The 6 elements of music are as follows:

 Form
 Timbre
 Melody
 Texture
 Harmony
 Rhythm

 Form/Musical Form: Form is the element that refers to the style or genre of
music. The form, or more appropriately, the musical form is determined on the
basis of the harmonic language, rhythm that is used, lyrics, instruments, etc. Many
a times, the form is also determined by the geographical area, or the historical era,
to which it belongs, for example, Indian classical music. As the name suggests,
Indian classical music originated in India during ancient times. It was developed
in ancient India on the basis of the flow of sounds that appeared in nature.
Sometimes the format of lyrics is also used to classify the form of music. For
example: a ballad is a narrative poem. The famous song 'Nothing Else Matters' by
rock band, Metallica, is often classified as a ballad, because of its narrative lyrics.
The design of music, incorporating repetition, contrast, unity, and variety. The
organization of music, its shape or structure.

Timbre: Timbre is a rather abstract concept that involves the differentiation and
identification of the notations, that are played on different instruments at the same
time. For example a bass guitar and a lead guitar are always played together with
the same notation, however, a groove or a singular notation is played on the bass
guitar, whereas, a chord is played on the lead guitar. The differentiation between
the sounds of these notations is commonly termed as Timbre. It is also often
defined as a distinctive and complex note. The distinctive quality of tone of a sound.

Melody: A melody is often defined as a set of linear notations in the form of

tunes, vocals, or even chords or grooves. A melody essentially forms the basic
framework of any song. It must be noted that melody is often divided into
different phrases. The specialty of a melody is that it can be written down with the
help of staff and quote notations. For example, most of the rock songs can be
divided into parts like the verse and chorus. It is said to be the horizontal aspect of
music. A logical succession of musical pitches arranged in a rhythmic pattern. An
important part of melody is rhythm. The notes vary in pitch and duration. Form also
applies to melody. Melodies include repetition as well as contrast. Pitch characteristics
of melodies include:
o Direction - up, down, stay the same
o Range - wide or narrow spectrum of notes ranging from low to high
o Position - Maybe use notes of high pitches or transposed to low pitches, but as
long as the intervals between notes is consistent, the melody can be placed with
the total pitch continuum.
 Intervals - The distance between the pitches of the melody may be steps from one note to
an adjacent note, or skips where pitches leap from one to another skipping a tone or
tones.
 Texture: Many musicians consider texture to be the heart and soul of music. A
texture is a set or pattern of rhythms and notations played together. It is often
termed as a progression. A common texture is made up of harmony, tempo and
rhythm. Some of the common textures are monophonic (where only one melodic
voice is used) or polyphonic (where multiple and independent voices are used). A
micropolyphony is a modern texture that was first composed by the famous
Austrian composer, György Ligeti.

Harmony: The term harmony refers to the different notations played at different
pitches, but in the same scale, and is used to make chords. Harmony is often
referred to as harmonics in modern music. It said to be the vertical aspect of
music. Harmony involves finding notes that sound harmonic to each other i.e.
notations in same scale. According to composer Arnold Whitall, "It was not that
counterpoint was supplanted by harmony (Bach’s tonal counterpoint is surely no
less polyphonic than Palestrina’s modal writing) but that an older type both of
counterpoint and of vertical technique was succeeded by a newer type. And
harmony comprises not only the (‘vertical’) structure of chords but also their
(‘horizontal’) movement. Like music as a whole, harmony is a process." Harmony
is a factor that makes complex but beautiful textures in music. It also a form of
innovation and experimentation. The vertical blocks of different tones that sound
simultaneously; a progression of chords.
o Vertical structure - homophonic with chords connected to and supportive of the
melody
 Horizontal structure - polyphonic with chords created by simultaneously sound melodies.

Rhythm: A rhythm is a set of sequential, synchronized and uniform beats and

notations. The concept of a 'pulse' or a repetitive beat is a very important element
of rhythm. The concepts of texture and rhythm, when put together, form the
concept of a 'bar'. A bar is a set of rhythm , that is accompanied by specific
notations played in a uniform tempo. The combinations of long and short, even and
uneven sounds that convey a sense of movement. The movement of sound through
time. Concepts contributing to an understanding of rhythm are
o regular vs. irregular
o strong vs. weak
o long vs. short,

equal vs. unequal