01/11 1. The Elements of Music Free Online FlashCards

What is melody?

Melody is an organized succession of pitches and rhythms—the tune that listeners often recognize.

What does a melody’s range describe?

Range is the distance between a melody’s lowest and highest notes.

What is rhythm?

Rhythm organizes sounds and silences in time through durations, placements, accents, and patterns.

What does meter organize?

Meter is the recurring organization of beats into regular groups, such as twos, threes, or fours.

What is syncopation?

Syncopation emphasizes normally weak beats or offbeats, creating rhythmic displacement or surprise.

What is harmony?

Harmony results when different pitches sound together or when chords support a melody.

What is the tonic’s role in tonality?

Tonality organizes pitches around a central pitch called the tonic, which functions as a point of stability or arrival.

What does musical texture describe?

Texture describes how many musical layers are sounding and how those layers relate to one another.

What is timbre?

Timbre is the distinctive tone color or sound quality that distinguishes sound sources, even when pitch and volume match.

What do dynamics indicate?

Dynamics describe relative levels of loudness and softness, including gradual or sudden changes.

What does articulation control?

Articulation concerns how a note begins, continues, and ends, shaping its separation and character.

What is musical form?

Form is the large-scale organization of a musical work through repetition, variation, contrast, and development.