A Level Music OCR

Organisation of Pitch

Organising Pitch

• Pitch defines the frequency of a sound and determines its "highness" or "lowness".
• It is a fundamental attribute of musical tones, differentiated by the vibrations per second created by the sound source.
• Organisation of pitch deals with concepts including melody, harmony, tonality and modality.

Melody

• A melody is a succession of pitches perceived as a single entity, often described as a "tune" or "song".
• Melodies are typically characterised by a specific rhythm and contour.
• Contour involves the upward and downward movement of the melody, defining whether the melody rises, falls, leaps or stays the same.

Harmony

• Harmony refers to the vertical aspect of music, considering how multiple pitches may be sounded together.
• It often refers to the chords and chord progression that underpin a melody.
• Harmonic structure can be used to heighten the emotional quality of a piece of music.

Tonality

• Tonality is the principle of organisation around a central pitched 'home' referred to as the tonic.
• Tonality can be major, minor, modal or atonal.
• The key signature of a song or piece of music reflects its tonality.

Modality

• Modality is similar to tonality, but is based on modes rather than major and minor scales.
• In modal music, the tonic remains the same but the scale or mode changes.
• Modes create different moods and were widely used in medieval and renaissance music. They have also been used in jazz and popular music.

Interdependence of Pitch Organisation

• The organisation of pitch is interdependent with other musical elements.
• Changes in pitch organisation, like shifting from a major to minor key, or introducing a new melody, often correspond with changes in other elements like rhythm, timbre or texture.
• Understanding how changes in pitch organisation interact with other musical elements provides insight into a piece's structure and expressive qualities.