Elements of Music: Difference between revisions
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Created page with "Music is a field (like most specialized fields) with its own vocabulary. Below are some definitions of musical terms, and then a general overview of some more rock-specific words. Most of these definitions are taken and summarized from the free to use [http://music.sbcc.edu/mus/mus110/reader/Mus110_Reader_Watson_Current.pdf Music 110 Reader] that is used for our department's Music 110 classes. 1) '''Sound''' - What we perceive as '''sound''' are vibrations (sound waves..." |
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* '''Contour''' - the shape of a melody. Does is slowly rise and fall - a smooth or '''conjunct''' contour? Or does it jump all over the place, like an overactive stock on a heavy trading day? That would be a '''disjunct''' contour. Conjunct is a lot easier to sing, and usually is easier to hear and recognize, whereas a disjunct melody can be a bit more difficult to hear and recognize, and definitely much harder to sing (or play). | * '''Contour''' - the shape of a melody. Does is slowly rise and fall - a smooth or '''conjunct''' contour? Or does it jump all over the place, like an overactive stock on a heavy trading day? That would be a '''disjunct''' contour. Conjunct is a lot easier to sing, and usually is easier to hear and recognize, whereas a disjunct melody can be a bit more difficult to hear and recognize, and definitely much harder to sing (or play). | ||
* '''Ascending''' or '''descending''' - if a melody | * '''Ascending''' or '''descending''' - if a melody rises in pitch overall, we call it ascending. If it lowers in pitch, we call it a descending melody. | ||
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Revision as of 12:18, 11 September 2024
Music is a field (like most specialized fields) with its own vocabulary. Below are some definitions of musical terms, and then a general overview of some more rock-specific words.
Most of these definitions are taken and summarized from the free to use Music 110 Reader that is used for our department's Music 110 classes.
1) Sound - What we perceive as sound are vibrations (sound waves) traveling through a medium (usually air) that are captured by the ear and converted into electrochemical signals that are sent to the brain to be processed. Musical sounds have the following characteristics: pitch, dynamics, timbre (tone color), and duration.
- Pitch - the perceived highness or lowness of a sound.
- Dynamic - the perceived loudness or quietness of a sound.
- Timbre - pronounced like "Tam-ber". NOT "tim-bray". "TAM-BER". This relates to the type of sound. For instance, a clean guitar has a certain 'clean' timbre, while a distorted guitar has a different 'edgy' or 'crunchy' timbre. Or a voice can have a a smooth and gentle timbre, or a raucous and gravelly timbre. This characteristic of sound can be considered separately from pitch and dynamics, but sometimes a change in timbre is an unintended consequence of the technique used to achieve a certain pitch or dynamic. For instance, a singer trying to hit a high note might use a lot more air support, and in doing so, will sing louder and, with untrained technique, the voice will also respond by getting a little edgier. Professional opera singers (and other professional singers) spend many many years training to keep their vocal tone quality an independent variable, not dependent upon the pitch or dynamic that is called for.
- Duration - How long or short the musical sound is.
2) Melody - a succession of pitches in some sort of rhythm.
- Contour - the shape of a melody. Does is slowly rise and fall - a smooth or conjunct contour? Or does it jump all over the place, like an overactive stock on a heavy trading day? That would be a disjunct contour. Conjunct is a lot easier to sing, and usually is easier to hear and recognize, whereas a disjunct melody can be a bit more difficult to hear and recognize, and definitely much harder to sing (or play).
- Ascending or descending - if a melody rises in pitch overall, we call it ascending. If it lowers in pitch, we call it a descending melody.