Chapter 8

Music
Chapter 8
Music
“Music has a power of forming the character
and should therefore be introduced into the
education of the young.”

Aristotle

At the end of the Chapter, the students should be able to:

1. recognize the origin and importance of Music;

2. appreciate the role of music in our lives;
3. discuss the essentials in song writing;
4. demonstrate understanding of the different music genres;
5. demonstrate understanding of the classification of musical instruments; and
6. display an ability to do song composition.

the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world.”

Input

The Origin and Importance of Music

T
he word “music” is from the Greek word mousike, which means “Art of the Muses.” It
is the art of arranging tones in an orderly way to produce a unified and continuous
composition. The common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and
harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation)
dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture.
To many people of different cultures, music is an integral part of their way of life. It is an art
that puts sounds together in a way that people like. Most music includes people singing with
their voices or playing a musical instrument, such as drums, piano, guitar, and others.
 When music is written on a staff, the pitches (tones) and their duration are represented by
symbols known as notes. These symbols are put on the lines and in the spaces between the lines.
Each position says which tone must be played. The higher the note is in the staff, the higher the
pitch of the tone. The lower the notes are, the lower the pitch of the tone.

Music can also be written, naming them as in the

solfa “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si/Ti, Do.” The next
table shows how each note is represented in the
Standard Notation or chords. This notation was
made to make the lecture on music notes simple and
easy to read.

What is the Role of Music in Our Lives?

Art and music are fundamental human functions
and essential parts of human life. Without music, our life is a lost, unsure, and probably
incapable of venting our emotions (Galindo, 2003). Based on studies, music can be a right way
of helping our imagination goes to new heights. It touches our soul and enables us to express
different moods and emotions. It inspires people and allows us to get in touch with our feelings
in a way that is unique. It allows our body and mind to make a break from the monotony of life.
Likewise, music can kindle the mind. It can inspire ordinary human feelings and bridges gaps
between cultures. It touches our emotional being and shows emotions that are sometimes
difficult to articulate. It can be our day happy or excited.
The Elements of Music

Music is highly useful art that originates in nature and has been taken up by humanity as a
way of expression. It has the power to influence emotional and psychological aspects of
behavior. It has major elements, namely:
1. Harmony (From the Greek harmonia, meaning “joint or agreement”) - It refers to the
verticalization of pitch. It is often thought as the art of combining pitches into chords.
These chords are usually arranged into sentence-like patterns called chord progressions.
2. Key- It is known as tonality, a principle in music composition wherein at the end of the
piece there is a feeling of completion by going back to the tonic.
3. Melody (From a Greek meloidia, which means “singing” or “chanting”)- It refers to the
tune of a song or piece of music.
4. Pitch- It refers to the perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a
frequency-related scale either relative lowness or highness.
5. Rhythm- It comes from a Greek word rhythmos, which means “any regular recurring
motion.” It is the pattern of the sound in time and beats in music.
6. Tempo- It regards to the speed (slow or fast) of a given piece of music.
7. Texture- It refers to how the harmonic materials are combined in a composition. It could
be monophonic (single melodic line), polyphonic (two or more melodic lines) and
homophonic (the main melody accompanied by chords).
 8. Timbre- It refers to the quality of the sound (tone) that distinguishes one voice or
instrument from another.

The Essentials in Song writing

The song is a composition for a voice or voices, performed by singing. Musical instruments
may accompany a song, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of the cappella songs. It may
be for a solo singer, a duet, trio, or larger ensemble involving more voices. Songs with more than
one voice to a part are considered choral works. Most song writing techniques are about what
you should do to succeed. Below are the common essentials in song writing (Kamien, 1997).
Arrangement. Arrangement in music is considered as a reconceptualization of a previously
composed work. It includes the order in which the sections of music are placed (such as, intro-
verse-chorus-verse-chorus), and the organization of the instrumentation, vocals or other parts of
music that make up the song.
Beat and Rhythm. The beat is the speed (tempo) of the song that drives the listener to feel
either fast or slow. On the other hand, the rhythm is the beat that the various instruments such as
bass, drum, and guitar have produced.
Chords (chord progression). It refers to any harmonic set of pitches used to accompany the
melody of the song. It is formed when multiple pitches (notes on a musical instrument) are
placed together on staff (a sheet of music). It comes in different varieties, which includes the
augmented chords, major chords, minor chords, diminished chords, seventh chords, and
Neapolitan chords.
Concept (story). All songs have a storyline or concept. Typically, the song title will convey
the essence of that story idea and the words (lyric) will expound upon that idea.
Genre and Style. The genre of the song such as pop, rock, or country is established by the
beat and rhythm of the song. The quality of the song branches out from the genre, such as
alternative, hip-hop, punk rock, or alternative type of music.
Length. The length of a song is always considered, depending on its use. They can be
shorter or longer, but this is the typical length of today’s musical arrangement.
Lyrics. This term comes from the Greek word lyrikos, which means “singing to the lyre.” It
describes a concept of a theme which rhymes in the sections of music.
Melody. Melody is the harmony of the song that you play or sing. It is the main line of
music you’re making and the basis of the song.
Song Sections. Songs are divided up into sections or components such as intro, verse,
chorus, bridge, lead breaks, etc.

The Different Music Genres

 Being involved in a musical event with music-minded people who enjoy the same sort of
songs and sounds can be a good experience. Genres can sometimes be a good-natured way to
work with other people and to introduce new fans to the music you are producing.
Music is a form of art and an organized sound. It voices our emotions harmoniously and
pleasantly. Different genres of music help in soothing one’s disturbed soul in the growth of
concentration and cheer us to live our life joyfully. Some types of music are as follows:
Classical Music. Classical music is a sophisticated form of composition as it requires skills
like learning the ability to coordinate with others musicians.
Folk Music. This type of music reflects the emotions of common people. Cultural and
popular music are the two sub-genres of folk music.
Funk.This music became known in the late 1960s. Funk made rhythm the most important
element while de-emphasizing melody.
Hip-hop Music. Hip-hop music always includes the use of an instrument such as bass,
drums, guitar, piano, violin, and fiddle. In this type of music, the bass is the main instrument.
This can be used in different intensities to emote feelings of anger or pride.
Jazz. Complex and strong beats feature this type of music. The main instruments used for
this type of music are a cornet, trumpet, or violin.
Meta Music. This is a type of music wherein the melody is influenced by the structure of the
songs (known as “information music”).
Opera Music. This genre has a fantastic combination of theatrical art and musical invention
and is played explicitly in big audiences.
Rock Music. This music genre requires the vocals to be accompanied by bass, drums, and
guitar. Sometimes, piano, synthesizer, saxophone, flute, mandolin, and sitar are also in this
genre for a more profound impact. This type of music has several sub-genres, such as hard rock,
metal rock, and progressive rock.
Techno Music. This genre is also known as fusion type of music. This is a form of electronic
dance-music based on African-American music styles like electro jazz and funk.
Trance Music. This type of music is usually performed in clubhouses. This is characterized
by fast tempo and repetitious beats.

Classification of Musical Instruments

A Musical instrument is a tool adapted or created in making musical sounds. It was primarily
designed to emulate natural sounds for ritual purposes. Their vocal range often classifies it in
comparison with other instruments such as the following:

a. Alto Instruments
 1. Alto Saxophone- It is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented
in 1841 by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument designer. It is a type of device mostly used in
classical compositions.
2. French Horn- It is a brass instrument made about 12-13 feet of tubing wrapped into a coil
with a flared bell.
3. English Horn (also known as coranglais) - It is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the
oboe family.
4. Viola- It is the middle voice of the violin family and between the violin and the cello. It is a
bowed string instrument.
b. Bass Instruments
1. Double Bass- It is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern
symphony orchestra.
2. Bass Guitar- It is a stringed instrument with a longer neck and scale length, with four to
eight strings. It is played mainly with the fingers or thumb, by picking, plucking, slapping,
popping, tapping, or thumping.
3. Bass Saxophone-It is one of the largest members of the saxophone family of low range,
usually supported on a stand while being played.
4. Tuba- It is the largest and deep-pitched brass instrument. The Sound is produced by
vibrating the lips into a sizeable cup-shaped mouthpiece.
c. Baritone Instruments
1. Bassoon- It is, a woodwind instrument in the double reed family. It is played by pressing
the reed between the lips and blow to sound the instrument.
2. Baritone Saxophone- It is one of largest members of the saxophone family and is the
lowest-pitched saxophone.
3. Bass Clarinet- It is regularly performed in symphony orchestras, wind ensembles,
occasionally in marching bands, and plays an occasional solo role in contemporary music.
4. Cello (viooncello)- It is a bowed, and sometimes plucked string instrument. It has a hollow
wooden body with two sound holes, and four strings were running along the body and neck.
5. Baritone Horn-It is a wind instrument that consists of a brass tube (usually of variable
length) that is blown using a cup-shaped or pipe-shaped mouthpiece.
d. Soprano Instruments
1. Flute- It is a wind instrument that produces sound through the flow of air from the hole that
has an elaborate set of keys.
2. Violin- It is a small string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths.
 3. Soprano Saxophone- It is a woodwind instrument used as a solo and chamber instrument in
classical music or a concert band or orchestra.
4. Trumpet- It is the musical instrument which is usually played by blowing air through closed
lips in producing a buzzing sound.
5. Clarinet- It is a type of woodwind instrument that has a straight cylindrical tube with a
flaring bell and a single-reed mouthpiece.
6. Oboe- It is a woodwind instrument with a double-reed mouthpiece, a slender tubular body,
and holes stopped by keys.
7. Piccolo- It is the high-pitched woodwind instrument used in orchestras and military bands
e. Tenor Instruments
1. Trombone- It is a musical instrument in which the sound is produced when the player’s
vibrating lips trigger the air column inside the device to vibrate.
2. Tenor Saxophone- It is a medium-sized woodwind instrument that is very prominent in jazz
groups and is one of the essential voices of a concert or marching band.
3. Guitar- It is a stringed musical instrument with a fretted fingerboard, typically incurved
sides, and have six or twelve strings, played by plucking or strumming.