The elements of music Flashcards
What does pitch mean?
HIGH – LOW
How high or low a note is
How do you describe the pitch of a note?
The pitch of a note is described using the letters of the musical alphabet – A B C D E F G
What is a tune?
A tune is a series of notes, using a number of different pitches.
What can high pitched notes create?
High pitched notes can create a different mood from low
pitched notes
What is the tempo?
FAST – SLOW
TEMPO is the speed or pace of a piece of music.
What does the tempo affect?
The tempo affects the mood of a piece
– slow music may feel relaxed, or sad;
- fast music may feel more energetic, or happy.
When does the tempo sometimes change?
Sometimes the tempo changes during a piece to change the mood: getting faster is called accelerando; getting slower is called rallentando fast tempo is called allegro moderate tempo is called andante slow tempo is called adagio
What is the dynamics?
LOUD – QUIET
DYNAMICS is the volume of the music.
The effect of loud music is different from the effect of quiet music.
How do the dynamics often change gradually?
The dynamics often change gradually – getting louder is called crescendo; - getting quieter is called diminuendo - loud is called forte - soft is called piano - moderately loud is called mezzo forte - moderately soft is called mezzo piano
What is the duration?
LONG – SHORT
DURATION refers to how long a note sounds.
The length of a note is measured in beats. Some of the words used are crotchet, quaver and minim.
Why is the effect on short notes different from the effect of long notes?
The effect of short notes is different from the effect of long notes
– for example, a heavy metal guitar solo is very energetic, made up of hundreds of short notes;
- but the long note of a fog-horn sounds a very obvious warning
What is the texture?
SIMPLE– COMPLEX
The TEXTURE of a piece refers to how simple or complicated it is
if lots of instruments are playing different tunes at the same time, what kind of a texture is there?
if lots of instruments are playing different tunes at the same time, the texture is complex (polyphonic)
if there are only a few instruments, or everybody is playing the same tune, what kind of a texture is there?
if there are only a few instruments, or everybody is playing the same tune, the texture is simple (homophonic or monophonic)
What is the timbre?
STRUCK (skin – metal – wood)
BLOWN (whistle eg flute, recorder – reed – brass)
BOWED (violin – cello)
PLUCKED (guitar – violin/viola/cello)
TIMBRE is like a musical finger-print – it describes the particular sound quality of an instrument/voice.
