Chapter 5: MELODY

Melody - A series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole Melodic line/melodic curve

Steps and leaps

Pg. 49-53 Legato/Staccato Phrase, Cadence Sequence Theme

LISTENING TO MELODY

“Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz Harold Arlen Judy Garland singing

Chapter 6: HARMONY

Harmony – 2 or more tones sounding simultaneously

Chord – combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously Chord progression – series of chords Triad Tonic/Dominant Arpeggio

Consonance vs. Dissonance Consonance – a tone combination that

is stable Dissonance – a tone combination that

is unstable Resolution – when a dissonance moves

to consonance

LISTENING FOR CHORDS

Look in books on pg. 56

“Prelude in E Minor for Piano” Frederic Chopin

Chapter 7: Key

Melodies built around a central note; all other notes gravitate toward it. Example: sing My Country ‘Tis of Thee

but don’t sing the last note. How is it that it makes you uneasy?

Tonic – The central tone of a melody. When a piece is in the key of C major, for example, C is the tonic.

Key (tonality) involves a scale, a range of notes.

Melodies typically end on the tonic.

Scale – the basic pitches of a song arranged in order from low to high or from high to low. 2 common types: Major and minor Scales are just combinations of

different-sized intervals, or steps.

Half Step – smallest interval used in Western music

Whole Step – twice as big Formula for a Major scale:

W W H W W W H

Major Scale Sounds like “Do re mi fa so la ti do” 7 pitches, arriving at high “do” an

octave away Formula for a Major scale:

W W H W W W H

C D E F G A B C

W W H W W W H

Minor scale W H W W H W W

Chromatic Scale Still has range of octave Uses all half steps, all 12 black and

white keys within an octave

Key Signatures Songs based on major scales are

“major” or “in a major key” Songs based on minor scales are

“minor” or “in a minor key”

Key Signature – sharp or flat signs immediately following the clef sign at the beginning of a piece of music, indicating the key in which the music is played (the scale on which it is based)

E Flat Major Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb

Modulation – shifting between different keys, or tonalities, within one song. Tonic Key – “home base” tonality

when modulating