ELEMENTS of MUSIC:

THE 8 PARAMETERS

1. TONE COLOR/TIMBRE/INSTRUMENTATION
   
   

   • percussion = instr. which is struck, (drums, bell, rattle, marimba, vibes, xylophone, glockenspiel, piano (because note sounded by striking hammer))

   • strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, harp etc.)

   • brass (trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, etc.)

   • woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, etc. – last 4 = reeds, ob. & bsn. = double reeds vs. clar. & sax. = single reeds)

   • voices (soprano, alto, tenor, bass, etc. or the medieval triplum, duplum, tenor)

   • a.d.s.r. = attack-decay-sustain-release, a technical description of tone color, e.g. for synthesizer sound envelope design or analysis
     
     
     

2. RHYTHM
   
   

   • beat/pulse

   • meter = group of beats, e.g. group of four beats–"4/4"–numerator is number of beats

   • duple meter = a group of beats divisible by 2

   • triple meter = a group of beats divisible by 3

   • subdivision of individual beat can be duple or triple as well

   • a duple meter with triple subdivision is called compound duple meter and, vice versa, compound triple meter has duple subdivision
     
     
     

3. MELODY
   
   

   • pitch + time = melody

   • pitch: high/low = sound wave, frequency of vibration of air on eardrum

   • melodic contour = a draw-able shape which shows perceived pitch height and rate of change

   • phrases–cadence–climax–scales (scales also pertain to harmony)
     
     
     

4. DYNAMICS/EXPRESSION
   
   

   • loud/soft (forte/piano)

   • legato/staccato (smooth/choppy or spiky), etc.
     
     
     
     

5. TEXTURE (# OF INDEPENDENT PARTS)
   
   

   • monophony (one melody)

   • homophony (one main melody

   • polyphony (many simultaneous melodies which seem to relate)

   • heterophony (chaos–unrelated sounds or melodies)
     
     
     

6. HARMONY
   
   

   • consonant/consonance (pleasing) vs. dissonant/dissonance (jarring, tense, ugly, unsettling)

   • cadence = ending, punctuation, as in speech

   • tonal system vs. modal or pre-tonal, atonal, microtonal or post-tonal

   • notes in scale or melody which play important harmonic roles

     tonic (home note)

     dominant (5 steps above tonic)

     subdominant (5 steps below tonic)
     
     
     

7. FORM
   
   

   • structure; music as architecture in space and time; musical similarity leads to symmetry

   • large-scale repetition and contrast diagrammed as rhyme scheme, e.g. 'ABA' represents a form which returns to the opening phrase before closing (also called an arch or da capo form)

   • strophic - 'AAA..etc.' like a song with verses, or a hymn

   • through-composed - a form where repetition is indiscernible or overly intricate
     
     
     

8. TEXT/EXTRAMUSICALITY
   
   

   • use of words or other nonmusical ideas as essential part of piece vs. "absolute" music