Modern Music Fundamentals I - QUIZ #2: Rhythm & Timbre

DYNAMICS

• Refer to the volume of the music, or how loud or soft the notes should be played. They indicate the intensity and energy of the sound.

• Common dynamic markings include:

  • piano (p): soft

  • forte (f): loud

  • mezzo-piano (mp): moderately soft

  • mezzo-forte (mf): moderately loud

  • crescendo (cresc.): gradually getting louder

  • diminuendo (dim.): gradually getting softer

ARTICULATIONS

• Articulations refer to how individual notes or phrases should be played or sung, specifically focusing on the manner of execution

• Articulations affect the texture and phrasing of the music

ARTICULATIONS

• STACCATO

• Description: Notes are played short and detached.

• Symbol: A dot placed above or below the note head.

• Effect: Creates a crisp, light, and separated sound.

• Example: Imagine plucking a string and immediately dampening it.

ARTICULATIONS

• LEGATO

• Description: Notes are played smoothly and connected, with no noticeable gaps between them.

• Symbol: A curved line (slur) over or under a group of notes.

• Effect: Creates a flowing, continuous sound.

• Example: Imagine playing a melody on a violin with smooth, uninterrupted bow strokes

ARTICULATIONS

• ACCENT

• Description: Emphasizes a note, making it more pronounced.

• Symbol: A wedge or "greater than" symbol above or below the note.

• Effect: Adds weight or stress to the note, making it stand out in the phrase.

• Example: Think of giving a note a stronger push, like tapping a key on a piano with more force

ARTICULATIONS

• TENUTO

• Description: Holds a note for its full value, with slight emphasis.

• Symbol: A horizontal line above or below the note.

• Effect: Gives the note a full, sustained sound, often with a subtle emphasis.

• Example: Imagine pressing and holding a piano key with a deliberate touch.

ARTICULATIONS

• MARCATO

• Description: Notes are played with a marked, forceful emphasis, often louder than an accent.

• Symbol: An inverted "V" above or below the note.

• Effect: Creates a bold, strong, and somewhat detached sound.

• Example: Think of hammering a note with clear, strong articulation.

ARTICULATIONS

• PORTATO / MEZZO-STACCATO

• Description: A combination of legato and staccato, where notes are slightly detached but still smooth.

• Symbol: A dot combined with a line (staccato and tenuto) above or below the note.

• Effect: Creates a gentle, smooth articulation with slight separation between the notes.

• Example: Think of gently plucking a string and allowing it to ring briefly before moving to the next note.

ARTICULATIONS

• SFORZANDO (sfz)

• Description: A strong, sudden accent on a note or chord.

• Symbol: The abbreviation "sfz" or "sf".

• Effect: Adds a dramatic, forceful emphasis, often startling or powerful.

• Example: Imagine a sudden, sharp attack on a note, like striking a drum forcefully.

AMPLITUDE ENVELOPES:

• ADSR

• Attack

• Decay

• Sustain

• Release

ARTICULATION AS MICRO-DYNAMICS

• Attack

• Similar to the initial articulation of a note (e.g., staccato vs. legato), where the note's onset is defined—quick and sharp like staccato or smooth and gradual like legato

ARTICULATION AS MICRO-DYNAMICS

• Decay

• Corresponds to how a note tapers off after the initial attack, akin to how tenuto or marcato might extend or accentuate a note's decay

ARTICULATION AS MICRO-DYNAMICS

• Sustain

• Relates to the body or the continuous part of the note, similar to the sustained connection in legato or the deliberate length in portato

ARTICULATION AS MICRO-DYNAMICS

• Release

• Echoes the way a note is released or ended, comparable to how a fermata or a staccato might dictate the note's conclusion—whether held longer or cut off abruptly

ARTICULATION AS MICRO-DYNAMICS

• Articulations control the fine details of how a note or phrase is executed, much like how ADSR shapes the amplitude envelope of a sound

• Articulations shape each note’s character, similar to how ADSR shapes a sound's overall contour. Think of them as the "micro-dynamics" that give life to the musical phrasing

ARTICULATION → CONTEXTUAL CLUES

• Articulations are often used in context with dynamics and phrasing to convey specific musical intentions

  • EX: A staccato marking might be accompanied by a piano dynamic to create a light, delicate passage.

  • Additionally think of this from the point of view of a performer. Does a concert pianist or band frontman think LOUDNESS when performing soft passages? They must perform in the CHARACTER of the dynamics, but surely, everyone in the concert hall must hear them!!

TIMBRE

• Quality of the sound, from its pitch to frequency & texture!

COMPOUND METER

• Large beats are subdivided, into 3 equal parts

• Triple pulse for each beat

COMPOUND METER

• 6/8 METER

• 2 bears per bar

• 3 parts for a total of 6 sub-beats

COMPOUND METER

• 9/8 METER

• 3 Beats

• Subdivided into 3, 9 sub-beats

COMPOUND METER

• 12/8 METER

• 4 beats per bar

• 3 equal bars total of 12 sub-beats

ADDITIVE METER

• Odd Time

• Created by juxtaposing groupings of 2 & 3 beats for an uneven sound

• Less common in West

SYNCOPATION

• Created by stressing parts of the measure that are NOT the down beats

BASIC FORM IN JAZZ & BLUES

• Head arangements

  • Main melody played by band

  • Chord changes that accompany head & are looped

  • EX: |A (Head)| A (Solos) | A (Head)|

12 BAR BLUES

• Very common musical structure

• 12 bar or “Blues”

• Specific sequence of chords

COMMON STRUCTURES IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

• BINARY FORM

• AABBB

• 888 Or ||:A:||:B:||

COMMON STRUCTURES IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

• ROUNDED BINARY

• AABA

• 4444

COMMON STRUCTURES IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

• SONG FORM

• AABA

• 8888

COMMON STRUCTURES IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

• MINUET & TRIO

• ||:A:||:B + A:||:C:||:D + C:||

• 8 4 4 8 4 4

COMMON STRUCTURES IN CLASSICAL MUSIC

• SONATA FORM

• Used in large scale classical musical compositions like symphonies, concerts, sonatas, string quarts

• |A| B + A|