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Homework On Harmony
Homework On Harmony
Idea: In music, sounds are organized by pitch, which is how high or low a note sounds.
Layman's Terms: Think of a piano. The notes on the left sound lower, like a deep voice, and the notes
on the right sound higher, like a bird chirping.
Chords:
Idea: Chords are groups of notes played together. They create a sense of stability or tension in music.
Layman's Terms: Imagine playing several keys on a piano at the same time. If they sound good
together, it's a chord. Different chords can make you feel different emotions.
Idea: Major chords generally sound happy and stable, while minor chords often sound sadder or
more mysterious.
Layman's Terms: If major chords are like a sunny day, minor chords are like a rainy day. Both can be
beautiful but evoke different feelings.
Idea: Melody is a sequence of single notes that form a musical line, and harmony is when two or
more notes are played simultaneously to support the melody.
Layman's Terms: Imagine someone singing a tune (melody), and another person playing guitar chords
that go along with it (harmony). Together, they make a complete and rich sound.
Idea: Consonance is a stable, harmonious sound, while dissonance is a tense or clashing sound that
usually resolves to consonance.
Layman's Terms: Picture two notes played together. If they sound pleasant and stable, it's
consonance. If they sound a bit tense or need to "move," it's dissonance, like a musical question that
gets answered.
Octaves:
Idea: Notes that are an octave apart have a similar sound but one is higher or lower.
Layman's Terms: Sing a note, then sing the same note but higher or lower. You've just covered an
octave. It's like a musical family reunion.
Harmony is essentially the art of combining these elements in a way that sounds good to our ears.
Musicians use harmony to create emotion, texture, and depth in music, making it a powerful and
expressive tool in the world of sound.