Music Theory - Melody & Rhythm

Music Theory Fundamentals

Melody (Wicktionary)

Nounmelody (plural melodies) 1. tune; sequence of notes that makes up a musical

phrase; an arrangement of notes in a specific rhythmic pattern.

Melody is often the most recognizable or memorable part of a piece of music. It’s the part of the music you walk away singing, whistling, or humming, and the part you usually think of when trying to identify the music or tell someone about it.

Melodies establish the character of a piece of music, and immediately evoke a feeling or mood.

Melodies often have a characteristic shape or contour:

ADVENTURES IN MUSIC: MELODY(Disney, 1953, 3D)

According to Disney, where does melody originate?

What inspires a great melody?

ORIGINS OF MELODY - derives from nature

- birdsong - crickets

- only 2 species sing (?)

INSPIRATION - love

- travel - death

- motherhood

ADVENTURES IN MUSIC: MELODY (Disney, 1953, 3D)

Some genres of music consist almost exclusively of melody: Medieval Plainchant (Gregorian Chant): Introitus + added rhythm:??? Ravi Shankar - Chant of India Ofra Haza - Jerusalem of Gold European Folksong places a strong emphasis on melody: Amazing Grace - Highland Pipes Amazing Grace - Dixie Chicks

Jazz musicians use the melody line, called the "lead" or "head", as a starting point for improvisation. Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Amazing Grace

Uses of Melodycd track 3

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Basic Music Concepts

Rhythm is the most essential of all elements of music.

People respond to rhythm unconsciously by tapping their feet or moving their bodies in time to the rhythm.

When the rhythm in a piece of music changes, most people feel a difference in the character or mood of the music right away.

Because rhythm involves repetition, the term is sometimes applied to repetitive visual patterns in painting or decorative arts.

RhythmMondrian, Piet

Rhythm of Black Linesc. 1935/42

RHYTHMIC PULSE Rhythm defines the sense of time in music by creating a recurring pulse.

The feeling of rhythmic pulse in music can be subtle (for example, in classical music and some electronic music), or it can dominate all other elements of the music (as in tribal drumming or in dance music).

Different genres of music make different use of rhythm.

African music makes heavy use of polyrhythms: Ghana Tribal Drums

Indian music uses complex cycles such as 7 and 13 Ravi Shankar & Zakir Hussain

Balinese music often uses complex interlocking rhythms. Monkey Chant from Baraka

Clave is a common underlying rhythm in African, Cuban music, and Brazilian music. Blame It On The Samba (Disney, 1948)

By comparison, a lot of Western classical music is fairly rhythmically simple; it stays in a simple meter such as 4/4 or 3/4 and makes little use of syncopation.

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Basic Music ConceptsMEASURE or BARSThere are usually several layers of rhythm occurring simultaneously in a piece of music.

The strongest rhythmic layer occurs in regular units called measures.

Falling within each measure are a number of softer pulses called beats. The beat that coincides with the beginning of the measure is called the downbeat.

Demonstration: Logic Audiofiles:Rhythm Demo.lsoMacedonian Folksong.lso

Basic Music ConceptsTIME SIGNATUREMusicians use the concept of time signature to express the relationship between measuresand beats.

The first, or upper, number of the time signature indicates the number of beats ineach measure, and the second, or lower, number indicates the basic beat value.

Basic Music ConceptsTEMPOThe rate at which beats occur in a piece of music is called its tempo.

Tempo is measured in beats per minute (bpm).

Music with an active or upbeat feeling tends to use a faster tempo, while music with a more relaxed or inward feeling tends to use a slower tempo.

Lento (or Largo) = Very slow - 52 bpmAdagio =Slow - 66 bpmAndante = Walking pace - 84 bpmModerato = Medium - 108 bpmAllegro= Fast - 132 bpmPresto= Very fast - 184 bpm

Metronomes

ANIMATION BAR SHEETS -“SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO” 1931, p.1

ANIMATION BAR SHEETS -“SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO” 1931, p.1

ANIMATION BAR SHEETS -“SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO” 1931, p.1b

ANIMATION BAR SHEETS -“SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO” 1931, p.2

ANIMATION BAR SHEETS -“SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO” 1931, P.15

“TEE FOR TWO” - Scott Bradley, 1952