Composing Rhythm and Melody Elements of Music When

Composing Rhythm and Melody

Elements of Music When we started first year we talked about the three main elements of music – melody, harmony and rhythm. Can you remember what these are?

Elements of Music Melody Melodies are tunes. They are created using high and low sounds. Harmony The way in which sounds are organised and played. Harmony uses chords and determines whether the music is happy or sad (major or minor!). Rhythm How long notes are held on for and how fast or slow they are played.

Composing When a composer writes a piece of music, they have to consider these elements. We are going to focus on composing using melody and rhythm.

Rhythm Invent a rhythmic pattern for your group by putting crosses in the boxes. 4 beats in the bar on a rock rhythm. Your invention has and is based Each person in your group should complete a different line. It is important to create spaces (rests) in your pattern so only use 3 -5 crosses. Count: A B C D E 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Rhythm Below is an example where all members of the group have composed different rhythms: Count: A 1 & X X C X E 3 & X X 4 X X X & X B D 2 X X X

Rhythm Once you have decided on a pattern, try to clap the rhythm. Select someone in your group to count the beat to make sure everyone claps in time. Try repeating your rhythm several times, creating an ostinato OSTINATO – A musical idea which is heard more than once.

Rhythm Now in your groups decide on one of the rhythms created by your group and practice it together. We are now going to replace the clapping with animal sounds. Your teacher will give each group a different animal sound A-’oink’, B-’moo’, C-’quack’, D-’baa’

Extra Ideas Use different percussion instruments to play your piece. Try performing your piece in different combinations e. g. A, then A+B+C etc. 3 beats in a bar called a Waltz rhythm. Try using only (1+2+3+). This is For your information – The drum kit belongs to the percussion family (instruments played by shaking, scraping or striking)

Melody We are going to compose a melody using the rhythm from one of the pieces we have been working on. You will compose your melody using the notes from ‘Paparazzi’ – these are in the box below: E F# G B

Melody E F# G B On a glockenspiel, use the rhythm for ‘Country Roads’ to compose your melody using the notes above. Every note should have a corresponding letter name. Here is an example of a first line:

Extra Ideas Experiment with dynamics (volume) Play two notes at the same time (harmony) You could think of other ways to develop your melody! Keep experimenting!