to Listening Pop
Pitch Rhythm Form Texture and Timbre
Pitch
Pitch refers to the relative quality of "highness" or "lowness" of a tone
Scale
A scale consists of a set of pitches (therefore intervals) used in particular performances A melodic toolkit A song's melody is constructed from a scale
Creating Melodies
A melody is an organized succession of pitches forming a musical idea or phrase Pitch and rhythm (duration of the tone) combine to create a melody Melodic contour is the shape of a melody (ascending, descending, etc)
Pop Melodies
Pop music has special terms for some melodies:
A hook is a "catchy," memorable musical phrase A riff is a simple, repeating melodic pattern that generates momentum Theme, strain, refrain, bridge and chorus are other terms for melodic phrases that repeat
Harmony
Homophony refers to supporting melodies with chords A chord is three or more pitches played at once A chord progression is a series of chords that supports a melody
Rhythm
Rhythm refers to the relationship between sound durations "A rhythm" is a particular succession of sound durations
Beat and Tempo
A beat is a regular pulsation of sound Tempo is the rate or speed of the beat
Organizing Beats into Units
A unit is a grouping of beats (also called a bar) When a unit contains a pattern of and accented unaccented beats, it is called a meter
Kinds of Meters
Meter can be constructed in many different ways
Duple meters have multiples of 2 beats Triple meters have multiples of 3 beats Syncopation is a technique in which rhythmic accents are shifted to the "weak" beats in a bar
Increases rhythmic intensity/drive
Form
Form refers to the overall shape or underlying structure of a song
Arrangement of melodic phrases, lyrics, tempos, textures
Creates musical impact through building expectations and contrasts Pop music relies on a limited number of forms used in creative ways
Musical Texture
Texture refers to the combination of instruments, voices and production that give a song it's "soundprint" Textures involves:
Lead/background Melody/supporting harmony Kinds/c...