1. ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
*PITCH*RHYTHM*MELODY*TIMBRE*
DYNAMICS*TEXTURE

2. PITCH
• register (high or low); Organization of pitches
with a pattern of intervals between them
creates scales; Words we might use to
describe scales:
major/minor, chromatic, gapped, pentatonic.

3. RHYTHM
• the time element of music. A specific rhythm
is a specific pattern in time; we usually hear
these in relation to a steady pulse, and
mentally organize this pulse
or tempo into meter(sometimes called a
"time signature"). Meter organizes beats into
groups, usually of two or three; beats can be
divided into small units usually 2, 3 or 4
subdivisions

4. MELODY
• or musical line, is a combination of pitch and rhythm
(some say "duration"). Sometimes a melody is
considered to be the theme of a composition. We
might characterize melody by itscontour (rising or
falling) and the size of the intervals in it. A melody that
uses mostly small intervals (or scale steps) and is
smooth is said to be a conjunct melody. Not
surprisingly, a melody that uses large intervals is called
a disjunct melody. A motif (or motive) is either a very
short melody or a distinctive part of a longer melody. I
might describe the opening four notes of Beethoven's
Fifth Symphony as a "motific cell."

5. TIMBRE
• sound quality or tone color; timbre is the characteristic that
allows us to distinguish between one instrument and
another, and the difference between vowel sounds (for
example, long "a" or "ee"). Terms we might use to describe
timbre: bright, dark, brassy, reedy, harsh, noisy, thin, buzzy,
pure, raspy, shrill, mellow, strained. I prefer to avoid
describing timbre in emotional terms (excited, angry,
happy, sad, etc.); that is not the sound quality, it is its effect
or interpretation. Rather than describe the timbre of an
instrument in other terms, it is often more clear just to
describe the timbre by naming the instrument, once we
have learned the names and sounds of a few instruments.
•

6. DYNAMICS
• loud or soft. A composition that has
extremely soft passages as well as extremely
loud passages is said to have a large or
wide dynamic range. Dynamics can change
suddenly or gradually (crescendo, getting
louder, or decrescendo, getting softer.)

7. TEXTURE
• monophonic (one voice or line),
• polyphonic (many voices, usually similar, as in
Renaissance or Baroque counterpoint),
• homophonic (1. a melody with simple
accompaniment; 2. chords moving in the same
rhythm (homorhythmic))
• heterophony – “mixed” or multiple similar versions of a
melody performed simultaneously (rare in European
music; possibly used in Ancient Greece)
• collage – juxtaposition & superimposition of extremely
different textures or sounds
•