Pitch 5
From the syllabus:Pitch refers to the relative highness and lowness of sounds. Important aspects include high, low, higher and lower pitches, direction of pitch movement, melody, harmony, indefinite and definite pitch.
Students should be able to discuss the following aspects of pitch as relevant to the music studied:
• high/low: pitches can be comparatively high or low
• direction of pitch movement: up, down, same level
• melody: a horizontal succession of pitches
• harmony: two or more pitches sounding together
• indefinite pitch: untuned sounds, for example, the speaking voice
• definite pitch: tuned sounds, for example, the singing voice.
Students should understand and apply the following (where appropriate to the musical context):
• definite and indefinite pitch
• pitch direction and contour
• pitch patterns
• pitch range and register
• harmony
• methods of notating pitch, both traditional and graphic
•various scales, modes and other ways of organising pitch.
Students should be able to discuss the following aspects of pitch as relevant to the music studied:
• high/low: pitches can be comparatively high or low
• direction of pitch movement: up, down, same level
• melody: a horizontal succession of pitches
• harmony: two or more pitches sounding together
• indefinite pitch: untuned sounds, for example, the speaking voice
• definite pitch: tuned sounds, for example, the singing voice.
Students should understand and apply the following (where appropriate to the musical context):
• definite and indefinite pitch
• pitch direction and contour
• pitch patterns
• pitch range and register
• harmony
• methods of notating pitch, both traditional and graphic
•various scales, modes and other ways of organising pitch.
Tonality
Major Minor Modulation Atonality (Atonal) Definite Pitch Indefinite pitch Scales Semitone Tone Blues Scale/Blue Notes Chromatic scale Modal (Modes) Pentatonic Whole tone Harmony & Chords Harmony Chords - Major - Major 7th - Minor - Minor 7th - Dominant 7th - Diminished |
Arpeggio/Broken Chord
Chromatic Harmony Cluster chord Consonance Diatonic Dissonance Primary Triads Rate of chord change Repeating chord progressions Cadence - Perfect - Plagal - Interrupted - Imperfect Melody and Direction Ascending Descending Intervals Leaps Melody Octave Phrase Range Register |
Pitch Devices
Alberti Bass Cadenza Call and Response Canon Counter Melody Drone Imitation Inversion Melisma Melodic Contour Motif/Fragment Ornamentation - Appoggiatura - Grace Note - Mordent - Trill - Turn Ostinato Pedal Point Question and Answer Retrograde Repetition Riff Sequence Walking Bass Line |
Melody and Direction
Ascending
Pitch moving in an upwards direction.
Ascending
Pitch moving in an upwards direction.
Descending
Pitch moving in a downwards direction.
Pitch moving in a downwards direction.
Intervals
Intervals are the distance between two notes. Here are the basic intervals of the C Major scale.
Intervals are the distance between two notes. Here are the basic intervals of the C Major scale.
Intervals can be wide or narrow.
Ways we remembered intervals:
Unison = The same note
Ways we remembered intervals:
Unison = The same note
2nd = The start of a scale or Happy Birthday
3rd = Oh When the Saints
4th = Advance Australia Fair or Star Wars
5th = Twinkle Twinkle or The Last Post
6th = My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean
7th = ‘Sounds Bad’
8th = The Lonely Goatherd or Somewhere Over the Rainbow
I do not expect you to write a whole paragraph on the
use of intervals. Using your intervals knowledge you may be able to make super
intelligent observations like..
The piece uses narrow intervals. There is no interval wider than a 4th.
The bass guitar is playing an ostinato that repeats the interval of a 5th
There are lots of octave leaps in the piano part.
The use of 7th intervals helps create harmonic instability (dissonance)
Contrast is achieved when the piano starts to repeat the interval of a 3rd.
The piece uses narrow intervals. There is no interval wider than a 4th.
The bass guitar is playing an ostinato that repeats the interval of a 5th
There are lots of octave leaps in the piano part.
The use of 7th intervals helps create harmonic instability (dissonance)
Contrast is achieved when the piano starts to repeat the interval of a 3rd.
Leaps
Leaps are pitches that are not consecutive (next to each other). Arpeggios are the best examples of leaps.
Leaps are pitches that are not consecutive (next to each other). Arpeggios are the best examples of leaps.
Melody
A melody is a series of pitches. As an area melody includes anything to do with intervals, phrases, imitation, ornamentation, direction and movement
A melody is a series of pitches. As an area melody includes anything to do with intervals, phrases, imitation, ornamentation, direction and movement
Octave
Mathematically speaking in music, an octave (sometimes abbreviated 8ve or 8va) is the interval between one musical note and another with half or double the frequency. The interval of eight diatonic notes/degrees between two tones of the same name, the higher of which has twice as many vibrations per second as the lower.
Here is a short motif at different octaves.
Mathematically speaking in music, an octave (sometimes abbreviated 8ve or 8va) is the interval between one musical note and another with half or double the frequency. The interval of eight diatonic notes/degrees between two tones of the same name, the higher of which has twice as many vibrations per second as the lower.
Here is a short motif at different octaves.
Phrase
A phrase is a section of a melodic line that is similar to a musical sentence. Phrases can be balanced/symmetrical or irregular and asymmetrical. To hear phrases you can listen for new melodic material or reparation of a part of a melody or a resolution to the tonic pitch. Phrases are usually grouped together, the first phrase does not sound finished and the second phrases compliments the first and finishes. Try to count the number of bars that phrases last. Most Popular and Classical music uses some form of balanced and regular phrasing. 2 and 4 bar phrases are common.
This is an excerpt from Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. The tempo is Largo (slow) it uses 2 - 2bar phrases. These are balanced and symmetrical phrases.
A phrase is a section of a melodic line that is similar to a musical sentence. Phrases can be balanced/symmetrical or irregular and asymmetrical. To hear phrases you can listen for new melodic material or reparation of a part of a melody or a resolution to the tonic pitch. Phrases are usually grouped together, the first phrase does not sound finished and the second phrases compliments the first and finishes. Try to count the number of bars that phrases last. Most Popular and Classical music uses some form of balanced and regular phrasing. 2 and 4 bar phrases are common.
This is an excerpt from Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. The tempo is Largo (slow) it uses 2 - 2bar phrases. These are balanced and symmetrical phrases.
Here is a 20th century piece called ‘Tehillim’ by Steve Reich. This piece has asymmetrical and irregular phrases. There is no sense of balance or regularity with the phrasing.
Range
Range is the distance between the top and bottom note of a melody, instrument or piece. Range can be wide, narrow, contained, expanding.
Range is the distance between the top and bottom note of a melody, instrument or piece. Range can be wide, narrow, contained, expanding.
Register
Is the general area of pitch. Very high, moderately high, high, middle, moderately low, low, very low. Don’t forget to mention EXTREMES of register. An extreme of register is a very high or low note sometimes beyond what you expect from the instrument. Extremes of register are common in the Romantic period.
Example of extremes
Is the general area of pitch. Very high, moderately high, high, middle, moderately low, low, very low. Don’t forget to mention EXTREMES of register. An extreme of register is a very high or low note sometimes beyond what you expect from the instrument. Extremes of register are common in the Romantic period.
Example of extremes
Steps
Steps are notes that are consecutive (next to each other) in pitch. The major and chromatic scales are the best examples of steps.
Steps are notes that are consecutive (next to each other) in pitch. The major and chromatic scales are the best examples of steps.
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