Sound and Noise

Sound is what we hear.

Noise is unwanted sound .
The difference between sound and
noise depends upon the listener and
the circumstances.

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
There are several key elements of music.
When combined and used correctly they
express emotion and provide us with
singable, enjoyable pieces that can
represent time, place and even become
what we use to describe who we are and
what we represent.

Rhythm
Definition:

The patterns of long and

short sounds and silences in music.

To

create a rhythm combine any

variety of notes and rests together
(see your note and rest value chart).

Rhythms

can and are performed

throughout any piece of music by any
instrument, however, we can mostly
recognize a rhythm when it is
performed on a percussion instrument.

Beat
Definition:

A steady pulse
contained in music.

Music

is organized with time

signatures that indicate how
many beats are found within one
measure of music.

The

top number of the time

signature indicates how many
beats will appear in one
measure/bar of music.

23 4
4
4

beats per bar

6 over 8 means 6 beats per bar

4 over 4 means 4

The

bottom number of the time

signature indicates what type of
note receives one beat.
The 8 in 6/8 time means an eighth note receives one beat

2
4

3
4

6
4

The 4 in 4/4 time means a quarter notes receives one beat

The

time signature appears at

the beginning of the music after
the clef (treble or bass).

It

does not appear in any other

measure unless there is a time
change throughout the piece.

Tempo
Definition:

The pace or speed at

which a piece of music is
performed.

Tempo

markings are traditionally

given in Italian and the words
that refer to tempo can be
categorized in the following ways:

SLOW
Grave

extremely slow and solemn

Adagio

very slow

Lento

slow

Largo

slow and broad

Larghetto

less slow than largo

MEDIUM
Andante

rather slow, at a
moderate walking pace

Andantino

andante

Moderato
Allegretto

a little faster than

at a moderate pace

fairly quick, slightly

slower than allegro

FAST
Con

moto with movement, or a certain

quickness

Allegro

lively, rather quick

Vivace

quick and lively

Veloce

with velocity

Rapido

rapid

Presto

very quick

Prestissimo

as quick as possible

Other words that refer to

Tempo
Accelerando

quicker

Meno

gradually getting

mosso less movement, slower

Ritardando

gradually getting slower

Rallentando
Tempo

gradually getting slower

rubato robbed time

DYNAMICS
Definition:

The volume of the sound,

as well as the style in which the
performer plays the instrument/music.

It

is important to not confuse how loud

or soft something is on a recorded
performance. It is easy to turn up (or
down) the volume using an electronic
device.

Dynamics
When

dynamics are discussed in

regards to orchestration we are
referring to how loud or soft each
instrument can perform on its own,
the stylistic elements that support
that sound and finally what
dynamics they can create when
combining and performing as an
ensemble or orchestra.

Italian Terminology
Italian
Terminology

SYMBOL

Translation

pianissimo

pp (ppp)

As soft as possible

piano

Soft

mezzo piano

mp

Medium soft

mezzo forte

mf

Medium loud

forte

Loud

fortissimo

ff (fff)

As loud as
possible

Variations in Volume
Italian
Terminology

SYMBOL

Translation

Crescendo

Gradually louder

Decrescendo

Gradually softer

Sforzando

sfz

Forte piano

fp

or

sf

Strongly accented
Loud, then immediately
soft

Terminology referring to style

of playing
Italian
Terminology

Translation

brilliante or con
brio

With brilliance or vivacity

cantabile

In a singing style

dolce

Sweetly

legato

Smoothly

scherzando

Playfully

staccato

Detached

tenuto

Held

vivace

Lively

TIMBRE
Definition:

The unique quality or

qualities inherent in sounds that
allow us to distinguish between
them.

Timber

(TAMBOUR as in
tambourine) has also been
referred to as the tone colouring of
an instrument.

The

distinct tone quality of an

instrument can be represented by
the colour that matches the
sound.

Let

us consider the Flute.

What colour(s) would you think
best represents the sound quality
of this instrument?

It

is also important to consider

how the instrument is being
played.

Quickly

review in your notes

some of the Italian terminology
that is used to describe the styles
of how one can perform on their
instrument...

At

this point, depending on the

style in which the instrument is
being played, specific colours
and/or descriptive words could be
used to best interpret the sounds
you hear!

There

are major differences between

the families of instruments and how
they sound.

There

are also differences that occur

within each family. For example
Flute vs. Bassoon (both Woodwind),
however very different tone
qualities.

PITCH
Definition:

The degree of
highness or lowness of a sound.

The Staff
Music

is written on a STAFF of five

lines and the four spaces between

5
4
3
2
1
It is important to remember to count from the
bottom
up!

Music Notation
Music

notes are oval shaped

symbols that are placed on the
lines and in the spaces. They
represent musical sounds, called
PITCHES.

If

the notes appear higher on the

staff they sound higher in pitch.

If

the notes appear lower on the

staff they sound lower in pitch.

Organizing Musical
Sounds
Musical notes are named after
the first seven letters of the
alphabet:
A

BCDEFGABCDEFGAB
C ... they keep repeating over and
over and by their position on the
staff they can represent the
entire range of musical sound.

Clefs in Music Notation

Clef

signs help to organize the

staff so notes can easily be read.

Treble Clef
The

treble clef is used for notes

in the higher pitch ranges. The
treble clef (or G clef) has evolved
from a stylized letter G into the
present:

The

curl of the treble clef circles

the line on which the note G is
placed. This G is above middle C
(The C nearest the middle of the
keyboard).

Note naming patterns

drawing and naming notes!
Take

out a pencil and on a new sheet

of paper create the following a blank
staff:

Use

a ruler if you have one to ensure

they are straight and even!

Now

draw the treble clef and create

5 notes, one on each line (leave
some space between each note so
that they do not stack on top of
each other). Somewhat like this...

Do

not colour them in and only draw

them on the five lines!

Now

lets name the five line

notes that appear in the treble
clef...

Note naming patterns

In

the treble staff the names of the

line notes from bottom to top are:
E G B D F
This order can be memorized with
the saying:
Every, Good, Boy, Deserves, Fudge
Or...

Now

recreate a new staff

(including the treble clef) and fill
in the four spaces using whole
notes...

Get

ready to name them...

The

names of notes in the spaces

spell the word:

FACE

The Bass Clef

The

Bass clef (pronounced

base) is used for notes in the
lower pitch ranges. The bass clef
(or F clef) has evolved from the
stylized letter f into:

The

two dots of the bass clef

surround the fourth line, the line
on which the note F is played.

For

a third time create a staff on your

paper only this time practice drawing
the bass clef try to place the two
dots directly in the 3rd and 4th space
surrounding that fourth line.

It

is very important to indicate the

dots in those exact spaces or you are
not drawing the symbol correctly!

Now

draw on the 5 line notes

leaving room in between (no
snowman or stacking!)

Lets

name these notes...

In

the bass staff the names of the

notes on the lines from bottom to top
are:
GBDFA
The phrase that can help you
memorize this order is:
Good, Boys, Do, Fine, Always
Or...

Finally,

one last time create a

staff (including the bass clef) and
draw on the four space notes

Unfortunately

the space note

names do not combine to make a
word.

Do

you know a phrase that can

be used as a way to identify the
notes of the bass clef?

The

space notes appear from

bottom to top as:
ACEG

The

phrase that can help you

memorize this order is:
All, Cows, Eat, Grass
Or...

MELODY
Definition:

A series of pitches
that move forward (the sing-able
part) within a piece of music.

Types of Melody
There

are two types of Melody.

CONJUNCT
A

conjunct melody is a melody

that moves in stepwise motion.

DISJUNCT
A

Disjunct melody is one that

moves with more leaps (jumps)
than steps.

HARMONY
Definition:

Combinations of
pitches sounding simultaneously.

Consider

two performers
presenting a piece to an
audience. If one instrument is
performing on whole notes while
the other is playing the main
melody there will be harmony.

Instruments

that have strings (violin,

harp) or tuned percussion (piano,
xylophone) can play harmony on
their own.

However,

instruments like Flute,

Clarinet, or Trumpet, need to have
other performers playing with them
for the harmony to occur.

FORM
Definition:

The structure of a
piece of music, the way a piece of
music is organized.

There

are many forms in music,

but the main elements you need
to consider when defining a piece
of music is the repetition and
contrast that occurs in the
melody.

Forms

have been categorized

based on letter names, for example
A B form is known as BINARY Form

ABA

form is known as TERNARY

Form where there is a repeat of an
entire section the A section of the
melody.

In

Modern or 20th Century music

sections or musical ideas have
been categorized using the terms
Chorus (or Refrain) and Verse.
There may even be a Bridge
which is sometimes a completely
different idea within the melody
that often occurs near the end of
the song.

Example:
Verse1 Chorus Verse2 Chorus Bridge Chorus
Chorus

The

text of most Modern music can

easily organize the sections of the
melody as we can (almost always)
understand the language and
therefore identify where the
repetition of the melody occurs.

TEXTURE
Definition:

The fabric or layering

of sound created by melody,
harmony and tone colouring
(timbre).

Consider

all of the
instrumentation that can be
combined to create a single piece
of music.

Each

instrument is responsible
for a melodic and/or rhythmic
line.

When

each instrument combines

together with the ensemble
(orchestra) the texture is specific
to what and how they are
performing.

Different Textures
Homophonic:

A soloist performing a melody.

Monophonic:

A soloist performing a melody with

accompaniment (for example Flute
with Piano).
Polyphonic:

Many musicians
performing/combining rhythmic and
melodic patterns together.

Resources for images:

world-of-songwriting.com