MUSICAL ELEMENTS

Prepared by: KYLA S. SONEJA

BSCE-1B
MUSICAL ELEMENTS

The elements of music are the key to

understanding, analyzing and creating music.
1. RHYTHM/METER

• RHYTHM is the arrangement of musical time. Music is

arranged in beats grouped into measures.

• METER is the grouping of strong and weak beats.

“Rhythm is shaped by metre”

IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF RHYTHM

• DURATION – how long is the sound

• TEMPO – the speed of the beat.
• SYNCOPATION – an "off-the-beat" accent (between the counted numbers)
• RITARDANDO – gradually SLOWING DOWN the tempo
• ACCELERANDO – gradually SPEEDING UP the tempo
• RUBATO – freely and expressively making subtle changes in the tempo.
2. DYNAMICS

• This indicates the loudness/softness of a piece of music,

and the way to attack certain notes
THE TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE DYNAMIC
LEVELS ARE OFTEN IN ITALIAN:
• pianissimo [pp] = (very quiet)
• piano [p] = (quiet)
• mezzo-piano [mp] = (moderately quiet)
• mezzo-forte [mf ] = (moderately loud)
• forte [f ] = (loud)
• fortissimo [ff ] = (very loud)
• Crescendo: gradually getting LOUDER
• Diminuendo (or decrescendo) : gradually getting QUIETER
3. MELODY

• Melody is the linear/horizontal presentation of the

highness or lowness of a musical sound.
• The line that the listener follows most closely.
4. HARMONY
• The relation between the different notes played by the
different instruments.

OTHER BASIC TERMS RELATING TO HARMONY ARE:

• Modality: harmony created out of the ancient Medieval/Renaissance modes.
• Tonality: harmony that focuses on a "home" key center.
• Atonality: modern harmony that AVOIDS any sense of a "home" key center.
5. TIMBRE / TONE COLOR
• Refers to quality of the sound being produced.

• If you play a "C" on the piano and then sing that "C", you and the piano
have obviously produced the same pitch; however, your voice has a
different sound quality than the piano. Although the scientific principles of
musical acoustics are beyond the scope of this course, it is safe to say that
each musical instrument or voice produces its own characteristic pattern
of “overtones,” which gives it a unique "tone color" or timbre.
6. TEXTURE

• Texture describes the relationship of lines, known as

“voices” (the melody carried by a particular voice or
instrument) within a piece.
 3 CATEGORIES OF TEXTURE

• Monophonic (single-note) texture: Music with only one note sounding

at a time (having no harmony or accompaniment).

• Homophonic texture: Music with two or more notes sounding at a the

same time.

• Polyphonic texture: Music with two or more independent melodies

sounding at the same time or may introduce three, four, five or more
independent melodies simultaneously
7. FORM

• The large-scale form of a musical composition can be

projected via any combination of the musical elements
previously studied.
BASIC FORMS
• Strophic Form: a design in VOCAL music, in which the same
music is used for several different verses (strophes) of words.

• Through-composed a structure in which there is no repeat or

return of any large-scale musical section.

• Binary Form a two-part form in which two main sections are

repeated.

• Ternary Form a three-part form featuring a return of the initial

music after a contrasting section.
1. It is the linear/horizontal presentation of the highness or lowness of a musical sound.
2. It is a musical element that is a combination of the other elements.
3. It is the arrangement of musical time and is shaped by meter.
4. It is the key to understanding, analyzing and creating music.
5. Partly determines the mood of the piece and is also the change in volume and musical
expression.
6. Fortissimo
7. mezzo-forte
8. pianissimo
9. mezzo-piano
10. forte
1. Melody
2. Form
3. Rhythm
4. Elements of Music
5. Dynamic
6. Very loud
7. Moderately loud
8. Very quiet
9. Moderately quiet
10. loud
 ORCHESTRAL
INSTRUMENTS
 ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS

The typical orchestra is divided into four

groups of instruments: strings, woodwinds,
brass, and percussion.
 STRINGS

There are four stringed instruments

commonly used in the modern orchestra: the
violin, viola, cello, and bass. Whereas violins
and violas are held up under the chin to be
played, cellos and basses have to rest on the
floor to be played.
1. VIOLIN

The violin is
smallest, has the
highest sound, and
is most numerous
2. VIOLA

The viola is only a

little bit bigger than a
violin, with a slightly
deeper and mellower
tone.
3. CELLO

The cello is technically

the “violoncello,” but few
people call it that
anymore. There is no
mistaking it for a violin
or viola; it is much
bigger, with a much
lower, deeper sound.
4. BASS
The bass, also called the
“double bass” (its official
name), “standing bass” or
“string bass,” is so big that
the player must sit on a
high stool or stand up to
play it. It has a very low
sound.
 WOODWINDS

The woodwind members of the orchestra are

the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon.
1. FLUTE

Although flutes may be made of wood, the

orchestral flute is usually made of metal. The sound
is produced when the player blows across a hole in
the side (not the end) of the instrument. It has a
clear, high sound that can be either gentle or
piercing.
2. OBOE

Oboe is the instrument that traditionally sounds

the first “A” that the orchestra tunes to. It is black,
made of wood, and at sight can be mistaken by the
non musician for a clarinet.
3. CLARINET

The clarinet is also black

and normally made of wood,
although good plastic
clarinets are also made. It is
a versatile instrument, with
a very wide range of notes
from low to high, and also a
wide range of different
sound colors available to it.
4. BASOON

The bassoon is the largest and lowest-sounding

standard orchestral woodwind. It is a long hollow tube of
wood; you can often see the tops of the bassoons over the
rest of the orchestra.
 BRASS

The orchestral brass are all made of metal,

although the metal can be a silvery alloy instead of
brass. The sound is actually produced by “buzzing”
the lips against the mouthpiece. The orchestral
brass instruments are the trumpet, French horn,
trombone, and tuba.
1. TRUMPET

The trumpet is the

smallest, highest-sounding
orchestral brass
instrument. Its shape is
quite cylindrical giving it a
very clear, direct sound.
2. FRENCH HORN

The French horn,

or horn, is much more
conical than the trumpet
and has a much mellower,
more distant sound.
3. TROMBONE

The trombone is the only

valveless brass instrument in the
modern orchestra. Its range is
quite a bit lower than the
trumpet, but it also has a brassy,
direct (cylindrical-shape) sound.
4. TUBA

The tuba is the largest,

lowest-sounding orchestral
brass instrument. It is a
conical brass instrument,
with a much mellower,
distant sound than the
trombone.
 PERCUSSION
In a Western orchestra or band, anything that is
not classified as strings, woodwinds, or brass goes in
the percussion section, including whistles. Most of
the instruments in this section, though, are various
drums and other instruments that are hit with
drumsticks or beaters. Here are some of the more
common instruments found in an orchestra
percussion section.
1. TIMPANI

Timpani are large kettledrums (drums with a

rounded bottom) that can be tuned to play specific
pitches. An orchestra or wind ensemble will usually
have a few tympani of various sizes.
2. CYMBALS

Cymbals can be
clashed together, hit
with a beater, or
slapped together in “hi-
hat” fashion.
3. GONG

Gongs are usually

larger and thicker than
cymbals and are usually
hit with a soft beater.
 Common percussion extras that add special color and
effects to the music include the tambourine, triangle,
maracas and other shakers, castanets, claves and various
wood blocks, and various bells and scrapers.

TAMBOURINE TRIANGLE MARACAS

CLAVES CASTANET