This post is the third chapter of the pre-release of my book Fast Music Theory: Understanding the Language of Music in Record Time. To start from the beginning, check out Chapter One: 12 Tones. For a run-through on the basics of time in music, check out Chapter Two: Rhythm. For my introduction and the reason behind this project, check out my first post. Follow me through this release to shed some light on the patterns and tendencies of your favorite sounds. These principles can be applied to any music!
CHAPTER 3
Melody and Harmony
“Music has a poetry of its own, and that poetry is called melody.”
-Joshua Logan
Notes are like colors. When you put them on canvas, they can have different functions. Are you adding color to a foreground, or a background? Is that color just for texture, or is it to command attention? There are two general functions for notes, and understanding these can help decode and organize the details of a song or piece.
Melody
We’ve all gotten songs stuck in our heads. Between the instruments, the sound waves bouncing around the room they were recorded in, and the decisions the sound engineers made after the recording, a song has a lot going on. The layer of a song that we tend to remember and sing is called the melody, which is a series of single notes that are attached to the lyrics (if there are any; lyrics aren’t required!). Humans have a long history with melody and have been crafting instruments to make melodies for thousands of years. Most people have melodic preferences, whether they are aware of them or not. What do you like in a melody? What do you dislike?
EARWORM TIP: Got a song stuck in your head that you don’t like? Find a super catchy song that you love as your go-to mental song replacement. My current favorite is “Have a Cigar” by Pink Floyd, and it’s successfully saved me hours of musical headspace from the clutches of invasive songs.
Harmony
Melody is a driving force in most songs, propelling either a narrative or a mood. If melody is the main character of our story, then harmony is the vivid landscape that the story takes place in. Any instrument playing chords (covered in Chapter 6: Chords) or offering harmonic support to the melody is a part of the general harmony of a song. The piano part that Paul McCartney plays while he sings “Let It Be” is the harmony, as is most of Jimmy Page’s guitar playing in "Stairway to Heaven". Sometimes several instruments come together in a band to play the collective role of the harmony. A collection of melodies that are working together and offering support to a strong primary melody can also be considered harmony. Lots of variations exist. Just listen!
LANGUAGE TIP: Harmony is also the word we use to describe background vocals that have a “harmonizing” effect with the lead vocal. This exists for instruments as well, such as the harmonizing guitar lines found in a lot of thrash metal or “More Than a Feeling” by Boston.
Melody and harmony are not the only layers of modern music, but they encompass an enormous percentage of what musicians discuss. In fact, any song can be reduced on paper to its melody and harmony and learned quickly. This is called a lead sheet.
BONUS: Here are some terms that are highly subjective and fun to discuss
Texture: Contextually, this is the auditory equivalent of texture you can see and touch. It refers to the overall collection of sounds at a given time. A rock band of drummer, bassist, guitarist, and singer plays with a general texture and may change the texture for different sections of a song. This topic is especially fun to think about for large ensembles like symphonic orchestras.
Groove: This is a slippery one. Groove can either refer to a song’s ability to make you dance or move, or it can refer to a musician or band’s interaction with a constant rhythm. When groove has been established, it is easily identifiable. Be sure to dance when you’ve found it.
“You can’t hold no groove if you ain’t got no pocket.”
-Victor Wooten
Not a long chapter, but these principles are extremely important to understand. See if you can identify occasions of melody and harmony in your favorite songs. And remember, you don't need to play music to understand these principles. Having knowledge and an opinion about music makes it more enjoyable and connects us deeper with our different cultures.
Have a music theory question? You can always drop one here.
Was this easy to understand? If not, let me know so I can make the language clearer. Follow me for Chapter 4, where we’ll break down melody making into it’s individual musical distances—Intervals. Thanks for your support, Steemit!
