Fundamentals and Elements of Music – JSS1 Cultural & Creative Arts Lesson Note (First Term)

The seven elements of music are pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and form. Expression elements such as articulation, phrasing and style shape how the music is performed. Knowing them helps musicians to listen, perform and create music better.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. name the seven elements of music;
2. define pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and form;
3. state the meaning of common dynamic levels and tempo markings;
4. name the four types of musical texture;
5. give examples of musical elements in traditional and modern Nigerian music;
6. state why it is important to understand the elements of music.

What are the seven elements of music?

The seven elements of music are pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and form.

What is pitch?

Pitch is the highness or lowness of a musical sound.

• Cause: it depends on the frequency of vibration. Fast vibration gives a high pitch and slow vibration gives a low pitch.
• Unit: frequency is measured in hertz (Hz).
• Use: pitch makes melody and harmony.

Characteristics of pitch

• Definite pitch: a clear note that can be named, as on a piano or flute.
• Indefinite pitch: no clear note, as in many percussion sounds such as cymbals.
• Range: the distance from the lowest to the highest note a voice or instrument can play.
• Register: the part of the range, which may be high, middle or low.
• Octave: the distance between a note and the next note with the same name, higher or lower. The higher note vibrates twice as fast.

Where is pitch used in practice?

• Tuning: adjusting an instrument so its notes are correct.
• Singing in key: keeping the voice on the right notes.
• Melody: a tune made from a series of pitches.
• Harmony: two or more pitches sounded together.
• Transposition: moving a piece higher or lower into another key.

What is rhythm?

Rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds and silences in music.

• It is the time element of music.
• It gives music movement and makes it easy to dance to.

What are the components of rhythm?

• Beat: the steady pulse of the music, like a heartbeat or the tap of your foot.
• Tempo: the speed of the beat.
• Metre: the grouping of beats into bars, such as two, three or four beats to a bar.
• Syncopation: stress placed on weak or off-beats.
• Polyrhythm: two or more different rhythms played at the same time.

What are common rhythmic patterns?

• Ostinato: a short pattern repeated again and again.
• Cross-rhythm: a rhythm that seems to clash with the main beat or with another rhythm.
• Free rhythm: music with no steady beat.

What is the difference between beat and tempo?

• Beat: the regular pulse that runs through the music.
• Tempo: how fast or slow that pulse moves.

What are dynamics?

Dynamics are the degrees of loudness and softness in music.

• They add feeling and energy to a performance.
• Most dynamic terms come from Italian.

What are the dynamic levels?

What are the dynamic changes?

• Crescendo: gradually getting louder.
• Decrescendo: gradually getting softer.
• Sforzando: a sudden strong accent on one note or chord.
• Subito: suddenly, as in subito piano (suddenly soft).
• Terraced dynamics: sudden step changes from one level to another.

What is tempo?

Tempo is the speed of the beat in a piece of music.

• It is measured in beats per minute (BPM).
• It sets the pace and affects the mood. Fast music feels lively and slow music feels calm.
• It can stay the same or change during a piece.

What are the tempo markings?

What are the tempo changes?

• Accelerando: gradually speeding up.
• Ritardando: gradually slowing down.
• Rubato: a flexible tempo, with small speeding up and slowing down for expression.
• A tempo: go back to the original speed.
• Fermata: a sign that tells the performer to hold a note or pause.

What is timbre (tone colour)?

Timbre is the quality of a sound that makes one voice or instrument different from another.

• It is why a piano sounds different from a guitar, even on the same note and volume.
• It comes from the overtones (harmonics) that join the main note.
• Every voice and instrument has its own timbre.

What affects timbre?

• Material: wood, metal, skin, clay or gourd.
• Size and shape: a big drum sounds deeper than a small one.
• Method of sound production: blowing, plucking, striking, bowing or shaking.
• Playing technique: how the player touches, blows or strikes.
• Acoustic environment: the hall or room where the sound is heard.

What are the groups of instruments and voices?

• Strings: violin, guitar and harp.
• Woodwinds: flute, clarinet and oboe.
• Brass: trumpet, trombone and horn.
• Percussion: drums, cymbals, marimba, shekere (beaded gourd) and ogene (metal bell).
• Voices: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

What is texture?

Texture is how melody, harmony and rhythm are layered together in music.

• It tells us whether the sound is thin (few layers) or thick (many layers).
• It shows how the different parts relate to one another.

What are the four types of texture?

There are four types of musical texture: monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic and heterophonic.

Monophonic texture

• It has a single melodic line.
• Singers or players perform the same notes, in unison or in octaves.

Homophonic texture

• It has a clear main voice.
• Chords support the melody.
• It is very common in popular songs and hymns.

Polyphonic texture

• Several melodies move at the same time.
• No single melody is the main one.

Heterophonic texture

• Performers play the same tune together.
• Each adds small decorations of their own.

What is form?

Form is the structure of a piece of music, showing how its sections are arranged.

• Letters such as A and B stand for different sections.
• Good form gives both unity (repeats) and variety (contrast).

What are the basic forms?

• Binary (AB): two different sections.
• Ternary (ABA): three sections, with the first one returning at the end.
• Rondo (ABACA): a main theme that keeps coming back between other sections.
• Verse-chorus: verses with changing words and a chorus that repeats, as in most popular songs.
• Through-composed: new music throughout, with no repeated sections.

What are the larger forms and works?

• Sonata form: a plan for a movement with a presentation, development and return of themes.
• Symphony: a long work for a full orchestra, usually in several movements.
• Concerto: a work for a solo instrument with an orchestra.
• Suite: a set of short pieces, often dances, played in order.
• Opera: a drama that is sung with orchestra and staging.

What are the expression elements of music?

Expression elements are the ways a performer shapes music to give it feeling and meaning.

Articulation

• Meaning: how each note is played or sung.
• Legato: smooth and connected.
• Staccato: short and detached.
• Marcato: marked, with a strong stress.
• Tenuto: held for its full length.

Phrasing

• Meaning: grouping notes into musical sentences.
• Breathing points: places where a singer or wind player can take a breath.
• Phrase marks: curved lines that show which notes belong together.

Style

• Meaning: the manner in which music is performed.
• Period and culture: the time and place the music comes from.
• Genre: the kind of music, such as highlife, gospel or classical.
• Interpretation: the performer’s own way of shaping the music.

How are the musical elements used in Nigerian music?

Nigerian traditional and modern music uses all the elements, often several at once.

Traditional music

• Form: call and response, where a leader sings and a group answers.
• Rhythm: polyrhythmic drumming, with several drums playing different patterns.
• Timbre: different voice styles and instruments such as the talking drum, shekere and ogene.
• Dynamics: loud and soft contrasts to build excitement.
• Pitch: melodic patterns, including drums that can change pitch.

Modern music

• Afrobeat: repeated rhythm patterns, polyrhythm, brass and call and response.
• Highlife: guitars and brass over a steady, danceable rhythm.
• Gospel: choir harmony and call and response.
• Pop fusion: a mixture of local rhythms with modern electronic sounds.

How do the elements relate to one another?

The elements work together, and a change in one changes the effect of the others.

• Tempo and dynamics: a fast, loud piece feels more exciting than a slow, soft one.
• Pitch and rhythm: together they make a melody.
• Timbre and texture: adding more instruments changes both the colour and the thickness of the sound.
• Form: it organises all the other elements into a complete piece.

What practical exercises can students do?

Listening activities

• Identify: name the elements you hear in a song.
• Compare: listen to two versions of the same song and note the differences.
• Focus: listen for one element at a time, such as tempo.

Performance activities

• Dynamics: sing a song softly, then loudly, then with a crescendo.
• Tempo: clap the same rhythm slowly, then quickly.
• Articulation: sing legato, then staccato.
• Texture: sing in unison, then add a second group with a different part.

Composition activities

• Melody: write a short tune of four bars.
• Rhythm: create a simple pattern with claps or drums.
• Form: arrange your ideas into AB or ABA.

Why is it important to understand the elements of music?

Understanding the elements helps you to listen to, perform and create music with more skill.

1. Listening: you notice more detail in what you hear.
2. Performance: you play or sing with better control and feeling.
3. Composition: you know the parts needed to build a piece.
4. Communication: musicians share ideas using the same terms.
5. Appreciation: you enjoy and value different kinds of music.
6. Improvisation: you can make up music on the spot with confidence.
7. Analysis: you can explain how a piece is made.
8. Musicianship: your overall musical skill grows.

Which careers use knowledge of the elements of music?

• Performing artist: sings or plays for audiences.
• Music teacher: teaches music in schools or privately.
• Sound engineer: records and balances sound.
• Music producer: guides the making of recordings.
• Composer or arranger: writes or adapts music.
• Music critic: writes or speaks about performances.
• Music therapist: uses music to help people’s health and well-being.
• Music director: leads a choir, band or orchestra.

Evaluation

1. List the seven elements of music.
2. Define pitch and state the unit in which its frequency is measured.
3. What is the difference between beat and tempo?
4. State the meaning of forte, piano and crescendo.
5. Name the four types of musical texture and describe monophonic texture.

Assignment

Choose a song you know, such as a highlife, Afrobeat or gospel song. Write five sentences describing its tempo (slow, moderate or fast), its dynamics (soft, loud or changing) and its texture.