CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS

QUARTER 1 – LESSON 5
Elements of Music
There are six (6) Elements of Music, namely, rhythm, dynamics, timbre, melody, harmony, and texture.

1. Rhythm is the flow or movement of music through time. Tempo and beat are parts of rhythm. Tempo
pertains to the speed of the music (fast or slow), while beat refers to the steady and regular pulse in music.
For example, the beating of one’s heart and the ticking of a clock. Rhythm greatly affects the emotional impact
and direction of music. Musical pieces that are slow generally give off a gentle, dramatic, or even melancholic
vibe, while fast ones are generally joyful, exciting, and fun.

2. Dynamics refers to the softness and loudness of music. It is used by composers to express how they want
their audience to feel or convey the mood the piece through volume and intensity. For example, a horror
movie with a chase scene will have an intense or strong music playing in the background but will change into a
quiet or soft music when a character is hiding.

3. Timbre, also known as “tone color”, is the unique quality of sound. It helps in distinguishing the different
sources of sound. For instance, a person’s voice and musical instruments may have the same note but they are
distinct in the sound they make. Another example is distinguishing instruments in the same category, such as a
guitar and violin, which are both string instruments.

4. Melody pertains to a series of notes together. This is the most memorable part of music. It is the tune of a
musical piece. For example, the tune one plays when asked to hum “Happy Birthday”.

5. Harmony is the sound of two or more notes heard at the same time. It is when sounds form a cohesive
whole. To illustrate, think of an orchestra: the violin is playing one note, the piano playing another, and the
clarinet playing a different one. Harmony is created when all those notes are heard simultaneously. This is also
described as the accompanying sound to the melody.

6. Texture is the layers of musical sounds. It has three kinds: monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic.
Monophonic pertains to a piece that has a single melody and has no harmony. For example, vocal music that
do not have accompanying instruments (a cappella), or instrumental music that has only one instrument
playing.
Homophonic is the most common among the three because it refers to a piece that has melody and harmony.
For instance, a song that has vocals accompanied by a guitar or an instrumental music using a violin and piano.
Lastly, polyphonic refers to playing various melodies at once. For example, a song that has three singers, with
each singing different lyric, all of which with of equal significance and emphasis.