Key Words

Accompaniment

A part or parts, usually instrumental, supporting the main melody. Listen for the piano accompanying the voice.

Arrangement

An adaptation of an existing piece of music / melody. This is an arrangement of Men of Harlech.

Bar

Vertical lines on a sheet of music which divide notes into groups of equal numbers of beats

Call and Response

Two distinct phrases, usually performed by different musicians, where the second phrase is a response to the first

Crotchet

A note with a value of one beat.

Dotted Rhythms

Notes which are followed by a dot to increases its value by half the value of the original note.

Dynamics

Gradations of loudness and quietness

Folk Song

A traditional song that is sung by people of a country or region and forms part of their culture

Home notes

The first or home note of a scale (tonic)

Homophony

A texture in which all parts move together rhythmically

Improvising

Creating and developing musical ideas spontaneously while performing; an important feature of jazz and popular music

Lyrics

The words of a song

Male Voice Choir

A body of male singers who perform together as a group.

Melodic movement

A melody can move up or down in step, leap or repetetive movement.

Melody

A succession of notes combining pitch and rhythm; also known as the tune

Mode / Modal

A type of early scale, used before major and minor keys were developed

Modulation

A change of key

Orchestra

A large ensemble comprising strings, woodwind, brass and percussion

Phrase

A short musical idea; part of a melody

Pitch

The highness and lowness of sounds in relation to each other

Polyphony

A texture in which two or more melodic lines, possibly of equal importance, weave independently of each other

Quaver

A note with a value of half a beat.

Rhythm

A variety of notes of different length shaped into patterns

Sequence

A melodic phrase immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch

Solo

One instrument or voice

Structure

The way a piece of music is organised or put together

Texture

The result of combining timbres, melodies, rhythms and chords.

Transposing instrument

A musical instrument whose music is notated different to the pitch that actually sounds (concert pitch).

Tuned instrument

Any instruments that can play a variety of pitch (piano, flute, trumpet, xylophone)

Unaccompanied

Singing or playing without accompaniment

Unison

Two or more parts or voices sounding at the same pitch

Variations

A technique where the main theme is repeated in a varied way e.g. with added notes, different rhythms, etc.(see Theme and variations)

Verse

Part of a song, heard after the introduction; each verse has more or less the same melody, but different lyrics

Call

Check
Reset

Response

Information

Listen and follow the structure of 'Dacw 'Nghariad'.
Use the tools to describe the melodic movement.

What other interesting features of rhythm and melody can you hear?

Suggestions

Rhythm

  • All responses have the same rhythm.
  • Use of dotted rhythms in the last response.
  • All calls use two different types of note values (crotchets and quavers).

Melody

  • There is a sequence in every response.
  • The melody is based on the Dorian mode, but doesn't use the note B.
  • The notes are higher in pitch at the beginning of Phrase B (Dacw'r tŷ).

Both

  • Phrases A1 and A2 are identical.
  • Phrase B (call and response) has four-bar phrases (not two-bar phrases as A1 and A2).

LNF

8.OS4 /

8.OL1

  • How else could you vary the structure of this song?