Transcript Rock and Roll: - KU Information Technology

Rock and Roll:
Musical Elements
What is Music?
• The Art of Sound in time
• Sounds and silences arranged in temporal
framework
• Defined by certain parameters or
characteristics
Characteristics of Art
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Line
Foreground
Background
Composition
Colors
Style characteristics
Musical Characteristics
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Stylistic influences
Foreground = melody, prominent sounds
Background = harmony or accompaniment
Composition = form
Color = tone color, sound of particular
instruments
Unique characteristics of music
• How sounds deployed through time =
rhythm
• How quickly or slowly piece moves =
tempo
• How many sounds happening at once =
texture
• How loud or soft = dynamics
Pitch
• A musical sound; a note
• Each pitch has unique sound depending
how it is produced = tone color
– Vocals
– Instruments
• Effects
• Guitar effects
Rhythm
• Regulates movement of music through
time
• Basic unit = beat
– Regular pulse heard in most music
• Organized in measures or bars
Measure or Bar
• Group of beats
• Number of beats in a
measure is
determined by the
time signature (aka
meter)
• In popular music,
usually 4
Melody
• Dominant musical line
• Contains main musical ideas of piece
– Motive = short, distinct figure
– Riff = motive with a distinct rhythm that
repeats throughout piece
• In popular music, usually the vocal line
• Or solo instrument
Harmony
• Sounds that provide support for a melody
• Chord - simultaneous sounding of 3 or more
notes
• Most common in pop music = triad
– Three notes
– First, third, fifth notes of a scale
• Ex. C D E F G A B C
–1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Harmonic progression – sequence of
chords that define the key
Key
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Scale upon which the piece is built
Pattern of half and whole steps
Important notes: tonic (1st) and dominant (5th)
Melodies frequently return to the tonic
Basic Chord Progression
• I - tonic - built on the first note of the
scale
• VI
• IV - subdominant - built on the fourth
• V - dominant - built on the fifth
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