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The Author describes how a “tuneful” or “singable” melody works. Singable melodies dominate the music you hear most often in the West. If you were a composer, what would a tonal, singable melody provide to your composition? How would it benefit you to include one where your potential audience is concerned? |
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Can you think of five melodies with smooth contours? Can you think of just two with jagged contours? Why is it so hard to remember these tunes? What is it about jagged melodies that make them so hard to sing and remember? |
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Name three songs with jagged melodies and three with smooth contours. What are the songs about? What do they discuss if they have words? Are they happy, sad, angry or something else? Are certain contours associated with certain types of emotions? Look at each of your songs and compile the results. |
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Become a syncopation genius in minutes. Sing or speak the well-known song Jingle Bells in a steady pulse adding stress to the bolded words. Every syllable should be the same length and don’t slow down. Be careful to be accurate from the last Oh what fun ... to the end. It is supposed to be different! When you become comfortable, try speaking it as fast as you are able to still adding the stresses accurately!
Jin-GLE-bells-jin-GLE-bells-Jin-GLE-all -the-way-what -fun -IT -is -to- ride-INA- one -HORSE -op EN-sleigh // jin-GLE bells-jin-GLE bells jin-GLE all the way , oh-WHAT- fun-TO- ride-vIN-a- one -HORSE -opEN - SLEIGH! |
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All of us have at one time or another experienced a yawn so intense that all of our muscles seem to be ready to explode. Few things feel as good as the moment that tension finally releases. Tension and resolution in music can at its’ most exciting, give us a similar type of feeling. This tension could come from dissonant moments, “unstable” trips to completely contrasting material or perhaps something mentioned in the lyrics of a song that suddenly creates a tense moment. Can you think of any music that gives you that feeling? How does the composer or the performers achieve that tension and how do they release you from it? Be specific! |
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A simple recognizable motive has been the basis of some of our most famous Western music. The Da Da Da DAAAAAA that begins Beethoven’s Fifth symphony is recognized all over the world. Can you think of any other music that has an immediately recognizable motive? What is this music used for? Entertainment, advertising, or something else? |
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