Pitch and Melody Vocabulary Flashcards
Pitch
The highness and/or lowness of a given sound
Frequency, Cycles per second, Hertz
Scientific ways of measuring and describing pitch in sounds
Melody
A sequence of pitches that describes an idea in sound
Interval
The distance between two pitches
Melodic Contour
The shape of a melody, as its pitches rise and fall. Often represented in a line diagram
Conjunct Melody
A melody that moves in mainly stepwise motion
Disjunct Melody
A melody that moves in mainly skipping intervalic motion
Scale
An organization of pitches in a linear ascending or descending pattern
Key
The concept that music is organized with specific pitches and scales being the main organizing factor for sounds
Tunefulness
When a melody is memorable, easy to sing, and catchy
Theme
A main melodic idea that also serves as a cornerstone idea for organizing the complete piece of music
Motive
A small melodic idea, often used in variations throughout a composition
