Elements of Music: RHYTHM

• DURATION is how long a sound (or silence) lasts.

NOTES
AND
RESTS
 Elements of Music: RHYTHM
• TEMPO is the speed of the beat. Beats are steady recurring pulse.
(Note: Tempo indications are often designated by Italian terms)
 Elements of Music: RHYTHM
• METER can be seen or felt through the standard pattern used by
conductors
 Elements of Music: RHYTHM
• OTHER TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO RHYTHM
• Syncopation: an irregular beat or “off-the-beat” accent
(between the counted numbers)
• Ritardando: gradually slowing down the tempo
• Accelerando: gradually speeding up the tempo
• Rubato: referring to expressive and rhythmic freedom by a
slight speeding up and then slowing down of the tempo of
a piece at the discretion of the soloist or the conductor.
 Elements of Music: MELODY
• MELODY is the upward, downward or the steady
movements of the notes.
• Melodies can be derived from various scales (families of
pitches). PITCH describes the highness and lowness of
a musical sound.
• Melodies can be described as:
• CONJUNCT (smooth; easy to sing or play)
• DISJUNCT (disjointedly ragged or jumpy; difficult to sing or
play).
Elements of Music: MELODY

DO RE MI FA SOL LA TI DO
 Elements of Music: MELODY
• MAJOR SCALE: whole whole half whole whole whole
half
• MINOR SCALE: natural, melodic, harmonic
• PENTATONIC SCALE: do re mi sol la
• CHROMATIC SCALE: consisting entirely of half step
• TONALITY: arrangement of pitches or chord in a
musical work
• Tonal - with keycenter
• Atonal - no keycenter
 Elements of Music: TEXTURE
• TEXTURE refers to the number of individual musical lines (melodies)
and the relationship these lines have to one another.
 Elements of Music: TEXTURE
• TEXTURE refers to the number of individual musical lines (melodies)
and the relationship these lines have to one another.
 Elements of Music: TEXTURE
• TEXTURE refers to the number of individual musical lines (melodies)
and the relationship these lines have to one another.
 Elements of Music: HARMONY
• HARMONY is how the notes blend together.
• Chord is defined as several notes played simultaneously as a “block”.
• Chord Progression are chords that is usually arranged into sentence-
like pattern.
 Elements of Music: HARMONY

• OTHER TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO HARMONY

• Dissonance is a harsh-sounding harmonic combination
• Consonance is a smooth-sounding harmonic combination
• Ostinato phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in
the same pitch
• EXAMPLE
 Elements of Music: HARMONY

• OTHER TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO HARMONY

• Descant is an independent treble melody usually sung or played above a basic
melody.
 Elements of Music: FORM
• FORM is the order of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic events (on the
text) in a piece.
 Elements of Music: FORM
• FORM is the order of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic events (on the
text) in a piece.
 Elements of Music: FORM
• OTHER TERMINOLOGIES RELATED TO FORM
• Canon is a one or more additional independent parts that do not
imitate the melody.
• Example: Row, row, row your boat and Ten Little Indians
• Rounds is a repeating canons in which all voices are musically
identical
• Partner Song are two or more totally independent songs that by
chance happen to have the same harmonic structure and
therefore can be sung together at the same time.
• Example: Alphabet Song and Twinkle Twinkle
• Call and Response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually
written in different parts of the music, where the second phrase is
heard as a direct commentary on or in response to the first
• Call and Response Song

Elements of Music: FORM

 Elements of Music: TIMBRE
• TIMBRE is also called TONE COLOR, a distinctive
tone quality of a sound

• If you play a "C" on the piano and then sing that "C", you and
the piano have obviously produced the same pitch; however,
your voice has a different sound quality than the piano.
• The upper register (portion of the range or compass) of a
clarinet produces tones that are brilliant and piercing, while
its lower register gives a rich and dark timbre.
 Elements of Music: TIMBRE
• Classification of Musical Instruments by
Hornbostel-Sachs
• Five Categories:
• Idiophone are musical instruments in which a vibrating
solid material is used to produce sound. Examples of solid
materials used in such instruments are stone, wood, and
metal
• Chordophone produce sound by means of a stretched
vibrating string. When a string vibrates, the resonator
picks up that vibration and amplifies it giving it a more
appealing sound.
• Aerophone produce sound by vibrating a column of air.
These are commonly known as wind instruments
 Elements of Music: TIMBRE
• Classification of Musical Instruments by
Hornbostel-Sachs
• Five Categories:
• Membranophone are musical instruments that use
vibrating stretched membranes or skin to produce sound.
• Electrophone are musical instruments that produce
sound electronically or produce its initial sound
traditionally and then are electronically amplified. Some
examples of instruments that produce sound electronically
are electronic organs, theremins, and synthesizers.
Elements of Music: TIMBRE
Elements of Music: TIMBRE
 Elements of Music: DYNAMICS
• DYNAMICS is the relative softness or loudness of music
 Elements of Music: DYNAMICS

• DYNAMICS is the relative softness or loudness of music