The Essentials

Understanding the elements and

concepts of music
We will learn about:
• What are pulse and rhythm? • What is structure?
• What are duration and tempo? • What is notation?
• What melody and pitch? • How does music make you
• What is harmony feel?
• What is texture? • What is musical performance?
• What are dynamics? • What is composition?

There is a short
quiz in Teams
at the end
Pulse and Rhythm
 Pulse and Rhythm
Pulse and rhythm are the foundations to every song.
• Pulse is a steady beat like a ticking clock or your
heartbeat. It can be measured in time by counting the
number of beats per minute (BPM).
• Rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds as
you move through the song.
 Pulse and Rhythm
Anna Meredith is a composer and performer. Watch her introduce her body percussion piece Connect It.
Pulse and Rhythm
Duration and Tempo
 Duration and Tempo
Duration and tempo affects the pace and feel of any music you
listen to.
• Duration is the length of time each note is played for. Just like
in Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, notes can be short or they can
be long.
• Tempo is the speed of the music. It can have a big effect on
the listener. You might know some slow songs that you love
singing along to. You probably also have a favourite fast song
that makes you want to get up and move.
 Duration and Tempo
Barney Harwood introduces a performance of Beethoven's iconic Fifth Symphony
Duration and Tempo
Melody and Pitch
 Melody and Pitch
Melody is the tune. It's the part of the music that you
often find yourself singing along with.
• Pitch is how high or low a note sounds. A melody is
made up of high and low pitched notes played one
after the other. Catchy melodies often repeat the
same series of notes over and over.
Melody and Pitch
Harmony
 Harmony
Harmonies can turn a good song into a great song. Playing or
singing more than one pitched note at the same time creates a
harmony.
• Many harmonies are made up of chords. A chord is when two or
three pitched notes are played at the same time. Some of the most
popular chords in music will use at least three notes. For example,
the chord of C is created by playing the notes of C, E and G together.
• Harmony can easily be created by a group of voices. Listen out for
'Barbara Ann' in the animation. It was composed by the Beach Boys
who are world-famous for their incredible vocal harmonies.
 Harmony
Lemn Sissay explores Kerry Andrew's brand new song with facts, insight and animation
Harmony
Texture
 Texture
Think about the texture the musicians are creating.
• Texture is the layers of sound created by playing together
or separately throughout a song.
• Musicians mix and layer the sounds they are playing to
create texture. This makes the piece more interesting to
listen to.
When you start making your own music, you can take
inspiration from the sounds around you.
 Texture
You've heard Nitin Sawhney explain how he composed 'Homelands' so watch him perform the song in full.
Texture
Dynamics
 Dynamics
Dynamics can make the listener feel different emotions. Musicians
will change whether they play a part quietly or loudly depending on
how they want the listener to feel.
• Dynamics are how quiet or loud the music is played.
• On a musical score you might see Italian or German words used to
describe dynamics:
– Pianissimo means 'very quiet'.
– Forte means 'loud'.
– Crescendo means 'getting gradually louder'.
 Dynamics
Watch Russian Dance from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky.
Dynamics
Structure
 Structure
Structure is the order that different parts of the song
are played in.
• Traditional pop music usually follows a verse, chorus,
verse structure.
• If you listen to your favourite pop song you might
notice that it not only follows this structure but it will
repeat the chorus as this is the catchy bit of the song.
Structure
Notation

TED Talk: How to Read Music

 Notation
Notation is just writing music down so players can easily read
the pitch and duration of the notes they are supposed to play.
• It comes in many different forms. Rhythm notation is used
for drums and other percussion instruments.
• In Western notation notes are drawn on a stave, which is a
set of lines. The notes can sit on the line or in the gap
between them. Western orchestras will all play to this form
of notation.
 Notation
If you play guitar or bass guitar, you may have come
across guitar tablature (tabs). Rather than notes on a
stave, it uses numbers on a line representing the strings
to indicate which fret your fingers need to be on to play
the note or chord.
 Notation
Performance of Tocatta & Fugue in D minor – Notation is essential
Emotion
 Emotion
By changing elements of music, you can change the mood of a song.
• Songs can make you feel different emotions. Some songs make
you feel happy or excited, while others make you feel sad or
scared.
• These feelings come from how the song is composed, the
instruments used and how performers play them.
• Think about how your favourite songs make you feel. Listen again
and see if you can spot what is causing those feelings. You might
be able to use those tricks in your song.
Emotion
Performance
 Performance is the
key to music

It doesn't matter if you play to one person or ten thousand people or if you
perform in a playground or a stadium. The experience of performing music
to an audience is what makes music so much fun!
• Performance is when all the elements of music come together. It's not
just about playing well, it's about playing with passion and emotion. This
is what creates a connection between the audience and the performers.
• Don't be afraid of mistakes. Making mistakes and practising lots will make
your next performance even better. Remember an audience isn't there to
listen to technique, they are there to experience the performance and be
moved out of their seats. Give it everything you've got!
 What is composition?
Making up your own music is called composition.
People who write music are called composers.
• When it comes to composing music there are no set
rules.
• You can write a song any way you
want to. The important thing is
that you enjoy creating it.
Complete ‘The Essentials’
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