1. An introduction to talking about music
Musical language
An introduction to talking about music
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2. Describing sound
All sound can be described using a few basic adjectives:
Pitch: high or low
Volume: loud or soft
Texture: thick or thin
Speed: fast or slow
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3. Describing music
Music is a special kind of sound which can also be described in terms of:
Melody
Harmony
Rhythm
Tempo
Dynamics
Instrumentation
Structure/Arrangement
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4. Describing melody
The melody is a sequence of notes or pitches. The melody gives the music ‘shape’, e.g.:
Smooth
Angular
Wavy
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5. Describing the mood
You might also describe the mood that a piece of music creates. The melody, harmony etc create mood, e.g. happy (usually major key) or sad (usually minor key). You can also use adjectives relating to colours or shades to describe mood, e.g. dark or light.
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6. Describing the arrangement
A composer arranges music by organising different pitches and volumes over a space of time. When talking about arrangement, you might consider repetition, variation, and contrast. Useful adjectives include: moving, changing, surprising, unexpected…
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7. Describing the speed
When talking about the speed of music, adjectives associated with motion can be helpful, e.g.:
Skipping, trudging, plodding, racing
You can also think about the effect of the speed of the music on the listener, e.g.:
Calm, sleepy, sad, exciting, thrilling
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8. Describing the style
You may also find it helpful to talk about the style of the music (though this can lead to generalisations), e.g.:
Punk
Military
Country
Medieval
Romantic
Hollywood
Bollywood
Britpop
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