UNIT 1 : MUSIC ELEMENTS

What is music?
The word ‘music’ comes from Greek musiké, which means the art of the muses and used
to include music, poetry and dance. There is not one final definition of music but many. It is the art
of combining sounds in time.

MUSIC ELEMENTS
They are the elements we use to construct music.
In order to enjoy music we need to learn to distinguish and value the different elements in a
composition: rhythm, dynamics and tempo; melody, harmony, texture and timbre. Also, the
musical form is the combination or interaction of these elements well and clearly arranged.

1. RHYTHM

It is any combination of sounds and silences - longer and shorter sounds, stronger and
weaker…-. Usually, rhythm has a regular pattern. The beat is the pulse of music. It is the basic
unit of time. We divide music into beats as we divide time in hours, minutes, etc.
Strong and weak beats are grouped into bars or measures. The first beat in a bar is usually the
strongest. The same combination of beats is repeated in successive bars or measures divided by
bar lines. Different time signatures represent different combinations of beats.
Time signatures are represented by fractions (numbers separated by a slash). There are simple
time signatures and compound time signatures. In simple time signatures the upper part is the
number of beats and the lower part is the note sign/value represented in each beat. They are read
as follows: ¾ ( “three-four” time) etc.
According to the beats we find binary, ternary and quaternary time signatures.
Sometimes there are ways to shift or break the rhythm pattern, for example with
syncopation or anacrusis. They produce a weak beat where a strong one is expected. (when
there is a tie or legato on the strong beat, or when the strong beat starts with a rest).
 Counterpoint is the name given when this is produced and in the strong beat or
pulse of a measure we find a rest.

2.MUSICAL EXPRESSION MARKINGS: TEMPO, DYNAMICS AND MOOD

Tempo: it is the speed or pace of a given piece. Until the invention of a mechanical device called
the metronome, the performance speed of a piece of music was indicated in other possible ways,
for example through the use of tempo marks or directions, most commonly given in Italian.
 ● Lento - very slow;
● Largo - very slow and ‘broad’;
● Adagio - slow;
● Andante - at walking speed;
● Moderatto - at moderate speed;
● Allegro - fast and lively;
● Vivace - lively. // Presto- Very lively.

We can also find modifiers such as: accelerando (accel.), ritardando (rit.) or a tempo (going back
to previous speed).

Dynamics: the dynamic markings indicate the intensity of a melody, the volume of a sound; the
loudness or softness of the sounds. We use different Italian terms and symbols (hairpins < >
gradual increase and gradual decrease in volume ) to describe the volume of the piece of music.
The 3 main Italian words used to describe dynamics are: piano, forte and mezzo.
 crescendo decrescendo
(cresc.) diminuendo (dim.) (decresc.)

Finally, another element that can be perceived in the music work is mood or character.

Mood: or character is the feeling that music transmits: happiness, sadness, melancholy, solemnity,
sweetness, and so on. Mood markings affect tempo and dynamics markings as well. These
general expression markings are simply adjectives or phrases that describe the overall mood or
temperament of a piece and they are usually indicated at the beginning of a musical piece,
together with the indications of tempo and musical movement. The majority of these markings are
usually in Italian, but they may appear in other languages.

Andante grazioso (slow and graceful); Menuetto (at the tempo of a minuet); Alla turca -
Allegretto (Turkish style - moderately fast). Explain the meaning of these MOOD words:

Allegro con brio Adagio cantabile Con fuoco Con moto Marziale
Giocoso Tristamente

3. MELODY
It is an organized succession of musical tones that expresses a musical idea. In order to create
MELODIES and in order to understand harmony and tonality we need to understand what scales
are.

SCALE:A scale is a set of musical notes ordered by pitch

MAJOR SCALES:
Semitones are placed between the degrees III-IV / VII-VIII.
 The MODEL SCALE is DO MAJOR/ C MAJOR

MINOR SCALES:
Semitones are placed between the degrees II-III / V-VI.
The MODEL SCALE is LA MINOR/ A MINOR

These scales are NATURAL, but the rest of the scales need accidentals to reproduce the
same structure of tones and semitones:

For example Major Re/ or Major D

A. Distance between the notes (Intervals)

The major scale is made up of the 'interval'

sequence tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone.

Definition: It is the distance between two notes.

Types of intervals:
- Melodic intervals or harmonic intervals
- Distance: all intervals are relative to the key-note.Between two identical
 notes, with no distance, it is called the unison.

- Steps (together) or skips (leaps). (unison or repeat, no interval)

- They can be ASCENDING or DESCENDING according to their direction.
- Intervals beyond the octave are called COMPOUND INTERVALS. Smaller
than 8th are SIMPLE.

B. Accidentals
They are signs which modify the pitch of musical notes. The sign is placed in front of the note. The
pitch of a note changes by a semitone with these signs, sharps or flats; in the former case
sharpening, increasing or raising the pitch by a semitone and in the latter case flattening, reducing
or lowering the pitch by a semitone.

Equivalents in English:
notation English

sharp

natural,
natural sign

flat

They can operate in two ways:

a) Accidentals, affecting the notes they go together with and the next in the same
measure/bar

f sharp b flat f natural b natural

 b) As part of the key signature, they affect all the notes in the musical piece

C. Register
In music, the register or the range, or chromatic range, of a musical instrument is the distance
from the lowest to the highest pitch it can play. For a singing voice, the equivalent is vocal
range.

D. Range
The range of a musical part is the distance between its lowest and highest note. When a piece
of music has a wide range, there is a great distance between the highest and lowest pitches
heard. Conversely, when a piece of music has a narrow range the distance between the
highest and lowest pitches is relatively small.
 E. Contour or melodic motion
The melodic motion describes the movement of the pitches in a melody. It applies to how musical
notes move to one another. There are four main types of melodic motions: ascending, descending,
undulating, and arch.
- Tooth/ Zigzag.
- Undulating.
- Ascending.
- Descending.
- Stationary/Sustained/Static (linear with repetition of the same note)
1.- STATIONARY/SUSTAINED/STATIC:
This is a melody contour in which sounds do not separate too much from one another. Rap/
Hip-hop is an example of it.

2.- ZIGZAG/ TOOTH:

Son melodías con grandes distancias entre notas.

3.- UNDULATING:
Sounds go up and down drawing some kind of wave. These types are the most commonly
used in the songs we hear.

ARCH:

Similar to undulating melodies but more exaggerated, designing an arch. They are a type in
this group.
 4.- ASCENDING/DESCENDING:

If the melody moves from low to high pitch is ASCENDING whereas if it moves from high to
low is DESCENDING.

First pentagram/staff is ascending, the second being descending.

F. Melismatic / Syllabic Melody

Syllabic music has one note per syllable. Melismatic music has multiple notes per syllable. As a
general rule, syllabic music is easier to sing than melismatic music. For the most part syllabic
music is easier to remember than melismatic music

Write what type of melodies we can find here: syllabic or melismatic.

Melody: _________________________________

Melody: _________________________________
4. HARMONY
Harmony is the study of sounds or pitches when they sound simultaneously. That is, for harmony
to exist, we need more than one note sounding at once.
CHORDS are essential in the construction or designing of harmony.
DEFINITION: A chord is a group of three or more notes stacked up on top of each other,
played together. Chords create a musical mood by the interactions of the intervals within them.
TRIAD: most classical and popular music uses three-note chords with a 3rd interval between
them, typically consisting of a single starting note called root note, a third, and a fifth. The first
note (lowest pitch) gives the name to the chord and forms a 3rd interval with the next and a 5th with
the one above.
Harmony can sound CONSONANT, meaning the pitches sound pleasant together, they blend
harmoniously together, or DISSONANT, meaning the pitches sound unpleasant or disturbing
together. Composers write music with both in mind to help paint a mood and tell a story through
music.

Example of the fundamental chord of Do Major/C Major:

Triad chords in Do Major/C Major

We need to be familiar with the concept of DEGREE: It is the position of a particular note on
the scale relative to the tonic (the first and main note on the scale from which it begins)

Each degree in the scale has a name but the most important degrees of a scale have an
essential role in the harmony of a music composition and they are: TONIC (I) (it gives the name to
the scale), DOMINANT (V) (it is the central note in the ascending scale), SUBDOMINANT (IV) (it
is the centre in the descending scale).

https://splice.com/blog/an-introduction-to-harmony/
https://muted.io/chord-progressions/
We will see two types of chords according to their representation:
Fundamental triads (Acordes placados, in Spanish) and Arpeggios (Acorde arpegiado in
Spanish), also known as “broken chord”. The main difference between chords and arpeggios is
that chords are played by striking multiple notes simultaneously, while arpeggios are the individual
notes of a chord played in a sequence.

https://www.musicca.com/piano

COMPARISON BETWEEN MELODY AND HARMONY

Harmony contributes to music composition and serves as a base for the melody.
5. TEXTURE

The pattern of sound created by the interaction of different musical voices or lines. - Harvard
Dictionary of Music

Texture is the way of organizing the different melodies in a musical piece, performed by
instruments and/or voices.There exist basically TWO types:

1. MONODY OR MONOPHONY (MONOPHONIC TEXTURE): a single line of music occurring at a

given time. This may be a SOLO (single performer) or performed in UNISON (multiple performers
on the same line of music). Different instruments and voices can perform in monophony even if
they are performing the lines in different octaves - think about a group all singing “Happy Birthday”
together on the same note at the same time.
2. POLYPHONY (POLYPHONIC TEXTURE): Different melodies can be heard at the same time.
There are three basic types of polyphonic textures:

1.2.)Melody-accompaniment texture: This texture is characterized by a clear melody that

is distinct from other supporting voices, which are called an accompaniment. Often the
melody will have a different and more interesting rhythm from the supporting voice(s).

2.2. Counterpoint Texture:

Two or more equally important and harmonious melodies, musical lines or voices
moving independently from one another at some points.

2.3. Homophony or homophonic texture:

Homophony is a musical texture in which a main melodic line is supported by one or

more additional similar musical lines that add harmonic support. All the voices with
different pitches follow the same rhythmic pattern.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Lmj3fThMU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISBu6GJs6kc

6. TIMBRE or TONE COLOUR

Timbre is the element that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and
musical instruments.

1. AEROPHONES:
WOODWIND: Recorder, flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn (Corno inglés), bassoon
(fagot),saxophone, bagpipe
BRASS: Trumpet, trombone, French horn (trompa), tuba
MIXED WOODWIND: Organ (wind and keyboard), accordion

2. CHORDOPHONES:
-PLUCKED STRINGS: Spanish/Acoustic guitar, harp, harpsichord,
- BOWED STRINGS (RUBBED WITH A BOW): violin, viola, cello, double bass
- STRUCK (HAMMERED) STRINGS: piano

3. MEMBRANOPHONES:
Timpani (timbal, timbales)
Drums (different types), drum set/kit (batería), snare (caja)

4. IDIOPHONES
Tubular bells
Marimba
Little percussion instruments: These instruments can be played by strucking them, shaking them
or scraping them:
STRUCK INSTRUMENTS: Triangle, Chinese box, finger cymbals, sticks, cymbals, castanets,
sleigh bells…
SHAKEN INSTRUMENTS: Bells, maracas, rain stick, rattles…
SCRAPED INSTRUMENTS: Ratchet (matraca/carraca), guiro.
5. ELECTROPHONES: is any of a class of musical instruments (such as a synthesizer or
electric organ) whose sound is generated electronically.
Electric guitar / Electric bass - Synthesizer

THE HUMAN VOICE

SINGING VOICES CLASSIFICATION:

ADULT VOICES

MALE VOICES:
- HIGH: TENOR
- MEDIUM: BARITONE
- LOW: BASS
● COUNTERTENOR: male voice with a special technique and ability to reach female
voices pitches.
FEMALE VOICES:
- HIGH: SOPRANO
- MEDIUM: MEZZOSOPRANO
- LOW: ALTO
CHILDREN’S VOICES OR WHITE VOICES
- HIGH: SOPRANO OR TREBLE (BOY SOPRANOS OR GIRL SOPRANOS)
- MEDIUM: MEZZOSOPRANO
- LOW: ALTO

7. MUSICAL FORM

It’s the shape or the structure of a musical composition. We can find patterns and repetition
between the different sections of a music piece. Each section receives a new letter name: A, B, C,
D, etc. When the same music shows up again, it gets the same name as before: A, B, C, D, A …
To create the form composers use different techniques like repetition, contrast or variation.

SOME COMMON FORM TYPES

Strophic: A A A A A A (most folk music) (“Deck the Halls”)

Binary: A B

Ternary: A B A

Song Form: A B A B (most pop music - verse, chorus)

Rondo: A B A C A D A

Sonata: Exposition – Development - Recapitulation

FORMS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgaRxLIkeEU
https://artlejandra2.wixsite.com/theory/1-6

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

https://juliajooya.com/2020/10/11/what-are-the-8-elements-of-music/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Mo-bkl4ko

https://www.twinkl.com.au/teaching-wiki/elements-of-music

https://quizlet.com/542810937/flashcards

https://www.soundpiper.com/
https://www.soundpiper.com/activities2.html
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/elements-musical-sound-a-fayez-jammal