Elements of Music

There are 8 common elements of music…

Rhythm or Duration  Duration refers to the length of each sound.  Some sounds or notes are long, some are short. Composers will also accent (or stress) certain parts of the rhythm to add flare.  Composers or songwriters use any combination of durations to achieve a good effect. This combination is what is called rhythm.  Rhythm can be described as:  regular or irregular; strong or weak; long or short;

Examples:  Chopin Etude: n7TL6g n7TL6g n7TL6g  Clapping Music: O0Anz0 O0Anz0 O0Anz0

Dynamics  Dynamics refers to the loudness and softness of the music.  The term volume is often used.  Music often changes volume gradually and goes from loud to soft or from soft to loud.

Examples:  Aretha Franklin: Qt3Kg0&feature=related Qt3Kg0&feature=related Qt3Kg0&feature=related  Bob Dylan: M0_6vA M0_6vA M0_6vA

Pitch  Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of notes in the music.  Most pieces of music use a mixture of high and low sounds, creating harmony.  Some instruments, for example the tuba, can play very low notes; smaller instruments, such as the piccolo, can play very high notes.

Pitch - Melody  Refers to a series of individual notes heard as a logical unit.  Melodies we remember in our heads to hum or sing are much more than a series of pitch levels – they also have a specific rhythmic shape.  More often than not, melodies should be designed to be easily sung or remembered. “Singable” melodies usually move by step, are made up of symmetrical phrases (musical ideas that fit together logically) and are easy to reproduce.

Examples:  “Yesterday” by the Beatles: stepwise melody DzxH3M&feature=related DzxH3M&feature=related DzxH3M&feature=related

Pitch – Harmony  Refers to the proper progression of chords – groups of notes usually used as accompaniment to a melody.  As listeners we have an intuitive sense of harmonic rules, if someone hits the wrong chord or note and it doesn’t fit, we know.  Consonance – the quality of chords that makes them sound restful or free of tension.  Dissonance – the non-restful quality of some chords that demands resolution.

Example:  Chopin – Harmony 6YZC45g&feature=iv&annotation_id=ann otation_ YZC45g&feature=iv&annotation_id=ann otation_ YZC45g&feature=iv&annotation_id=ann otation_323647

Tempo  Tempo refers the speed of the music, whether it is fast or slow.  Sometimes tempo is referred to as pace.  Composers and songwriters may use a moderate tempo (neither fast or slow), or even change its tempo part-way through the piece of music.

Example:  Jump – Van Halen B3iSM B3iSM B3iSM

Texture  Texture refers to how many layers or voices are in a piece.  Technical terms used are:  Polyphonic – when two or more melody lines are played at one time; this could be as simple as a canon or a round.  Homophonic – a single melody supported with chordal accompaniment  Monophonic – one single melody line  A composer may change the texture throughout the piece of music.

Examples:  Bach ocX0M ocX0M ocX0M

Timbre or Tone Colour  Every instrument has its own character or quality. This is based on several factors including the material that it is made of, the way the sound is produced, and how the sounds resonate.  For example: A metal instrument sounds different from a wooden one and hitting a drum sounds different from blowing into a recorder  To describe Timbre or Tone Colour one should describe the quality of the sound:  Reedy, Brassy, Clear, Breathy, Piercing, Harsh, Warm, Mellow, Dark or Bright, Heavy or Light, Flat, Rich, Brilliant

Example:  G-zNOk&ob=av3n

Structure  The overall form or organization of a piece of music.  Every piece is comprised of a pattern that holds it together in one solid form.  These patterns are easy to recognize and have evolved over time. For example, the verse/chorus pattern of most popular music.

Structure continued…  The verses are the words that the writer uses to give the story. It contains the details of the story, the events, images and emotions that the writer wishes to express.  The chorus is the part that everyone wants to sing along to – it is the memorable section. In this song, the verse and chorus alternate from one to the other, until the story progresses.  The bridge tends to be an instrumental section at the middle part of the song.  The hook is the instrumental bit at the beginning of a song. It gets you hooked and interested in the song. For example, AC/DC’s thunderstruck introduction.

More on structure…  When you figure out what sections your song has, to figure out the form you assign letters to each of the section. For example:  Ring of Fire ~ written by June Carter-Cash, performed by Johnny Cash  Hook (A)  Verse (B)  Chorus (C)  Hook (A)  Chorus (C)  Verse (B)  Chorus (C) So the form of this song is: ABCACBCC

Example:  “Penny Lane” AZztK4 AZztK4 AZztK4

Silence  Silence is as important as sound in music.  It gives us time to think and for echoes to die away.

Example:  “Animal” by Neon Trees g75Mlo g75Mlo g75Mlo

Style  We use the word style to describe the characteristic ways in which composers combine and present these basic elements.  The special way that the elements are treated, balanced, combined and presented brings us (as listeners) the distinctive “flavour” that each style carries.  They are clues or fingerprints that help us distinguish the differences between the styles of our favourite composers or song-writers.