Chapter 1: Pitch, Melody, and Rhythm

Pitch

A relative quality of the “highness or lowness” of a sound; the basic element of a melody, composed of notes such as A, B, or C

Melody

A selection of pitches in succession (rhythm); the basic element of harmony

Rhythm

The organization of time in music; “the systematic arrangement of musical sounds, principally according to duration” and “a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound”.

Free Rhythm

Describes music with little or no sense of predictability about the organization of time

Polyrhythm

Multiple rhythmic patterns performed simultaneously

Accenting (Stressing)

A louder emphasis of a beat

Harmony

Two or more pitches (notes) heard simultaneously; generally supports and enriches the melody

Tempo

Describes the pace of the music; may speed up (acceleration), slow down (deceleration), or fluctuate (rubato)

Meter

A regular recurring grouping of beats; some, but not all, are distinguishable by a recurring pattern of stresses or accents

Duble/Triple

Respectively two/three beat counts constituting a measure or bar

Compound Meter

Consists of recurring groupings of beats, but with each beat consisting of a subgroup of three pulses with equal duration

Asymetrical Meter

Contains subdivisions that are not all the same length; e.g. variation between two and three beats

Scale

A set of pitches presented in ascending or descending order

Mode

A variation of a scale created by starting and ending on a different note within that pattern

Diatonic

Seven pitches with distinctive distribution of whole and half steps

Chromatic

A scale that uses all the notes within an octave, including sharps and flats, essentially every possible pitch within that range (all 12 pitches within an octave).

Microtonal

Refers to a scale that uses intervals that do not match those of the European system of whole steps and half steps (e.g. 24 pitches per octave)

Intervallic

Distance between two pitches; describes the relationship between notes within a scale/chord