the elements of music
DESCRIPTION
The Elements of Music. Basic Terms to Understand as a Song Leader. Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color. Pitch - The high or low quality of sound Dynamics - The loud or soft quality of music Tone color - Also known as timbre , refers to the unique quality of sound. Dynamics. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Elements of Music
Basic Terms to Understand as a
Song Leader
Sound: Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color Pitch - The high or low quality of sound Dynamics - The loud or soft quality of
music Tone color - Also known as timbre,
refers to the unique quality of sound
Dynamics
Forte --f,ff,fff-loud Piano --p,pp,ppp-very soft Mezzo ---mf,mp--medium Crescendo --gradually louder Decrescendo,diminuendo --gradually
softer
Voices
Women’s Voices– Soprano or 1st
Soprano– Mezzo-soprano– Alto
Men’s Voices– Falsetto– Tenor– Baritone– Bass
RhythmThe flow of music through time; the pattern of
durations of notes and silences in music
Beat - the pulse of music Meter - the grouping of beats Tempo - the speed of the beat Accent - a pitch that is played more
loudly, held longer or is higher in pitch than the nearby notes
Syncopation - When an accented note comes where we would normally not expect it
Tempo Markings Molto-much
Moto-Ritard means slow down exceedingly Troppo - too much (fast or slow) Poco – Literally “little by little” Accelerando - gradually faster Ritardando - gradually slower A Tempo – Return to original tempo after
Ritard Rubato – means “Robbed”. A lingering on
some notes and hurrying of others; free from strict tempo.
Tempo Terms Grave, Very Slow Largo, Lento – Slow Larghetto, A little faster than Largo Adiago, Moderately Slow Andante, “Walking” Tempo Andantino, A little faster than Andante Allegretto, A little slower than Allegro Allegro, Fast Vivace, Lively Presto, Very Fast Prestissimo, Very Very Fast Moderato, Moderate(ly) Accel, Accelerando, Gradually becoming faster Rit., Ritardando, Gradually becoming slower
Music Notation
Notating pitch– Staff: the five lines and four spaces on
which music is written– Note: an oval which represents a specific
pitch– Clef: placed at the beginning of the staff,
the clef assigns pitch names to the lines and spaces
Music Notation
Notating Rhythm– Durations: the color of the note and the
presence of stems or flags and beams and dots affect the duration of a note
– Rests: symbols for pauses with specific durations
Music Notation
Notating meter– Time signature: placed next to the clef,
the top number of the time signature indicates the grouping of beats and the bottom number indicates what kind of note will receive one beat.
MelodyA succession of pitches which add up to a recognizable whole
Intervals: the distance between two pitches
Sequence: the repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch
Harmonythe vertical aspect of music
Chord: a combination of three or more notes sounded simultaneously
Consonance: harmony that is stable and restful to the ear
Dissonance: tense and unstable harmony that demands onward motion to stable harmony (resolution or resolve) voice - Intonation
Key - Tonalitythe homing instinct of music
Major scale: a succession of eight pitches arranged from low to high, based on the intervals of the white keys of a piano
Minor scale: a succession of eight pitches arranged from low to high, based on a specific pattern of whole and half steps which results in a dark quality of melody and harmony
Key-Tonality
Chromatic scale: a series of 12 pitches based on the black and white keys of the piano
Modulation: the shifting from one key to another
Texturelayers of sound
Monophonic: a single unaccompanied melody line
Polyphonic: two or more independent melody lines happening simultaneously
Homophonic: melody plus accompaniment