Melody Flashcards
Interval
The distance between two notes
Octave
An interval spanning 8 notes, bounded by two notes with the same name
Scale
A collection of notes arranged in order from lowest to highest or highest to lowest
major scale, minor scale, chromatic scale
o Chromatic Scale: A scale which uses all 12 notes in the octave, including all natural notes, and sharps/ flats
o Major Scale: Often interpreted as sounding happy, used across genres and periods
o Minor Scale: The natural minor scale; often interpreted as sounding sad; used across genres and periods
Range
The span of notes from highest to lowest
Contour
ascending, descending
- Contour: The shape of a melody
- Ascending: a rising melody, or section of a melody
- Descending: a falling melody, or section of a melody
Conjunct melodic motion
Melodic motion primarily proceeding by step (the interval of a 2nd)
Disjunct melodic motion
Melodic motion primarily proceeding by leap (intervals of 3rds and larger)
Amelodic
Music which lacks a melody
Solfège
A method of singing scales using syllables associated with each note; used commonly in educational settings
