Elements of Music

Rhythm

A sequence of sounds and silences of different durations.

Time

When a sound happens

Duration

How long a sound lasts

Pulse/beat

basic unit of time

Tempo

Speed of the pulse/beat. It is consistent across an entire song in contemporary pop.

Meter

Recurring pattern of weak and strong pulses/beats.

Types of meter

Duple, triple, additive, non-metric

Syncopation

Subversion or reversal of meter

Groove

Channeled flow of a recurring rhythm

Pitch

A named frequency

Interval

Distance between 2 pitches

Melodic Interval

2 pitches separated by time

Harmonic Interval

The interval if 2 pitches are played at the same time.

Scale

Defined set of pitches

Modality

Mode of a scale (shape, quality, character), major or minor

Tonality

Primacy of a central pitch (tonic) in a scale.

Tonic pitch

Gives order, function, direction to other notes in the scale

Key

Tonality AND modality of a piece or song

Modulation

Change of key in a piece

Melody

A sequence of pitches in different durations of musical time

Phrase

A large subsection of a melody, frequently in an antecedent/consequent structure

Cadence

A pause or stopping point between phrases of a melody

Song

A melody with words.

Harmony

Interaction between 2+ notes sounded simultaneously

Dissonant harmony

Two or more notes played at the same time creating a tense/unstable sound

Consonant harmony

Two or more notes being played at the same time, creating a relaxed/stable sound

Chord

Two or more pitches sounded simultaneously

Chord progression

Recurring sequence of chords providing harmonic accompaniment for a melody

Texture

All the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic things that happen in a section of a musical piece and how they are related to each other

Monophony

Single melody without harmonic accompaniment

Polyphony

Two or more different melodic lines played simultaneously

Homorhythmic

All instruments/voices play the same rhythm

Homophony

Single melody with harmonic accompaniment (most pop music)

Form

The structure of a musical piece

Elements of Form

Repetition, Variation, Contrast

Strophic Form

Song that employs the same music for each poetic unit of lyrics. All the verses are sung to the same music. (folk music)

Verse-Chorus Form

Song consists of subsections with both recurring lyrics (chorus/refrain) and changing poetic text (verse). Most pop music

Verse

Subsections of a song where text changes

Chorus/refrain

subsection of a song where text is repeated

Bridge

Subsection of a song used to contrast with and prepare for return of the verse

12-Bar Blues Form

Standard song form developed by Blues singers in 1900s. (Most early rock)

32-Bar AABA Pop Song

Standard song form used by Tin Pan Alley Songwriters in 1800s/1900s (Jazz or Broadway)

Distortion

Buzzing or fuzzy tone color achieved by overdriving vacuum tubes on amplifier/digital processing

Feedback

Out of control sound oscillation when output of a loudspeaker enters a microphone and is reamplified in a loop

Hook

Catchy or memorable musical pattern

Reverb

Prolongation of a sound by virtue of an ambient acoustical space

Riff

Simple, recurring melodic idea or rhythmic pattern usually presented by guitar