Melody, Harmony, and Scales
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This document provides an overview of basic musical elements including melody, harmony, and scales. It defines melody as a sequence of pitches that form a single musical idea. Harmony is described as two or more notes played simultaneously, whether as intervals between two notes or chords with three or more notes. Scales are introduced as the basis for melody and harmony, with examples given of major, minor, pentatonic, chromatic, and other scale types. The document includes listening examples and activities to illustrate different melodic concepts like range, motion, contour, as well as consonant and dissonant harmonies.
Melody, Harmony, and Scales
- 1. Basic Elements of Muisic Melody, Harmony, Scales
- 2. Melody A timely arranged linear sequence of pitched sounds that listeners perceive as a single entity.
- 3. Listening Activity Define melody and harmony of the following composition in your own words. A. Vivaldi, Concerto “Spring” from the “Four Seasons”, 1st movement, Allegro http://magnatune.com/artists/albums/lara-fourseasons/
- 4. Range The distance between the lowest and the highest notes in the melody.
- 5. Wide Range Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, in D Major, 1st Movement http://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/brandenburg- concerto-no-5-in-d-johann-sebastian-bach/
- 6. Narrow Range Brahms, Violin Concerto in D, 3rd movement http://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/violin- concerto-in-d-johannes-brahms/
- 7. Melodic Motion Disjunct – melody moves by large leaps. Conjunct – melody rises and falls slowly, with only small changes between one note and the next.
- 8. Conjunct Motion Beethoven, “Ode to Joy” from Symphony No. 9 Start listening at 2:30 mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljGMhDSSGFU
- 10. Listening Activity Define the melodic motion of the following composition. Is it conjunct, disjunct, or a combination of both? F. Chopin, “Nocturne in E-Flat Major”, op. 9 no. 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--ykTqoQnqI
- 11. Melodic Contour or Shape • Ascending • Descending • Arch
- 12. Ascending Melody R. Strauss, “Don Juan” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66zOdfCWEqA
- 13. Descending Melody Handel, “Joy to the World” – the opening of the melody. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKW_az2HVfk
- 14. Arch D. Shostakovich, “Romance from The Gadfly” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDW4VJGKLAQ
- 15. Listening Activity Define the melody of this composition in terms of range, motion, and contour. J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, 1st Movement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj1VvTTTO7Q
- 16. Harmony Two or more notes played together at the same time. Two notes played at the same time – an interval. More than two notes played at the same time – a chord.
- 17. Intervals Please read and study page 1, Intervals: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/elements_of _music/melody1.shtml
- 18. Consonant Intervals Consonance in music – a combination of notes that sounds pleasant. Please replay the following intervals: • Unison • Major and Minor Thirds • Perfect Fourth • Perfect Fifth • Major and Minor Sixths • Octave http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/elements_of_music /harmony_and_tonality1.shtml
- 19. Dissonant Intervals Dissonance – a combination of notes that sounds unpleasant or harsh. Please replay the following intervals: • Major and Minor Seconds • Tritone • Major and Minor Sevenths http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/elements_of _music/harmony_and_tonality1.shtml
- 20. Chords Please read all four pages on the Harmony and Tonality section of this website: • http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/elements_ of_music/harmony_and_tonality1.shtml
- 21. Scales Scales are various combinations of musical intervals. Please study the following: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/elements_of _music/melody2.shtml
- 22. Diatonic Scales • Major – happy. Chopin, Etude in G Flat Major http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pyqLbi2wLU • Minor – sad. Rachmaninov, Prelude in C Sharp Minor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXQCPAR0EHo
- 23. Pentatonic Scale Is widely used in music around the world, especially in folk music. Watch from 3:00 to 6:30: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnbOWi6f_IM Gang and Zhanhao, “Butterfly Lovers” Violin Concerto, start listening at 1:50 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_qd-9wD6qA Traditional music from Uganda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=363Nv-5oYBA
- 24. Chromatic Scale Is not happy or sad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr2rXc9Qu4A Schoenberg, Piano Concerto – is based on series of chromatic tones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_dnflTagHM Rimsky-Korsakoff, Flight of the Bumblebee – the melody is based on a chromatic scale. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yZPrrboTkY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK0z3LS45xU
- 25. Other Scale Types Whole Tone Scale – based on whole steps • Debussy, “Volies” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVV0jkZC4jI Microtone Scale – a scale based on the intervals that are less that ½ step. • Composer Harry Partch created a 43-note scale and new instruments. Please watch various selections from this documentary. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfCjWIQtm- M&list=PL325E98023B8838E2
- 26. Listening Activity Define the melody and harmony in the following example using terms discussed in this part. J. S. Bach’s “Air on the G String” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-yg
- 27. Required Readings • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody • http://openhighschoolcourses.org/mod/page/view.php?id=11 834 • http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/elements_ of_music/melody1.shtml • http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/30 • http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/31 • http://cnx.org/content/m10851/latest/ • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony • http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/40 • http://www.musictheory.net/lessons - read (1)The Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines and (2)Steps and Accidentals in the Basics area