Melody Flashcards
arpeggio
an arpeggio has the notes of a chord played in succession rather than together, strictly in continuously ascending or descending order. The term ‘broken chord’ is sometimes used as a synonym (the notes of the chord thus broken often occurring in any order)
conjunct
synonym for ‘stepwise’
disjunct
opposite of conjunct
fanfare
a flourish for brass instruments (frequently with percussion) for ceremonial or celebratory effect, or simply any short for brass in any orchestral work
leap
a melodic movement to a note further than a tone or semitone away from the previous note. opposite ‘step’
melody
a melody (or ‘melodic line’) is a succession of single sounds - most frequently an individual strand or part within a fuller musical texture. a melody is usually ‘tuneful’ or otherwise prominent or memorable
melodic device
a compositional method applying to a single melodic line rather than to the complete texture (for example melodic sequence)
monotone
use of the same pitch repeatedly in a melodic part
ornamentation
the process of elaborating or decorating musical material (particularly a melody). includes conventional ornaments such as trills and turns
ostinato
a short musical pattern repeated throughout a section or a complete piece
riff
similar to ostinato, but applied to popular styles of music
scale
a succession of pitches in stepwise order usually extending for an octave (e.g. C D E F G A B C is a (major) scale)
sequence
repetition of a melody (or an harmonic progression) but at different pitch level(s) rather than at the same pitch
stepwise
where a melody moves by steps (by tones and/or semitones) and not by leaps (of a 3rd or more)
theme
a melody (or occasionally some other form of musical material) on which part or all of a piece is based
phrase
a short passage of music to some extent comparable to a phrase in speaking or writing. many phrases are two or four bars long
strophic
a strophic song has the same (or similar) music for each stanza of the poem being set. (a song in which some or all stanzas are set differently is ‘through-composed’)
articulation
the degree to which a note is separated from the note that follows it (ranging from minimal (legato) to much greater (staccato or staccatissimo)
imitation
two or more parts share the same melodic idea (not necessarily in full, exactly or at the same pitch). each new part enters separately, the preceding one continuing with shared or new material
swung rhythm
two notes of the same value (usually quavers) are played with the first lengthened and the second correspondingly shortened (as often in jazz)
accent
notes may be given special prominence by the addition of accent marks (e.g. >)
tone (quality)
the quality of the performer’s sound (which may be termed rich, rounded, thin, etc.)
glissando
a slide between adjacent notes of a chromatic or diatonic scale. the terms glissando and portamento are to some extent interchangeable, but a portamento involves movements smaller than a semitone (such as a singer can achieve but a pianist cannot)
improvisation
a piece composed as it is performed, although frequently based on a pre-conceived ‘stimulus’ such as a melodic theme or chord scheme
