Year 11 - Music
Fundamentals of melody
Understanding melody and harmony
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Unit Summary
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Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe basic features of melodies and different common methods of melodic development.
Key Notes
- Melodies can be analysed by looking at melodic shape, intervals, repetition and contrast, motifs and phrases.
- Most composers develop melodies to create a balance between repetition and contrast.
- Adding notes and changing rhythms are simple ways to develop a melody.
- Augmentation, diminution and sequences are also common methods for melodic development.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Motif: a short musical idea that is heard multiple times in a piece of music
- Phrase: a section of a melody, usually lasting for 1, 2 or 4 bars
- Augmentation: the process of lengthening all of the notes in a melody by the same proportion
- Diminution: the process of shortening all of the notes in a melody by the same proportion
- Sequence: a melodic device in which a melodic idea is repeated at least three times, either rising or falling in pitch each time
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- If the notes of a melody are changed, that just makes it a new melody.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Melodies can be analysed by looking at melodic shape, intervals, repetition and contrast, motifs and phrases. Most composers develop melodies to create a balance between repetition and contrast.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Motif'
a short musical idea that is heard multiple times in a piece of music.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: If the notes of a melody are changed, that just makes it a new melody. Correction: Changing the notes of a melody does create a new melody, but if it is still recognisable as related to the original, we can consider it a developed version of the melody. If it is unrecognisable, then it is not a development but a totally new melody.
More Lessons In This Unit
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