USE OF CONCEPTS In 1945-1987:

PITCH
Use of major & minor tonality Use of dissonance, unresolved harmonies, contrapuntal lines and improvisation. Manipulated chords & patterns with suspended fourths, seventh chords and use of two separate chords for a single syllable or word. Less domination of primary chords- tonic, dominant and subdominant. An absence of definite pitch and key signature began to become a commonality in the 1980s. There was a great use of repeated melodic motifs, used for verses and choruses within rock, jazz and popular music.

DURATION
Greater use of syncopated rhythms, irregular accentuation, polyrhythms and multimeters. Bold contrasts in time signature were common, such as the changing between simple and compound time. Greater use of irregular phrases with irregularity between stressed and unstressed syllables.

DYNAMICS & EXPRESSIVE TECHNIQUES Dynamics were expected to be played to greater extents with the writing of ppp, fff and the
addition of molto (much), before indications.

Composers used high amounts of instrumental experimentation and began to write higher
amounts technical instruction within their works to achieve the timbre and texture they desired.

Amplification, synthesis of sounds was common, especially within popular music.

New vocal techniques emerged, like scatting in jazz. Technology, electrical amplification and synthesis all created new tone colours within rock and popular music. Use of new techniques and everyday conventional sounds within compositions created new tones. For example, John Cages prepared piano. The synthesiser and electric guitar were commonly used and orchestras were only utilised for theatre and film music.

TIMBRE

TEXTURE Music continued to became less homophonic and more polyphonic and monophonic. There was greater transparency within pieces and monophonic solos were common,
especially within jazz.

Sounds were less dense with use of small ensembles, rather than large orchestras and choirs.

STRUCTURE
There was the abandonment of binary and ternary forms, with a common use of a modified strophic structure. The most common structure of pieces was the use of a verse/chorus alternation. The same material was often used for each verse and then each chorus, with only small variations to create interest, such as a solo, or developed bridge.