Music Elements

Category: Music —

Music and its elements were taken up by man from sounds in nature, like the chirping of birds or blowing of the wind. The different types of elements of music that were found in nature were put together to create music.

The elements of music are as follows:

  • Form
  • Timbre
  • Melody
  • Texture
  • Dynamics
  • Harmony
  • Rhythm

Form/Musical Form: Form is the element that refers to the style or genre of music. The form, or more appropriately, the musical form is determined on the basis of the harmonic language, rhythm that is used, lyrics, instruments, etc. Many a times, the form is also determined by the geographical area, or the historical era, to which it belongs, for example, Indian classical music. As the name suggests, Indian classical music originated in India during ancient times. It was developed in ancient India on the basis of the flow of sounds that appeared in nature. Sometimes the format of lyrics is also used to classify the form of music. For example: a ballad is a narrative poem. The famous song ‘Nothing Else Matters’ by rock band, Metallica, is often classified as a ballad, because of its narrative lyrics.

Timbre: Timbre is a rather abstract concept that involves the differentiation and identification of the notations, which are played on different instruments at the same time. For example a bass guitar and a lead guitar are always played together with the same notation, however, a groove or a singular notation is played on the bass guitar, whereas, a chord is played on the lead guitar. The differentiation between the sounds of these notations is commonly termed as Timbre. It is also often defined as a distinctive and complex note.

Melody: A melody is often defined as a set of linear notations in the form of tunes, vocals, or even chords or grooves. A melody essentially forms the basic framework of any song. It must be noted that melody is often divided into different phrases. The specialty of a melody is that it can be written down with the help of staff and quote notations. For example, most of the rock songs can be divided into parts like the verse and chorus. It is said to be the horizontal aspect of music.

Texture: Many musicians consider texture to be the heart and soul of music. A texture is a set or pattern of rhythms and notations played together. It is often termed as a progression. A common texture is made up of harmony, tempo and rhythm. Some of the common textures are monophonic (where only one melodic voice is used) or polyphonic (where multiple and independent voices are used). A micropolyphony is a modern texture that was first composed by the famous Austrian composer, György Ligeti.

Dynamics: The volume of the notation is known as the dynamics of the music. Nowadays, due to technical advancements in music, instruments like the electric guitar have electronic controls for volume. However, while playing the traditional instruments, musicians had to control the volume manually while playing the notations. The term dynamics is more valid and applicable for written notations. For example, a ‘p’ (in lower case) stands for a piano notation that is to be played softly.

Harmony: The term harmony refers to the different notations played at different pitches, but in the same scale, and is used to make chords. Harmony is often referred to as harmonics in modern music. It said to be the vertical aspect of music. Harmony involves finding notes that sound harmonic to each other i.e. notations in same scale. According to composer Arnold Whitall, “It was not that counterpoint was supplanted by harmony (Bach’s tonal counterpoint is surely no less polyphonic than Palestrina’s modal writing) but that an older type both of counterpoint and of vertical technique was succeeded by a newer type. And harmony comprises not only the (‘vertical’) structure of chords but also their (‘horizontal’) movement. Like music as a whole, harmony is a process.” Harmony is a factor that makes complex but beautiful textures in music. It also a form of innovation and experimentation.

Rhythm: A rhythm is a set of sequential, synchronized and uniform beats and notations. The concept of a ‘pulse’ or a repetitive beat is a very important element of rhythm. The concepts of texture and rhythm, when put together, form the concept of a ‘bar’. A bar is a set of rhythm, which is accompanied by specific notations played in a uniform tempo.

All these elements, when put together form the magical art of music. Music is a form of universal communication. It is very difficult to describe, write or define each and every element of music. In reality, it is to be heard, observed on the instrument, and felt by the heart.

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Country Music

Category: Music —

No matter what your preferences are, no matter what kind of disposition you have- you simply cannot refrain yourself from being mesmerized and enticed by music. Since its inception, music has been the most loved source of entertainment and people with different tastes and likings admire several kinds of music. It has different kinds and forms. Across the world different kinds of music has evolved with the emergence of distinctive civilizations and the characteristic nature of the people in different countries etc. The influence of music can be felt in every corner of the world. Various genre of music like rock, pop, classical, jazz etc have been immensely applauded by the people.

Country Music is also well accepted and admired by the music listeners across the globe. This highly melodious and mellifluous form of music is awesomely pure and subtle. Unlike the conventional pop and metal music, this genre is known for its flawless and soft rhythms that are soothing to the ears and pleasant to the soul. Many popular artists have given amazing performances and great albums that have remarkable influences from this music. These albums have achieved admirable success and recognition from the listeners.

Country music is a remarkably enticing genre of music that focuses on the melodies and the rhythms. It is identified by its immensely mellifluous tones and upbeat numbers. It is a blend of various distinctive music forms from across the world and mainly has influences from the music that was originated in the southern parts of the United States and the region of Appalachian Mountains. Around 1920, this category rapidly evolved and gained popularity among the masses. This kind of music has its roots in the various traditional and classical types like folk music, old times music, Celtic music, gospel and the blues. In the southern United States the various ethnic groups created music of different styles and the combination of all these styles emerged as the Western Music that comprises a major part of the country and western music.

There have been a number of artists and performers who have gained immense popularity with this genre of music. Elvis Presley, who was earlier known as The Hillbilly Cat was one of the biggest pop icons in the history of music. He won recognition through his immensely admirable country music performances. He was featured on the radio program Louisiana Hayride where he used to give amazing performances based on this music. Similarly Garth Brooke is one of the most appreciated country based music artist whose albums were chart toppers. He made short debut in other genres too. This genre saw its greatest high in the year 2006 when the country albums sales increased by the 17.7 percent to a whopping 36 millions.

The country pop has its roots in the soft rock and the country-politan which emerged as a sub genre of this music in the 1970’s. It was well accepted by the wide variety of audiences during the same decade. The singers like John Denver, Glen Campbell and Anne Murray were some of the most admired artists of this genre. “RhineStone Cowboy” by Campbell is amongst the best and biggest crossover music hits. The songs in this music CD are still hummed by the teenagers and youngsters. Olivia Newton John is considered as the best female country vocal performer.

Outlaw country revolutionized this genre of music completely with the derived Honky Tonk sounds of late 1950’s. After 1935, the Western Swing Big Band leader Bob Willis used drums as the major instrument in his band Texas Playboy. The drums were readily used by the country musicians and the rockabilly groups till 1955. Later, they became significant in the country bands also. The electric guitar was used in the bands that were originated in the beginning of 1938. Arthur Smith achieved immense success with the Guitar Boogie a MGM records album that declared the beginning of guitar as the most influential instrument in the country band.

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