If we suddenly stop all sound (dampening the strings completely), it creates a vacuum. Space has the ability to create emotional and visceral effects on a listener.įor example, take a piece of music with a continuous loud sound. Or it could be an extremely small gap between two notes. This could be a long interval of time between notes. We can do this intentionally for different musical effects. There may be a space between notes, or they may connect smoothly one to the next. Some notes are very short, others very long.Īlso in our study of duration, we can notice how one note connects to the next. Beats mark the predetermined pulse of the music, continuing at a steady speed. In sheet music, this is notated using quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, etc.ĭuration is measured in beats. Durationĭuration speaks to how long we hold a note. We can then use it to create special effects to reflect the emotional content of the music. When we explore each of these, we form a richer understanding of musical time. And rhythm has a few different qualities. We usually think of time in music as rhythm. Likewise, in a chord, we may have one or more notes that need to be heard more clearly than the others. The bass is next loudest, with the accompaniment or interior voices the quietest. Usually, we want these to occupy different dynamic zones.įor example, the melody is most often the loudest voice. We have the melody, bass, and accompaniment voices. The classical guitar often has many voices playing at once. The volume may change constantly to better communicate the melody or phrase. Within the larger dynamic mentioned above, we also may vary the volume from note to note. Localized Dynamics (note to note volume levels) And our “someone’s sleeping voice” is very quiet – a whisper. This is the general volume of the section. In a section or piece of music, we often have an overarching dynamic level. Mastery of volume dynamics on the guitar allows us to bring more interest and artistry to our music. This is one of the key ingredients in creating expressive and captivating music. In addition to playing every note at the same volume, we can also swell and fade the volume level. So within the range of the guitar, we can create great levels of contrast between loud and soft. But we have the ability to play much more quietly than either of these as well. Our loud is not as loud as a piano or bagpipe. On a non-amplified guitar, we have a limited range of volume possible. In music, the word for volume is “dynamics.” We could also think of this as intensity. Notes played high on the neck have a different sound quality than open strings and lower frets. Plus, notes fretted at different places on the guitar neck have different tone qualities. And where we play the string also changes the tone. How or whether we use fingernails can affect this. Or we can make the sound warm, thick, and wooly. For example, we can make the sound bright and tinny. On guitar, we can further slice timbre down to the various possible tone qualities. What we recognize are the different timbres. Likewise, we recognize people’s individual voices. A tuba has a different timbre than a clarinet. In the wider world of music, timbre is the particular sound of an instrument. The official name for this is “timbre” (pronounced “tam’ bur.” The second element of music is the sound quality. Element #2: Tone, or Sound Quality (aka “Timbre”) We could also play it on the 5th fret on the second string, the 9th fret on the third string, etc. For example, a certain E could be played as the open first string. On the guitar, many pitches are found in more than one location. The position on the lines and spaces of the musical staff point to this. When we look at a piece of sheet music, the positions of the dots on the page denote the pitch. The question here is “Which note is this?” Pitch is the relative highness or lowness of a note. And when we combine them, they become larger than the sum of their parts. We appreciate it more because we are aware of more. Like the tongue of a fine chef, we learn to recognize the subtle hints and flavors. We can tease apart the threads and look at each one on its own.Īnd when we explore the separate elements, we come to hear more in music. But we can also quantify what goes into music. Music means different things to different people. As Viktor Hugo said, “ Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Like DNA, these four ingredients combine to create infinite possibilities.Īnd when you know these four, you can find specific and immediate ways to improve your playing and pieces. What makes up music? Below, you’ll find the four elements that are the building blocks of music. It can blend into the background, or we can lose ourselves in it.
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