Meaning, Terms and Characteristics of Music

What Is Music?

Music may be defined in more than one way based on it's characteristics and feature. Personally, I consider it to be a sound consisting of melody, harmony and rhythm, properly organized in time.

Melody is the flow and pattern of the music. We tend to love the melody of a song when it's beautifully put together. We can even "hum" the music without singing it's lyrics (word composition). You actually experience melody when you sing along the tune of your favorite song. Melody gives music a sense of flow and it's the main voice in any musical work. (voice can be made from humans or instruments).

Harmony is the synchronization of pitches, especially when blended into chords.To further explain, Consider a boy singing and at the same time playing a guiter. The sounds made from the chords in the guitar will synchronize with the melody of his voice. We will be able to feel and sense the harmony of his guiter cords and his voice. So think of harmony as a complement of his voice and the sound made from the guiter. Harmony also refers to other multiple lines of musical notes that exist with the melody and complement it. You may need a little bit of concentration to experience harmony in a music.

Rhythm is simply the tempo of a beat through the music. It requires some exact units of sounds processed as beats. The tempo is the speed at which the beats are performed. The beat (also called pulse) is the regular pattern within a specific number of musical sounds.

Note: Not all music sound pleasant depending on our mood. This is because they are made for different occasions, and can convey a variety of environments and emotions. However, Let's always remember that music is essential in many aspect of our life (in good and bad times) because the sounds made from it are coordinated. A person who makes music attempts combine sounds and tones in an orderly and unified manner, to suite different life occasions.

Terms associated with Music

Other terms associated with music are:

• Pitch: This the frequency of a note. (i.e, how high or low the note sounds)

• Notes: These are symbols used to represent sounds and the length of sounds.

• Key: These are groups of pitches based on a particular tone, which forms the basis of a section of music.

• Chord: It is said to be formed when two or more pitches are sounded at the same time.

• Octave: This is the interval between two musical notes, usually eight steps away.

• Theme: This is the most important melody at any specific time in a music. It could be one or more though.

• Tonality: This is the arrangement of all the tones and harmonies in a music.

• Tempo: It is the rate of speed of a musical work.

• Sharp: It's symbol is ♯. It raises the note by a half-step when added to it.

• Solo: This generally imply one musician playing alone. In an orchestral work, it is the important line for one player.

• Soli: In an orchestral work, it is the important line for a group of players.

• Allegro: This is when a music is sung quickly and lively.

• Largo: This is when a music is sung slowly.

• Volume: This indicate the degree of loudness of a sound.

Characteristics of Music

1. All the terms defined above are part of the characteristics of a music.

2. Music can be collaborative (involving two persons in its production and performance).

3. Music can be made by combining a variety of instruments. E.g drums, piano and bells.

4. Most music build tempo, volume and energy along it's course. For instance, when you listen to a music, it dosen't just begin loud and end loud.