Melodic Features

• newEditor
• Music
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• GCSE

Melodic Features

Revise melodic features in preparation for GCSE music exam

What melody keywords can you remember?

Melody

Movement in pitch from one note to another

Fill in the blanks

INTERVAL

The distance in pitch between 2 notes.

pitch

time

metres

Fill in the blanks

STEPWISE/CONJUNCT

Notes are close together in pitch.

close together

far apart

high

low

STEPWISE / CONJUNCT

Here is some music that is mostly stepwise.

What do the dots above some of the notes mean?

Those notes are staccato - short and separated.

This is an articulation keyword.

Fill in the blanks

LEAPS/DISJUNCT

Notes are further apart in pitch.

further apart

high

low

close together

LEAPS / DISJUNCT

Here is some music that uses mostly leaps.

Fill in the blanks

TRIADIC

A disjunct melody is moving specifically between the notes of chords.

disjunct

chords

scales

riffs

conjunct

TRIADIC

Here are some triadic examples.

Fill in the blanks

DIRECTION

Ascending means going up in pitch.

Descending means going down in pitch.

up

down

Fill in the blanks

SEQUENCE

A melody is repeated, but each time starting on a higher or a lower note.

repeated

a higher

reversed

the same

SEQUENCE

Sequence examples.

Fill in the blanks

RIFF / OSTINATO

A short, repeating pattern.

Riff - popular music

Ostinato - classical music

short

popular

classical

long

RIFF / OSTINATO

Ostinato - this piece is in a "classical" style.

Riff - this one has a rock style.

Both examples have short, repeating patterns in the background of the music.

ORNAMENT

Ways to decorate the melody using short notes.

Which ornament is this?

2 adjacent notes played rapidly, repeatedly

A

Turn

B

Trill

C

Acciaccatura / grace note

D

Mordent

Which ornament is this?

Note - above - note - below - note

Rapidly

A

Turn

B

Trill

C

Acciaccatura / grace note

D

Mordent

Which ornament is this?

2 adjacent notes played rapidly, once

Trill that gives up

A

Turn

B

Trill

C

Acciaccatura / grace note

D

Mordent

Which ornament is this?

Short note played before the main note

A

Turn

B

Trill

C

Acciaccatura / grace note

D

Mordent

ORNAMENTS

Trill

Turn

Mordent

Acciaccatura / Grace Note

Fill in the blanks

GLISSANDO

Lots of adjacent notes in quick succession.

Running your fingers along a keyboard or the strings of a harp.

adjacent

separate

PORTAMENTO / PITCH BEND

Bending the pitch of a note while playing or singing it.

A smooth, continuous slide from one pitch to another, "carrying" the voice or sound between notes without articulating intermediate steps.

Fill in the blanks

ANACRUSIS

A phrase starts on a weak beat of the bar (not beat 1).

1

2

3

4

The following keywords are less likely to be an aswer, but we still need to know what they mean...

INVERSION

Melodic phrase is repeated upside down.

RETROGRADE

Melodic phrase is repeated backwards.

DIMINUTION

Melodic phrase is repeated with the intervals made smaller.

AUGMENTATION

Melodic phrase is repeated with the intervals made larger.

WALKING BASS

Bassline that moves with footstep-like regularity.

Often very repetitive.

Can be used in blues music.

Let's do some multiple choice PPQs

Which of the following is a feature of the melody?

A

Anacrusis

B

Inversion

C

Retrograde

D

Sequence

After line 7, the guitar plays a short phrase.

Which of the following melodic devices is used in the phrase?

A

Inversion

B

Ostinato

C

Retrograde

D

Sequence

Which of the following is a feature of the melody?

A

Anacrusis

B

Inversion

C

Retrograde

D

Sequence

Which of the following is a feature of the melody in this excerpt?

A

Diminution

B

Inversion

C

Retrograde

D

Sequence

Which of the following best fits the guitar pattern heard at the beginning of this excerpt?

A

Glissando

B

Pedal

C

Riff

D

Walking bass

Which of the following is heard in the melody line of this excerpt?

A

anacrusis

B

glissando

C

sequence

D

trill

How many different pitches are sung to the first line of the lyrics ‘something in the way she moves’?

A

1

B

2

C

3

D

4

Let's do some open ended PPQs

Describe one melodic feature at the start of the excerpt.

Describe the melodic movement of the bracketed notes.

Name the ornament which can be heard during the introduction.

Name an ornament heard in the melody of this excerpt.

Name an ornament heard in the melody of this excerpt.

Melodic shape and direction

Ornaments

Articulation

Add words for each category

Let's do some TFQs

Drag and Drop - 3 true, 1 false

True

False

Mostly stepwise

Anacrusic

4 bar introduction

Trill

Drag and Drop - 3 true, 1 false

True

False

Mostly stepwise

Sequence

Inversion

Ostinato

Drag and Drop - 3 true, 1 false

True

False

Mostly leaps

Walking bass

Mainly descending

Repetitive

Drag and Drop - 3 true, 1 false

True

False

Repetitive

Mostly disjunct

Sequence

Ascending at the start

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