Elements of Music Flashcards
Melody
the TUNE of a song
Form or Structure
describe the Order of Events in a piece of music
Tempo
the SPEED of a song
- LARGO is Slow
- ANDANTE is Walking
- ALLEGRO is Fast
Dynamics
VOLUME within the song
- “P” means Soft
- “PP”is Very Soft
- “f” is Loud
- “ff” is Very Loud
- “m” is Medium
- “mp” is Medium Soft
- “mf” is Medium Loud
Texture
described the Relationship of Lines known as VOICES… these lines form Layers and Sounds
- Monophonic: ONE line of Solo Instrument/Voice within a piece
- Homophonic: describes in Music in Harmony with a Chordal Texture
- Polyphonic: describes Music with INDEPENDENT Lines that are sing or played SIMULTANEOUSLY
Harmony
2 or more Notes played at the same time
Exceptions: Piano, Guitar, Bass
Chord
SIMULTANEOUS Sounding of 2 or more notes
Timbre
SOUND QUALITY of the instruments
Instrument Families: Brass (Buzz mouthpiece), Woodwind (Wooden Reed), Percussion (Striking it), Strings (Strumming to vibrate string)
Voice Categories
Soprano : High Female
Alto : Low Female
Tenor: High Male
Bass: Low Male
Tonality
Overall Relationship, Melodic, and Harmonic between PITCHED used in a piece of music
Rhythm
defines how SOUNDS in a piece are GROUPED, often Relation to a Pulse
Pulse
Consists of Beats in a REPEATING series of Short Durations
Syncopation
Use of ACCENT on WEAK BEATS creating TENSION
Pitch
the “highness” or “lowness” of a note
the pulse is the ….
the melody is the …..
the tempo is the …..
the harmony is the …..
the Pulse is the HEARTBEAT
the Melody is the PERSONALITY
the Tempo is the BODY’S MOVEMENT
the Harmony is the SKELETON
