knowt logo

1.4 Harmony, Texture, Tonality, and Mode

Harmony, Texture, Tonality, and Mode

  • The sounding at the same time of different pitches is harmony

  • When a melody is accompanied, it’s harmonized

  • Chords are standard groupings of simultaneous pitches that work well in combination

  • Chords that sound at rest have consonance- like octaves

  • If they have dissonance or discord, they sound tense- like half steps

  • Even dissonance eventually is resolved

  • Dissonance and consonance are both necessary to create interesting music

  • Texture is the way the various sounds and melodic lines interact or blend together occurring together in music

  • The simplest texture is monophony, music that has it is monophonic (just one rhythm)

  • Homophonic texture is when a melody is combined with an understated harmony; tight and smooth texture

  • When 2+ melodies are simultaneous, it’s polyphonic; in polyphony, melodies are independent but equally important

  • Polyphonic texture is contrapuntal, from counterpoint, which is when 2+ melodies fit together

  • Imitative polyphony is when various simultaneous lines use the same or similar melodies (like a round!)

  • When melodies are different from each other, it’s nonimitative polyphony

  • Tonality is the homing instinct in melodies towards a certain pitch, the tonic of the music

  • The term for the different ways of centering or organizing the diatonic scale is modality

  • Different home pitches determine the modes of music

  • The major mode has music based on c to c (first note of scale to first note of scale)

  • The minor mode has music based on a to a (sixth note to sixth note)

  • Keys are the different positions for the modes (12 majors, 12 minors)

  • Major music sounds cheerful

  • Minor music is more subdued and clouded

  • Modulations are changes in key

NG

1.4 Harmony, Texture, Tonality, and Mode

Harmony, Texture, Tonality, and Mode

  • The sounding at the same time of different pitches is harmony

  • When a melody is accompanied, it’s harmonized

  • Chords are standard groupings of simultaneous pitches that work well in combination

  • Chords that sound at rest have consonance- like octaves

  • If they have dissonance or discord, they sound tense- like half steps

  • Even dissonance eventually is resolved

  • Dissonance and consonance are both necessary to create interesting music

  • Texture is the way the various sounds and melodic lines interact or blend together occurring together in music

  • The simplest texture is monophony, music that has it is monophonic (just one rhythm)

  • Homophonic texture is when a melody is combined with an understated harmony; tight and smooth texture

  • When 2+ melodies are simultaneous, it’s polyphonic; in polyphony, melodies are independent but equally important

  • Polyphonic texture is contrapuntal, from counterpoint, which is when 2+ melodies fit together

  • Imitative polyphony is when various simultaneous lines use the same or similar melodies (like a round!)

  • When melodies are different from each other, it’s nonimitative polyphony

  • Tonality is the homing instinct in melodies towards a certain pitch, the tonic of the music

  • The term for the different ways of centering or organizing the diatonic scale is modality

  • Different home pitches determine the modes of music

  • The major mode has music based on c to c (first note of scale to first note of scale)

  • The minor mode has music based on a to a (sixth note to sixth note)

  • Keys are the different positions for the modes (12 majors, 12 minors)

  • Major music sounds cheerful

  • Minor music is more subdued and clouded

  • Modulations are changes in key

robot