Elements of Music

MELODY

Melody is the part of the music you can sing. To play or sing a melody, there can

only be one note at a time. It is also known as the tune.

HARMONY

Harmony supports the melody. Harmony occurs when two or more

notes are sung or played at the same time.

Harmony does not usually exist without a melody.

RHYTHM

Rhythm is long and short sounds in combination. Rhythm can change. It doesn’t have to remain constant.

BEAT

Beat is the steady pulse throughout the piece of music. It can be fast or slow just like your

heartbeat, but it must remain steady. The beat will not change.

TEMPO

Tempo is the speed of the music.

DYNAMICS

Dynamics describe how loud or how soft the music is.

TIMBRE

Timbre is the type of sound. On the keyboards, you can use the

Voicing function to change the timbre from Keyboard to another kind of voice.

TEXTURE

Texture is created when different timbres are used. Each sound creates a layer of music. The layers are put together to create a

texture.