WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Music Revision Guide Sample

7 THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC CHAPTER 1: THE ELEMENTS OF MUSIC Pitch When we talk about the ‘pitch’ in music, we are thinking about whether the music is high or low – or in between. It is the different position of the different sounds which are the musical notes. In this respect, you need to think about: • the melody and its range • what intervals may be included • what patterns or devices may be used • how contrast is achieved. The pitch is identified through the musical notes, where they are placed on the stave and identified by the clefs that are used. Stave Sometimes called the staff. The name given to the five lines and four spaces that music is written on. Clef The symbol at the start of the musical line. The clefs you need to know are the treble clef (used for higher-pitched voices and instruments) and the bass clef (used for lower-pitched voices and instruments). Key terms The distance between two musical notes is known as an interval . There are different types of intervals: some are small (because the notes are close together) and others are large (because the notes are further apart). The most common way of organising the pitches in music can be understood by learning about the musical scales , of which there are also different types. You must learn the names of the treble and bass clef notes, and be aware of the musical movement in a melody – both in written notation and when listening to extracts in the appraising examination. Here are some pitch exercises to get you started. A The following 12 musical patterns each consist of five notes. In each pattern, identify: • Which written note would be the ‘highest’ pitch? • Which written note would be the ‘lowest’ pitch? • Which written note would give the ‘middle’ pitch in each pattern? Try completing this task without listening to the extracts at first. 1 2 3 Activity 1.1 wwwwwwwwwww ~ w ~ wwwwwwwwwwww ~ w You will also need to know about the viola clef (or alto clef as it is sometimes called) for the more in-depth analysis of the prepared extracts you must study. Get the Grade Some of the different types of scales are: • Major scales • Minor scales • Chromatic scales • Pentatonic scales • Blues scales Remember