ELEMENTS OF MUSIC

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC?

Listening to music for a music class is different than

just listening to your favourite song on the radio.
You need to listen for certain things and think about
it in a more academic way.
The elements of music are a group of musical terms
to describe many different aspects of the music that
you hear.
If you follow these elements, it gives you a way to
think about different parts of the music and examine
each part separately in detail.
THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC ARE:

1.Dynamics 6.Instruments
2.Rhythm 7.Texture
3.Melody 8.Form
4.Harmony 9.Mood
5.Timbre 10.Imagery
 1. DYNAMICS
Volume level of the music
pp pianissimo (very soft)
p piano (soft)
mp mezzo piano (medium soft)
mf mezzo forte (medium loud)
f forte (loud)
ff fortissimo (very loud)
Crescendos and Decrescendos (gradual change in
dynamics)
 2. RHYTHM
Can be broken down into 3
separate parts
1. Tempo speed
2. Duration length of notes and
rests
3. Meter beat or pulse
 2. TEMPO
Speed of the music
Largo slow
Andante walking speed
Moderato medium
Allegro fast
Presto very fast
And more
 2. DURATION
Sounds and silences in rhythmic patterns
Busy rhythms fast-moving notes with few
rests
Sparse rhythms lots of space, long held
notes and long rests
Syncopation e q e
Ostinato repeated rhythmic pattern
Driving rhythms - like continuous eighth notes
 2. METER
Beat or pulse in the music
Simple meter the beat can be subdivided
into 2
Includes 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, etc.
Compound meter the beat can be
subdivided into 3
Includes 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, etc.
 3. MELODY
Pitch
Can be high or low
Shape
Can be smooth (like a scale) or jagged (big
interval jumps)
Key
Major, minor, other mode, atonal (does not
have a center)
 4. HARMONY
Notes played at the same time that blend
together into one sound.
Harmonies can be:
Consonant stable sounds (i.e. major chord
or perfect fifth)
Dissonant unstable sounds (i.e. cluster
chord or diminished interval)
Chord Progression Analysis of the chords in
the piece and how they relate to each other.
 5. TIMBRE
Certain tonal quality of a voice or
instrument
Bright timbre i.e. oboe, violin, trumpet,
high soprano voice.
Dark timbre i.e. clarinet, cello, baritone
voice, low notes on organ.
 6. INSTRUMENTS
We can hear
Single instruments
Instrument Families
Strings
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion

High or low groups

Upper - violin, flute, trumpet
Middle viola, clarinet, horn
Bass line cello, bassoon, tuba
 7. TEXTURE
Texture can be:
Monophonic 1 melodic line
Homophonic 1 melodic line harmonized with
a few voices and a simple accompaniment.
Polyphonic 2 or more independent melodies
 8. FORM
Form can be analyzed in sections
Using letters
ABA form
ABACA (Rondo) form
Using song form (Pop music)
Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Intro, Outro
Using Italian road mapping terms
Coda, D.C., D.S., Fine
 9. MOOD
Music can have different moods.
Happy
Playful
Calm
Energetic
Gloomy
Mysterious
Its up to you to describe!
 10. IMAGERY
Composers may write music with an
image or story in their mind. This is
called programmatic music.
Lots of music doesnt have a story
attached to it, so you need to paint your
own picture from what you hear.
Other elements (like instruments and
dynamics) can contribute to the imagery
of a piece.
 HOW TO LISTEN TO MUSIC
In a listening selection many elements happen all at once, so
choose the elements that stand out the most . As you get more
practice in listening, you will be able to recognize more
elements. Dont feel like you have to address everything all at
once.
Elements often change throughout the piece. For example, it
may start of f pianissimo and crescendo to fortissimo in the
middle and back to pianissimo at the end. Make sure you
describe where you are hearing this . You can do this by
mentioning a time marker. (At 3:24 on the recording )
Some elements can be subjective. For example, you might
think the mood of a piece is sad and someone else might
say it is scary. Both answers may be correct. However, if you
said happy, that is wrong. Try to justify your choices and
explain what you are thinking .
 HAVE FUN LISTENING!

You can refer back to this

presentation anytime you are
listening to a piece of music to
remind yourself of what you
should be listening for.