THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP (Roy BENNETT)

MELODY (up / down; wide / narrow; stepwise / leaps)

A melody is a series or organized individual pitches occurring after one another in a rhythmic pattern, forming a musical entity.
Pitch characteristics include:
- Direction - up, down or stays more or less the same
- Range - wide or narrow spectrum of notes ranging from low to high
- Intervals - the distance between pitches. Do the pitches move in stepwise motion or in leaps or a combination of both?

HARMONY
Harmony is the simultaneous sounding of different pitches. Two or more melodies sounding together produce harmony.

PULSE / BEAT p. 8
A regular, recurring pulsation that divides music into equal units of time. The pulse is constant according to the tempo.

RHYTHM (short / long; regular / irregular; syncopation) p. 8-9

- Rhythm is the subdivision of the beat or pulse into shorter or longer note values; it is the movement between pulses. p. 27
- It is the arrangement and combination of pitch lengths according to the beat or pulse (the basic unit of rhythm).
- Rhythm is written in either duple, triple or quadruple time; that is, the amount of beats in each bar.
- Poly-rhythms are when two or more rhythmic patterns are played simultaneously.
- Syncopation is the accenting of a note at an unexpected time, as between two beats or on a weak beat. Syncopation is a
major characteristic of jazz music.

TIME SIGNATURES (duple / triple / quadruple) p. 10

Two numbers, one above the other, appearing at the beginning of a staff or at the start of a piece of music indicating the metre of the p. 11
piece. The top figure indicates the number of beats in a bar, e.g. 2 / 3 / 4.
The bottom figure indicates the kind of beat, e.g. minim, crotchet, quaver.
In simple time the beat notes are undotted. In compound time the beat notes are dotted.

Type of time
Simple duple time
Simple triple time
Simple quadruple time
Minim beats per bar Crotchet beats per bar Quaver beats per bar
2 2 2
2 4 8
3 3 3
2 4 8
4 4 4
2 4 8

TEMPO (slow / fast; slower / faster; moderate) p. 16

Is the pace at which music moves, based on the speed of the underlying beat.
The faster the speed the faster the beat and vice versa.
lento slow presto fast
andante at a walking pace prestissimo extremely fast
moderato (mod.) at a moderate tempo rallentando (rall.) gradually slower
allegro quick, gay and lively accelerando (accel.) accelerating; gradually faster

DYNAMICS (loud / soft; louder / softer; moderate) p. 5

Dynamics refers to the different ‘volumes’ of sound - loud and soft and the variations therein. p. 16
forte (f) loud crescendo (cresc.) Increasing in volume; louder
fortissimo (ff) very loud decrescendo (decresc.) decreasing in volume; softer
piano (p) soft mezzo forte (mf.) moderately loud
pianissimo (pp) very soft mezzo piano (mp.) moderately soft

FORM (repetition / contrast; unity / variety; similar / different) p. 26

Form is the design of music, incorporating repetition, contrast, unity and variety - the organization of music, its shape or
structure. How many sections are there in a work? Are some of the sections similar? Does the music have an introduction?

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THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP (Roy BENNETT)

TEXTURE (dense / sparse) p. 38

Texture in music refers to the horizontal (MELODY) and vertical (HARMONY) aspects of music. This can be compared to p. 39
fabric which comprises horizontal and vertical threads which hold the fabric together.
THREE types of texture are distinguished:
- MONOPHONIC TEXTURE: A single melody heard or sung alone
- POLYPHONIC TEXTURE: Two or more melodies heard simultaneously
- HOMOPHONIC TEXTURE: A melody heard or sung with an accompaniment

PITCH (high / low; short / long; thin / thick; tight / slack; small / big) p. 4
The pitch of a note depends upon the frequency (or number) of vibrations per second. p. 5
- In string instruments the length, thickness and tension of the strings determine the pitch level, e.g. The shorter, thinner and p. 6
tighter the string → the higher the pitch (and vice versa) p. 7
- In wind instruments the length and size of the vibrating air column determine the pitch level, e.g.
the shorter the air column (small size) → the higher the sound (and vice versa)

TONE COLOUR (TIMBRE) (vocal / instrumental) p. 37

Tone colour or timbre is the different qualities of sound produced by different voice types or instruments. The timbre or tone colour
of a heavy metal band is obviously different to the sound of a jazz band - this is because of the different instrument combinations of
instruments in each band. Humans have a natural sensitivity to tone colour or timbre:
- You would be able to identity a friend in a dark room by the ‘colour’ of his/her voice.
- You know who says ‘Hello’ on the telephone before the person identifies him- or herself.
- You can hear the difference between a flute and saxophone, or any other instrument, should they play the same note.

VOICE CATEGORIES p. 41
Tone colour or timbre also refers to different voice types. The main voice categories (each with their own ‘colour’) are:
- Male voice types (listed from lowest to highest): bass, baritone, tenor, countertenor
- Female voice types (listed from lowest to highest): contralto (alto), mezzo-soprano, soprano, coloratura soprano

The SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION of instruments is based on the way sound is produced.

FIVE categories are distinguished and should be identified visually (the image) and aurally (the sound), namely:
CHORDOPHONES: Sound generated by a stretched string p. 42
(All stringed instruments)
AEROPHONES: Sound generated by a vibrating air column p. 44
(All woodwind and brass instruments) p. 45
IDIOPHONES: Sound generated by the instrument’s own material. p. 47
(Percussion instruments like cymbals, gongs etc.)
MEMBRANOPHONES: Sound generated by a stretched skin or membrane (All drums) p. 47
ELECTROPHONES: Instruments generating sound by means of electricity

In the HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC, the classification of instruments is as follows:

FIVE categories are distinguished and should be identified visually (the image) and aurally (the sound), namely:
STRINGS: Violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar, etc. p. 43
WOODWINDS: Double bassoon, bassoon, oboe, cor anglais (English horn), p. 44
clarinet (various sizes), bass clarinet, saxophone (various sizes), flute, piccolo
BRASS: French horn, trumpet, cornet, trombone, tuba p. 45
PERCUSSION: PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS OF DEFINITE PITCH (can play tunes and rhythms) p. 47
Kettle drums (timpani), glockenspiel, xylophone, tubular bells, celesta, vibraphone, etc.
PERCUSSION INDTRUMENTS OF INDEFINITE PITCH (cannot play tunes, only rhythms) p. 47
Bass drum, snare drum, cymbals, castanets, woodblock, whip, triangle, tambourine, tam-tam
ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS: Synthesizers, computers, etc.

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