narrative drive - it may get gradually louder; it can also be very creative

Octatonic Scale

goes from whole step to half step (w, h, w, h, w, h)

Syncopation

emphasizing notes unexpectedly (usually not on the beat)

Melodic Contour

• Overall shape of a melody (no sudden huge shifts/jumps)

Conjunct

refers to melody that is smooth with no huge jumps of unequalness

Disjunct

• all over the places/jagged referring to a lot of jumps in music; becomes very hard to tell where the melody is

Texture - what is it and name the three types

focuses on melody vs harmony (Monophonic, Homophonic, Polyphonic)

Monophonic

one voice (one melody and nothing else); it could 1/50 people singing; they all need to stay at the same tone; same pitch and rhythm

Polyphonic

many voice (more than one melody going on at the same time); similar to a round in music

Homophonic

one clear melody supported by chordal or harmonic accompany