Lesson Outcomes
BASIC COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS OF MUSIC
- Song Form
- Tempo
- Pitch
- Range
- Notes
- Keys
- Intervals
- Scales
- Chords
- Chord Progressions
Use the links below to watch original videos of songs used in this lesson:
Song Form
Beautiful or Memorable songs are born out of great compositions.
These compositions are based on great song forms or structures
Intro
It is the entry point of a song. It’s structured in a way to draw a listener’s attention.
Verse
Complements the chorus in most songs by filling in the message; it builds up to the chorus
Chorus
Most memorable and repetitive part of the song, mostly sung by all voices (in chorus)
Coda
Repeated phrase at the tail end of the song mostly before the outro
Example of a Song Form
| Designation •A – Verse •B – Chorus | Structure •A •B •A •B •B |
Tempo
The speed at which a passage of music is or should be played.
It is measured in beats per minute (BPM)
Pitch
The high or low frequency of a Musical note.
Frequency refers to the rate of vibrations per measure in time
How is pitch measured?
It is measured in Hertz (Hz).
e.g. A note of 400 Hz means 400 sound waves per second.
Range of Pitch
Hearing range of Humans is between 20 HZ and 20,000 Hz (20 KHz)
Almost all music played is between 50 Hz and 10,000 Hz
Note
A single tone of definite pitch made by a musical instrument or the human voice
A written sign representing the pitch and duration of a musical note
Note Vs Pitch
Pitch is the frequency of sound in general, not necessarily music tones.
Notes are tones of specific pitches.
Key
- The tonal center, home base or resting place of a song.
- A note that the whole song revolves around.
Every note in the song wants to gravitate towards the home base note. E.g. Key C or key F
The 12 keys in music correspond to the keys on the Piano. Any of these keys can serve as the tonal centre of a music piece.
Key C can have one of 8 pitches on a regular piano:
32.70 Hz
65.41 Hz
130.81 Hz
261.63 Hz
523.25 Hz
1046.50 Hz
2093.00 Hz
4186.01 Hz.
Other Compositional Elements
- Intervals: The distance between two notes.
- Scales: A group of notes that are arranged in ascending or descending order of pitch.
- Chords: Three or more notes played together
- Chord Progressions: Arrangements or sequence of Chords in a music piece
Key Quote – Josh 1:8
Long-lasting Prosperity starts with making God’s Word your daily conversation.