GOOD

AFTERNOON!
L E S S O N 2: HEAR M E OUT!
O F VOICES A N D
HARMONIES
 OBJ ECT IV ES
At the end of this lesson, the student is expected to:
Learn the concepts behind the music elements of melody, harmony,
and dynamics. both theoretically and in practical applications
Be able to listen attentively and critically to differences in pitches,
whether they rise, fall, or stay the same, or move in steps or leaps.
Afterwards, students are to plot a graph on the contour of pitches/
melodies heard

Recreate pitches and sing them using so-fa syllables, either

individually or as a group, to create certain simple harmonies and
Intervals
 OBJ ECT IV ES
At the end of this lesson, the student is expected to:
Determine phrases inside melodies, and discover how these are
related to other art areas such as literature and speech

Learn the different textures in music

Simulate different sounds representing different dynamics, from soft

to loud
 INTRODUCTIO
We shall begin our lesson with three basic
N
elements of music: melody, harmony, and
dynamics. We are not merely going to know their
definitions, but we will be experiencing and
applying each of these elements through
different activities. Our individual lives may be
likened to single melodies, both with its ups and
downs. These in turn, are also subject to
different dynamics, with its loud, busy parts and
almost silent relaxing times. How we interact
with other lives, conflicting or complementary,
 ABSTRACTIO
N
Great melodies create good memories
What is melody? The melody is an aspect of music which is
probably the first and foremost thing that we remember when
we listen to a song, or instrumental pieces. The melody leaves a
lasting impression in the minds of listeners. For example, when
we try to recreate a song, especially one that we hear on the
radio, we sing the most familiar part/s of it-where the melody is
"catchy" This is usually found in the chorus or refrain rather than
in the verses, though some songs may also have remarkable
melodies found in the verses. We usually sing, hum, or whistle to
a melody that appeals to us. We also can decide whether a
melody is good, mediocre, or plain trash. Why is it that we can
follow a melody? It is because of its very nature. It is because of
this nature that musicians usually refer to melody as a "line."
A melody is a group of pitches used in a
coherent pattern or succession. Thousands, if not
millions, of melodies have been composed all
throughout the word's music cultures, and it is
in these melodies that human sentiments have
been appealed to most directly. Each melody has
different characteristics. sol may be happy and
cheerful, others somber and melancholic, some
convict and bring our souls closer to God, while
others melodies can instill patriotism and spark
great acts of courage.
 What constitutes a
Let us now look closely. A melody is made up of pitches.
melody?
Some parts of a melody are high, while some are low. Some
may also be on the middle register.
A pitch is the quality of the highness or lowness of a sound.
Pitch is very important in music. If sound did not have the
quality of pitch, then we would have no distinct tunes or
melodies in our songs, for all would sound like a monotonous
drone. Take note that even noise has pitch! For example: the
barking of dogs, the drilling of jackhammers, or an alarm
clock going off all have pitches, but they are indefinite.
This is one reason why these sounds are not normally used
as musical
material. However, some instruments such as cymbals and
the tambourine have no definite pitch, which is why these do
 The distance
between two
pitches in music is
called an INTERVAL.
Intervals may be
small, as in steps,
or may be big, as
in leaps.
 HARMONY is that event in which two or
more pitches, or notes, sound
simultaneously, Of course, not all pitch
combinations may sound pleasing or
"harmonious" to the ears; hence, we have
the concept of consonance and
dissonance.
Roughly speaking, consonance is when
two or more notes are at rest or resolved
with each other; while dissonance is
 Dissonance may also be referred to as
discord.
A good example of discord is when
someone sings karaoke or videoke out
of tune. In the listening activity below,
we will hear various consonances and
dissonances. These will all depend on
the intervals used, and the combination
of chords or notes used. We will hear
Activity:LISTENING
Let us listen to sample music.
[Track #7: Consonant & Dissonant
Tones]

ANALYSIS:
Based on what we heard, which
sounds are consonant (sound
pleasing)? Which are dissonant
Chords: Major - major or major -
minor?
Now that we are familiar with the concept
of consonance and dissonance, let us talk
about chords.

A chord is a device in harmony where two

or three pitches are sounded together. Chords
are not chosen randomly, they are derived from
a scale. A scale is a set of pitches arranged in a
particular sequence, and may either run going
up (ascending) or going down (descending).
THE C M A J O R S C AL E
Chords, as notated in sheet music, from sergei
Rachimaninov’s Piano Prelude in C# minor.
Chords are notes stacked vertically on top of the other, and may
be made up of 3 or more notes
In Western music, scales use sol-fa syllables, which are
namely: do-re- mi-ta-so-la-ti-do.
Therefore, if we review our intervals:
do-do = unison (1-1) (same
note) do-re = second (1-2)
do-mi = third (1-
3) do-fa = fourth
(1-4) do-sol = fifth
(1-5) do-la = sixth
(1-6) do-ti =
seventh (1-7)
do-do = eighth, (1-8) or more
commonly called an octave.
Here, we can see that melody is the horizontal aspect of
 The triad is a type of chord which is
made up of three tones, stacked one on
top of the other. The triad is the most
common and basic type of chord
employed in the everyday music we
hear. Let us lock at two of the most
common types of triad used in music:
the major and the minor triad, or
simply the mayor and minor chords.
ACTIVITY: LISTENING
Let us listen to some sample chords and scales. [Track
#8: Major Chords & Scales] & Track #8:
Minor Chords & Scales).

ANALYSIS:
Listening to both Tracks 8 and 9, which type of triad
or chord sounds "happy"? Which chords sound
*sad"? Are you able to tell the difference between the
quality of a major and a minor chord? A major scale and
a minor scale?
ACTIVITY: LISTENING
Let us listen to some sample music. [Track #10:
Chord Combinations).
Sound waves and Sound weaves:
Texture
Texture in music refers to the various layers
of melodic lines and sounds happening
simultaneously in a composition. Monophony,
the most basic texture, is a single
unaccompanied melody. An example is when
someone sings a tune a cappella.
Polyphony is the type of texture when two
or more tunes/ melodies are played or sung
 The term contrapuntal, derived from the word
counterpoint (the organized study of composing and
combining melodies together), is sometimes used
interchangeably with polyphony. An example of
polyphonic music is the round song, "Row, row, row
your boat," sung imitatively in differing time intervals.
The last type of texture is homophony, wherein a
melody is accompanied and harmonized
simultaneously by chords. Here, the melody is of
primary interest while the accompanying chords are
subordinate to the melody. A lot of popular songs and
church hymns have this type of texture. You see,
music can be compared to textiles or clothing, they
 ACTIVITY: LISTENING

Let us listen to some sample music.

Track #11: Musical Texture Samples
Dynamics:From whispers to
explosions
When listening to music, do we prefer
hearing the music from a radio/stereo or do
we use headphones/earphones? Both
experiences are different, and I guess one can
hear more details when using earphones as
opposed to hearing music from a car stereo.
Do you love loud, upbeat music or do prefer
mellow, relaxing tunes?
In this section we shall look at dynamics, which is the
property of music that deals with its loudness or softness
(volume). In music, Italian terms are used to label variations
in the loudness or softness of a sound. These terms are
written on the score or piece -the physical written/printed
form of music
pianississimo (ppp) very very soft
pianissimo (pp) - very soft
piano (p) - soft
mezzo piano (mp) moderately soft
mezzo forte (mf) moderately
forte (f) loud
fortissimo (ff) loud
fortississimo (fff) very loud
crescendo gradually getting louder
(cresc.)

decresend gradually getting softer

(decresc) soft

subito (suddenly), as in:

subito forte suddenly loud
suddenly soft
subito piano
suddenly strong
sforzando
emphasis
(sfz)
 The abovementioned dynamic terms reveal
one thing common between human beings
and music: they both express feelings and
emotions. In a conversation, a person's tone
and volume of voice may get softer or
louder, more endearing or angry, depending
on the situation or feelings expressed.
The same is true for music, it is a
living, communicative art form.
THANK
YOU