Study Guides

Unit Summary

Pupils learn about programmatic and descriptive music and how music can be used to set the scene. They compose a piece of music to accompany a story that includes a recurring motif and demonstrates an understanding of how key/chromatics and other musical elements can have an impact on the mood.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to identify how timbre in used to create an atmosphere and choose appropriate timbres to create scary music.

Key Notes

• Timbre can be used to help create atmosphere in music.
• Strings are effective as they have quite an intense sound.
• Tuned percussion (bell-like sounds) can also be effective in making music sound creepy.
• We can use different articulations, including staccato and legato for different effects.
• We can use sequence to develop and extend our musical ideas.

Vocabulary To Learn

• timbre: the sound or tone quality of an instrument
• staccato: when the notes are played in a detached way
• legato: when the movement between each note is smooth
• sequence: a short melodic idea that is repeated in steps either rising or falling

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• Certain timbres can only be used for certain effects.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Composing music for an extended story Study Guide
• Composing music that doesn't sound scary Study Guide
• Creating a sense of style Study Guide
• Creating scary music Study Guide
• Developing a motif Study Guide