Chapter 1: Melody & Pitch

Melody

Definition of Melody:

  • Melody is a succession of single pitches perceived as a whole, often referred to as the tune in music.

  • Unfolds over time

  • the horizontal dimension in music

  • do not have to be agreeable, just understandable (not all melodies are ‘pleasing’)

  • fundamental means of communication between composers/performers and listeners.

  • A melody may stand alone or be accompanied by a secondary melody (counter melody).

Elements of Melody:

Contour

  • The shape and movement of a melody

  • whether it moves up, down, or remains constant.

  • the visual representation of the melody’s shape (graphic representation)

Range

  • The distance between the lowest and highest notes, determining the span of pitches

  • Can be narrow or wide

  • the total span on the pitches present

Intervals

  • The distances between any two pitches

  • describes note to note relationships

    • conjunct (small, connected intervals) (two adjacent notes) (steps)

    • disjunct (disconnected intervals) (two non adjacent notes) (leaps)

Phrase

  • A unit of meaning within a larger musical structure

  • Often coincides with text lines and ends in a cadence

  • punctuates the music.

Cadence

  • The concluding notes or chords

  • mark the end of a section

  • can be either conclusive (providing a sense of finality) or inconclusive (suggesting more is to come).

  • important in the imaginal level of listening to music

  • where it feels it comes to a rest

  • cadences often involve a harmonic progression that leads to the tonic

Tonic:

  • the first scale degree of a diatonic scale

  • the central and most stable pitch in a musical piece.

  • In Western music, the most common tonic is the first note of a major or minor scale.

  • with authentic cadences, the final chords of the cadence often include the tonic chord.

Climax

  • The high point in a melodic line

  • representing a peak in intensity and range.

Modes

  • set = scale or modes. There is also different scale types

    • Diatonic = 7 notes in a row arranged in conjuct motion

    • Chromatic = provides color

  • Different types of tonality or scales

    • major

    • minor

    • atonal = lacks a clear tonal center or key.

Length

  • The number of measures a melody consists of

  • can be short or long.

Direction

  • the upward or downward movement of the melody in terms of pitch.

    • Ascending

    • Decending

Shape

  • how the melody moves

  • Whether the melody moves predominantly by…

    • steps (smooth) = Conjunct

    • leaps (jagged) = Disjunct

Register

  • Relative placement of pitches from high to low

Structure

  • The texture or organization of the melody.

Usage

  • Can be motivic (based on short melodic fragments)

  • Can be thematic (a longer melody serving as the basis for development)

  • Can be complete (a melody that recurs in its entirety)

Pitch

  1. Pitch Determined by its frequency (number of vibration per second)

  2. Depends on the length or size of a vibrating object

    • (faster vibration, short string = higher frequency)

    • (slow, long string = low frequency)

  3. Represent each pitch with a note thats on a staff

    • Notes designate the frequency and the duration (length of time, of the pitch)

  4. Has a certain volume

    • loudness or softness

  5. Has a distinct quality known as tone, color, or timbre

    • this is what distinguishes voices from instruments or instruments from instruments

1 Cycle or Hz

Higher and lower pitches defined how?

  • wave frequency

  • wave intensity

  • octave (8ve)

  1. Wave Frequency (Pitch):

    • Definition: Pitch in sound is related to the frequency of sound waves.

    • Explanation: Higher pitch sounds are produced by waves with higher frequencies, meaning they vibrate faster per second.

  2. Wave Intensity:

    • Definition: Intensity or amplitude of sound waves influences our perception of volume or loudness.

    • Explanation: the intensity of sound waves affects how we perceive volume. Higher amplitude doesn't necessarily mean a higher pitch, but it can influence how loud a sound appears.

  3. Octave (8ve):

    • Definition: an octave is a specific interval between two pitches where the frequency of one pitch is double (or halved) the frequency of the other.

    • Explanation: Moving up or down by an octave results in a doubling or halving of the frequency, but the perceived pitch remains the same. For instance, if a note has a frequency of 440 Hz (A4), the next higher octave (A5) will have a frequency of 880 Hz.

Rhyme Scheme: The arrangement of rhyming words or corresponding sounds at the end of poetic lines

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