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Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm These are the three
components of all music—melody, harmony, and rhythm. Melody is a “horizontal” component, the
theme, line, or group of phrases in the foreground of a piece, or the theme
played over the |
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head in a jazz chart.
Harmony is a “vertical” component, the combinations or “voicings” of notes together that resonate as a tone or
feeling. Rhythm is the tempo, the
timing, or the beat. These three
components make up all music, whether folk tunes or disco or toccatas. When composing, one can
manipulate these components to add structure or coherence. For example, development often occurs by
changing one or two of the components.
An initial melody could be played in an A section, and then changed to
a contrasting melody in a B section, while keeping the rhythm and harmony the
same. Or, the harmony could change
along with the melody. However, what would happen
if all three changed? This could,
depending on the composer’s usage, seriously hinder the flow of the
tune. If all three elements change,
then the consistency of the music is lost and the listener probably becomes
confused. What are some
examples? In jazz standards, we could
look at “ Or, looking at some pieces
by minimalist contemporary composer John Adams, such as China Gates or Phrygian
Gates, we may find some unusual harmonic shifts. However, these do not interrupt the flow of
the piece because the repetitive rhythm and horizontal patterns remain the
same. Likewise one can analyze any
number of pieces and find that usually one or two of the elements change,
while the third remains the same for continuity. Thus, being aware of the
three components, melody, harmony, and rhythm provides a good strategy for
coherent and understandable writing. |
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All articles (c) 1999-2006 by LIFTOFF! |