CHAPTER 1
THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
You are embarking on an adventure through musical time, and this journey will
be more pleasurable if you first become familiar with some basic musical concepts.
Keep in mind that most new experiences require some initial adjustment and insight.
The process is similar to visiting a distant country for the first time: You are instantly
immersed in a different culture and surrounded by people who speak an unusual
language or follow unfamiliar customs. This new experience could be either very
exciting—or quite unbearable—depending on your perspective. If you were not
prepared for this journey, your naive responses and actions might bring you
embarrassment or instill the anger of others. Worst of all, you would get very little from
a potentially rewarding experience.
These new ideas will be introduced gradually, systematically and actively, so for
now, focus on learning the fundamental elements of music and their related terms
Listen carefully for these aspects in the music you hear, and—in time—you will attain a
heightened understanding that will open your ears, mind and soul to the deeper levels
of musical thought.
ELEMENT Basic Related Terms
Rhythm: (beat, meter, tempo, syncopation)
Dynamics: (forte, piano, [etc.], crescendo, decrescendo)
Melody: (pitch, theme, conjunct, disjunct)
Harmony: (chord, progression, consonance, dissonance,
key, tonality, atonality)
Tone color: (register, range, instrumentation)
Texture: (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic,
imitation, counterpoint)
Form: (binary, ternary, strophic, through-composed)
1
, CHAPTER 1: The Elements of Music
RHYTHM
Rhythm is the element of "TIME" in music. When you tap your foot to the music, you
are "keeping the beat" or following the structural rhythmic pulse of the music. There
are several important aspects of rhythm:
• DURATION: how long a sound (or silence) lasts.
• TEMPO: the speed of the BEAT.
(Note: Tempo indications are often designated by Italian terms):
Largo = "large" or labored (slow)
Adagio = slow
Andante = steady "walking" tempo
Moderato = moderate
Allegro = fast ("happy")
Presto = very fast
<——————————SLOWER FASTER——————————>
Largo Adagio Andante Moderato Allegro Presto
Beats per minute 40-65 66-75 76-107 108-119 120-167 168-208
NOTE: These tempos are not specific—but RELATIVE to each other.
• METER: Beats organized into recognizable/recurring accent patterns. Meter can
be seen/felt through the standard patterns used by conductors.
Diagram of a Musical Measure Conductor's Pattern
STRONG weak
DUPLE meter 2
a 2-pulse grouping 1 2
4
1 2
STRONG weak weak
TRIPLE meter 3 1 3
a 3-pulse grouping 4 2
1 2 3
STRONG weak Medium weak
1 4
QUADRUPLE meter 4
a 4-pulse grouping 4 3
2
1 2 3 4
Other basic terms relating to Rhythm are:
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.
(a technique commonly encountered in music of the Romantic era)
__________________________________________________________
2
THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
You are embarking on an adventure through musical time, and this journey will
be more pleasurable if you first become familiar with some basic musical concepts.
Keep in mind that most new experiences require some initial adjustment and insight.
The process is similar to visiting a distant country for the first time: You are instantly
immersed in a different culture and surrounded by people who speak an unusual
language or follow unfamiliar customs. This new experience could be either very
exciting—or quite unbearable—depending on your perspective. If you were not
prepared for this journey, your naive responses and actions might bring you
embarrassment or instill the anger of others. Worst of all, you would get very little from
a potentially rewarding experience.
These new ideas will be introduced gradually, systematically and actively, so for
now, focus on learning the fundamental elements of music and their related terms
Listen carefully for these aspects in the music you hear, and—in time—you will attain a
heightened understanding that will open your ears, mind and soul to the deeper levels
of musical thought.
ELEMENT Basic Related Terms
Rhythm: (beat, meter, tempo, syncopation)
Dynamics: (forte, piano, [etc.], crescendo, decrescendo)
Melody: (pitch, theme, conjunct, disjunct)
Harmony: (chord, progression, consonance, dissonance,
key, tonality, atonality)
Tone color: (register, range, instrumentation)
Texture: (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic,
imitation, counterpoint)
Form: (binary, ternary, strophic, through-composed)
1
, CHAPTER 1: The Elements of Music
RHYTHM
Rhythm is the element of "TIME" in music. When you tap your foot to the music, you
are "keeping the beat" or following the structural rhythmic pulse of the music. There
are several important aspects of rhythm:
• DURATION: how long a sound (or silence) lasts.
• TEMPO: the speed of the BEAT.
(Note: Tempo indications are often designated by Italian terms):
Largo = "large" or labored (slow)
Adagio = slow
Andante = steady "walking" tempo
Moderato = moderate
Allegro = fast ("happy")
Presto = very fast
<——————————SLOWER FASTER——————————>
Largo Adagio Andante Moderato Allegro Presto
Beats per minute 40-65 66-75 76-107 108-119 120-167 168-208
NOTE: These tempos are not specific—but RELATIVE to each other.
• METER: Beats organized into recognizable/recurring accent patterns. Meter can
be seen/felt through the standard patterns used by conductors.
Diagram of a Musical Measure Conductor's Pattern
STRONG weak
DUPLE meter 2
a 2-pulse grouping 1 2
4
1 2
STRONG weak weak
TRIPLE meter 3 1 3
a 3-pulse grouping 4 2
1 2 3
STRONG weak Medium weak
1 4
QUADRUPLE meter 4
a 4-pulse grouping 4 3
2
1 2 3 4
Other basic terms relating to Rhythm are:
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.
(a technique commonly encountered in music of the Romantic era)
__________________________________________________________
2
