Transcript Musical_language

Musical language
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An introduction to talking about music
Describing sound
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All sound can be described using a few
basic adjectives:
• Pitch: high or low
• Volume: loud or soft
• Texture: thick or thin
• Speed: fast or slow
Describing music
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Music is a special kind of sound which can
also be described in terms of:
• Melody
• Harmony
• Rhythm
• Tempo
• Dynamics
• Instrumentation
• Structure/Arrangement
Describing melody
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The melody is a sequence of notes or
pitches. The melody gives the music
‘shape’, e.g.:
• Smooth
• Angular
• Wavy
Describing the mood
You might also describe the mood that a piece
of music creates.
The melody, harmony etc create mood, e.g.
happy (usually major key) or sad (usually
minor key).
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You can also use adjectives relating to colours
or shades to describe mood, e.g. dark or light.
Describing the arrangement
A composer arranges music by organising
different pitches and volumes over a space
of time.
When talking about arrangement, you
might consider repetition, variation, and
contrast.
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Useful adjectives include: moving,
changing, surprising, unexpected…
Describing the speed
When talking about the speed of music,
adjectives associated with motion can be
helpful, e.g.:
• Skipping, trudging, plodding, racing
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You can also think about the effect of the
speed of the music on the listener, e.g.:
• Calm, sleepy, sad, exciting, thrilling
Describing the style
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You may also find it helpful to talk about the
style of the music (though this can lead to
generalisations), e.g.:
• Punk
• Military
• Country
• Medieval
• Romantic
• Hollywood
• Bollywood
• Britpop