MU 103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Music Psychology, Pyrophone, Membranophone
Musical Terms and Concepts
● Time: medium that musicians use
○ Beat: rhythmic movement
■ Ex. steady pulse in a piece of music
○ Meter/Mode: number of betas in measure
■ Ex. divided into regular groupings of 2,3,4 or 6 beats
○ Rhythm: movement with patterned recurrence
○ Tempo: pace/speed music is played
● Pitch/Tone: frequencies
○ Interval: difference between pitches
○ Scale: ascending/descending series of notes
■ Ex. do re me fa so la...
○ Key: the group of pitches, or scale that forms the basis of a music composition
○ Modulation: change from one key to another
○ Melody/Countermelody: single group of pitches that add up to a recognizable
whole
■ Ex. the “hook” of the tune, the main theme in a piece of music
○ Melodic conduct:
○ Conjunct: difference in pitch between 2 consecutive notes
○ Disjunct: a large interval, leap
○ Range: distance from lowest to highest pitch
○ Phrase/Cadence:
○ Drone: a few pitches held for a long time
● Harmony: multiple pitches being played at the same time
○ Chord: 3 or more notes that combine harmoniously
○ Chord progression: 2 or more notes sounding simultaneously
● Volume/Dynamics: loudness of a sound
● Texture: layers of melody in music
○ Monophony: one line of melody
○ Homophony: texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony
■ Ex. a band backing up a singer
○ Heterophony: single melodic line performed in varied versions simultaneously
○ Polyphony: two or more distinct parts occurring at the same time
○ Hocketed: single melody shared between 2 or more voices, alternating one voice
sound while the others rest
● Form: overall structure of a piece of music
○ Themes: main melody that you hear
○ Sections: intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro
○ Strophic: melody the same, but lyrics are different
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Document Summary
Ex. steady pulse in a piece of music. Ex. divided into regular groupings of 2,3,4 or 6 beats. Ex. do re me fa so la Key: the group of pitches, or scale that forms the basis of a music composition. Modulation: change from one key to another. Melody/countermelody: single group of pitches that add up to a recognizable whole. Ex. the hook of the tune, the main theme in a piece of music. Conjunct: difference in pitch between 2 consecutive notes. Range: distance from lowest to highest pitch. Drone: a few pitches held for a long time. Harmony: multiple pitches being played at the same time. Chord: 3 or more notes that combine harmoniously. Chord progression: 2 or more notes sounding simultaneously. Homophony: texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony. Ex. a band backing up a singer. Heterophony: single melodic line performed in varied versions simultaneously.
