Tung Wah College

School of Arts and Humanities

GEC1103 Exploring Musical Traditions

Lesson 1

Music Elements – Music, Sound, and Time

1. Sound
- Vibration
- Pitch, frequency
- Dynamics: from soft to loud
- Timbré
- Articulation:
Listening: Ravel – Bolero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhhkGyJ092E

2. Duration
- Rhythm: Actual arrangement of duration – long and short notes.
- Beat: Basic unit for measuring time in music.
- Accent: some beats become more emphasis than others
- Meter: recurring pattern of strong and weak beats
♪ Simple and compound meter.
- Tempo
http://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/BasicsOfRhythmPracticeExercises.html

3. Music Notation
- Notes and Rest
- Bar and measure

4. Overtones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(music)
- Semitone, Tone
- Intervals: distance among two notes.
- Octave
- Scale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(music)
i. Pentatonic Scale
ii. Mode
iii. Diatonic Scale
iv. Chromatic Scale
http://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/MajorScalesAndKeySignatures.html
http://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/MinorScalesAndKeySignatures.html
5. Harmony
- Interval and Chord
http://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/Intervals.html
http://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/TriadsIntroduction.html
- Motive
- Melody: a series of single pitches played in a certain rhythm.

6. Texture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teh22szdnRQ&t=17s
- Monophonic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBoEf3cqMRo
- Heterophonic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgHzH5iDcGQ
- Polyphonic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfxrNblTr4o
- Homophonic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9TlAOKCmaQ

7. Instrument
- Aeroponic (Wind) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpSJKN1DJEc
- Strings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CyroD_Z300
- Percussion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv3Ds-2h2WY
- Others:
i. Keyboards: Piano, Harpsichord, Organ
Organ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNlv3_p3QKY
Harpsichord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbLSgbdjYtY

ii. Pluck String: Harp, Guitars, Lute, Mandolin

Harp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWTe3C_RoDo
Guitar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7bGLJAkCjY
Lute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvQCRcy3DQ
Mandolin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXBWrNN64z8

iii. Miscellaneous
Recorder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tP8YxwLxzs
Accordion/Bandoneon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPRMhMxoko8

- Human voice:
i. Soprano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKWBCrQ_dRM
 ii. Mezzo-soprano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2snTkaD64U
iii. Alto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsm6lDuM3JA
iv. Tenor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCFEk6Y8TmM
v. Baritone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juZqm4yWzco
vi. Bass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2lKLi0rJDA

- Ensemble:
i. Chamber music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztYX3-yUO90
ii. Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsMWVW4xtwI
iii. Chorus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdIpoE2LEps

8. Musical Form and Genres:

9. Western (Classical) Music Timeline:

i. Medieval Era (ca. 800 – 1420)
ii. Renaissance Era (1420 – 1600)
iii. Baroque Period (ca. 1600 – 1750)
iv. Classical Period (ca. 1750 – 1820)
v. Romantic Period (ca. 1820 – 1910)
vi. Modern Period (from 1910 to present)