AoS1 Base Vocabulary - Melody, Harmony and Tonality
Build the vocabulary you need to describe any piece of music: how a melody moves, the cadences that end a phrase, and whether the music sounds major or minor.
Learn it by doing, the way you will be assessed
Free and interactive, so you can rehearse the thinking away from the workshop or studio.
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The building blocks of music
When you listen to a piece of music, you can describe it with a shared vocabulary. This module covers three of the most important elements: melody (the tune), harmony (the chords that support it), and tonality (whether the music sounds major or minor). Learn this vocabulary and you can describe almost any piece you hear.
Describing a melody
A melody is the tune. Here is how we describe the way it moves:
Steps or leaps?
The two most common ways to describe how a melody moves:
Match the melody term to its meaning
- Conjunct
- Disjunct
- Scalic
- Triadic
- Moves by step, between neighbouring notes
- Moves by leap, between notes far apart
- Follows the notes of a scale
- Built from the notes of a chord
Step or leap?
A melody moves smoothly between notes that are right next to each other. How is it described?
- Conjunct
- Disjunct
- Dissonant
- Plagal
The four cadences
A cadence is a pair of chords at the end of a phrase, like musical punctuation. There are four to know:
Match the cadence to its sound
- Perfect cadence
- Plagal cadence
- Imperfect cadence
- Interrupted cadence
- Chords V to I, sounds finished
- Chords IV to I, the Amen cadence
- Ends on chord V, sounds unfinished
- Chord V to VI, a surprise
True about harmony?
Select the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- A perfect cadence uses chords V to I and sounds finished
- Dissonant notes clash and sound tense
- A plagal cadence ends on chord V
- Consonant notes always clash and sound tense
Major or minor?
Tonality is whether the music is built on a major or a minor scale. A major key usually sounds bright or happy; a minor key usually sounds darker or sadder. Music can also modulate, or change key, often moving to the dominant or the subdominant. Every major key has a relative minor that shares its key signature, so C major and A minor use the same notes.
Smallest to largest
Put these intervals in order, from the smallest to the largest.
- Unison: the same note
- Third: three notes apart
- Fifth: five notes apart
- Octave: eight notes apart
Complete the vocabulary
A melody that moves by step is _____, while one that moves by leap is _____. A cadence with chords V to I sounds finished and is called a _____ cadence. Music that usually sounds bright or happy is in a _____ key. Changing from one key to another is called _____.
Cadences and keys
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- A perfect cadence uses chords V to I and sounds finished.
- A minor key usually sounds darker or sadder than a major key.
- Conjunct means a melody that moves by large leaps.
- An interrupted cadence sounds completely finished.
- Consonant notes clash and sound tense.
Describe what you hear
Use the vocabulary to describe what you hear in each example.
- A phrase ends on chord V and then chord I, and sounds completely finished. Which cadence is it?
- A piece sounds bright and cheerful and is built on a major scale. What is its tonality?
- A tune jumps between notes that are far apart. How does the melody move?
Describe a piece
Choose a piece of music you know and describe its melody, harmony and tonality using the vocabulary from this module. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Describe the melody: is it conjunct or disjunct, scalic or triadic?
- Describe the harmony: mostly consonant or dissonant, and what cadence ends a phrase?
- Describe the tonality: does it sound major or minor?
- Say whether the music modulates to a new key