Elements of Music
There are 8
common elements
of music…
Rhythm or Duration
 Duration refers to the length of each sound.
 Some sounds or notes are long, some are
short. Composers will also accent (or stress)
certain parts of the rhythm to add flare.
 Composers or songwriters use any combination
of durations to achieve a good effect. This
combination is what is called rhythm.
 Rhythm can be described as:
 regular or irregular; strong or weak; long or short;
Examples:
 Chopin Etude:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHa2b
n7TL6g
 Clapping Music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx29O
O0Anz0
Dynamics
 Dynamics refers to the loudness and
softness of the music.
 The term volume is often used.
 Music often changes volume gradually and
goes from loud to soft or from soft to loud.
Examples:
 Aretha Franklin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUq
Qt3Kg0&feature=related
 Bob Dylan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zY_c
M0_6vA
Pitch
 Pitch refers to the highness or lowness of
notes in the music.
 Most pieces of music use a mixture of high
and low sounds, creating harmony.
 Some instruments, for example the tuba,
can play very low notes; smaller
instruments, such as the piccolo, can play
very high notes.
Pitch - Melody
 Refers to a series of individual notes heard
as a logical unit.
 Melodies we remember in our heads to hum
or sing are much more than a series of pitch
levels – they also have a specific rhythmic
shape.
 More often than not, melodies should be
designed to be easily sung or remembered.
“Singable” melodies usually move by step,
are made up of symmetrical phrases
(musical ideas that fit together logically) and
are easy to reproduce.
Examples:
 “Yesterday” by the Beatles: stepwise
melody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwS_Y
DzxH3M&feature=related
Pitch – Harmony
 Refers to the proper progression of chords –
groups of notes usually used as
accompaniment to a melody.
 As listeners we have an intuitive sense of
harmonic rules, if someone hits the wrong
chord or note and it doesn’t fit, we know.
 Consonance – the quality of chords that
makes them sound restful or free of tension.
 Dissonance – the non-restful quality of
some chords that demands resolution.
Example:
 Chopin – Harmony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1QM
6YZC45g&feature=iv&annotation_id=ann
otation_323647
Tempo
 Tempo refers the speed of the music,
whether it is fast or slow.
 Sometimes tempo is referred to as pace.
 Composers and songwriters may use a
moderate tempo (neither fast or slow), or
even change its tempo part-way through the
piece of music.
Example:
 Jump – Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlq0lY
B3iSM
Texture
 Texture refers to how many layers or voices
are in a piece.
 Technical terms used are:
 Polyphonic – when two or more melody lines are
played at one time; this could be as simple as a
canon or a round.
 Homophonic – a single melody supported with
chordal accompaniment
 Monophonic – one single melody line
 A composer may change the texture
throughout the piece of music.
Examples:
 Bach
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVadl4
ocX0M
Timbre or Tone Colour
 Every instrument has its own character or quality.
This is based on several factors including the
material that it is made of, the way the sound is
produced, and how the sounds resonate.
 For example: A metal instrument sounds different
from a wooden one and hitting a drum sounds
different from blowing into a recorder
 To describe Timbre or Tone Colour one should
describe the quality of the sound:
 Reedy, Brassy, Clear, Breathy, Piercing, Harsh, Warm,
Mellow, Dark or Bright, Heavy or Light, Flat, Rich, Brilliant
Example:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZ
G-zNOk&ob=av3n
Structure
 The overall form or organization of a
piece of music.
 Every piece is comprised of a pattern that
holds it together in one solid form.
 These patterns are easy to recognize
and have evolved over time. For
example, the verse/chorus
pattern of most popular music.
Structure continued…
 The verses are the words that the writer uses to give
the story. It contains the details of the story, the events,
images and emotions that the writer wishes to express.
 The chorus is the part that everyone wants to sing
along to – it is the memorable section. In this song, the
verse and chorus alternate from one to the other, until
the story progresses.
 The bridge tends to be an instrumental section at the
middle part of the song.
 The hook is the instrumental bit at the beginning of a
song. It gets you hooked and interested in the song.
For example, AC/DC’s thunderstruck introduction.
More on structure…
 When you figure out what sections your
song has, to figure out the form you assign
letters to each of the section. For example:
 Ring of Fire ~ written by June Carter-Cash,
performed by Johnny Cash








Hook (A)
Verse (B)
Chorus (C)
Hook (A)
Chorus (C)
Verse (B)
Chorus (C)
Chorus (C)
So the form of this song is:
ABCACBCC
Example:
 “Penny Lane”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGQgE
AZztK4
Silence
 Silence is as important as sound in
music.
 It gives us time to think and for echoes to
die away.
Example:
 “Animal” by Neon Trees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7Hl
g75Mlo
Style
 We use the word style to describe the
characteristic ways in which composers
combine and present these basic elements.
 The special way that the elements are treated,
balanced, combined and presented brings us
(as listeners) the distinctive “flavour” that each
style carries.
 They are clues or fingerprints that help us
distinguish the differences between the styles
of our favourite composers or song-writers.