Transcript Elements of Music Presentation

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC?
 Listening to music for a music class is different than
just listening to your favourite song on the radio.
 You need to listen for certain things and think about
it in a more academic way.
 The elements of music are a group of musical terms
to describe many different aspects of the music that
you hear.
 If you follow these elements, it gives you a way to
think about different parts of the music and examine
each part separately in detail.
THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC ARE:
1.Dynamics
2.Rhythm
3.Melody
4.Harmony
5.Timbre
6.Instruments
7.Texture
8.Form
9.Mood
10.Imagery
1. DYNAMICS
Volume level of the music
pp – pianissimo (very soft)
p – piano (soft)
mp – mezzo piano (medium soft)
mf – mezzo forte (medium loud)
f – forte (loud)
ff – fortissimo (very loud)
Crescendos and Decrescendos (gradual change in
dynamics)
2. RHYTHM
Can be broken down into 3
separate parts
1. Tempo – speed
2. Duration – length of notes and
rests
3. Meter – beat or pulse

2. TEMPO
Speed of the music
Largo – slow
Andante – walking speed
Moderato – medium
Allegro – fast
Presto – very fast
And more…
2. DURATION
Sounds and silences in rhythmic patterns
Busy rhythms – fast-moving notes with few
rests
Sparse rhythms – lots of space, long held
notes and long rests
Syncopation – e q e
Ostinato – repeated rhythmic pattern
Driving rhythms - like continuous eighth notes
2. METER
Beat or pulse in the music
Simple meter – the beat can be subdivided
into 2
Includes – 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, etc.
Compound meter – the beat can be
subdivided into 3
Includes –6/8, 9/8, 12/8, etc.
3. MELODY
Pitch
Can be high or low
Shape
Can be smooth (like a scale) or jagged (big
interval jumps)
Key
Major, minor, other mode, atonal (does not
have a center)
4. HARMONY
Notes played at the same time that blend
together into one sound.
Harmonies can be:
Consonant – stable sounds (i.e. major chord
or perfect fifth)
Dissonant – unstable sounds (i.e. cluster
chord or diminished interval)
Chord Progression – Analysis of the chords in
the piece and how they relate to each other.
5. TIMBRE
Certain tonal quality of a voice or
instrument
Bright timbre – i.e. oboe, violin, trumpet,
high soprano voice.
Dark timbre – i.e. clarinet, cello, baritone
voice, low notes on organ.
6. INSTRUMENTS
We can hear…
Single instruments
Instrument Families
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Strings
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion
High or low groups
 Upper - violin, flute, trumpet
 Middle – viola, clarinet, horn
 Bass line – cello, bassoon, tuba
7. TEXTURE
Texture can be:
Monophonic – 1 melodic line
Homophonic – 1 melodic line harmonized with
a few voices and a simple accompaniment.
Polyphonic – 2 or more independent melodies
8. FORM
Form can be analyzed in sections
Using letters
 ABA form
 ABACA (Rondo) form
Using song form (Pop music)
 Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Intro, Outro
Using Italian “road mapping” terms
 Coda, D.C., D.S., Fine
9. MOOD
Music can have different moods.
Happy
Playful
Calm
Energetic
Gloomy
Mysterious
It’s up to you to describe!
10. IMAGERY
Composers may write music with an
image or story in their mind. This is
called programmatic music.
Lots of music doesn’t have a story
attached to it, so you need to “paint your
own picture” from what you hear.
Other elements (like instruments and
dynamics) can contribute to the imagery
of a piece.
HOW TO LISTEN TO MUSIC
 In a listening selection many elements happen all at once, so
choose the elements that stand out the most . As you get more
practice in listening, you will be able to recognize more
elements. Don’t feel like you have to address everything all at
once.
 Elements often change throughout the piece. For example, it
may start of f pianissimo and crescendo to fortissimo in the
middle and back to pianissimo at the end. Make sure you
describe where you are hearing this . You can do this by
mentioning a time marker. (“At 3:24 on the recording …”)
 Some elements can be subjective. For example, you might
think the mood of a piece is “sad” and someone else might
say it is “scary.” Both answers may be correct. However, if you
said “happy”, that is wrong. Try to justify your choices and
explain what you are thinking .
HAVE FUN LISTENING!
You can refer back to this
presentation anytime you are
listening to a piece of music to
remind yourself of what you
should be listening for.