Page 65 - Year 10 Knowledge Organiser

BTEC Music: 1 of 9 BTEC Music: 2 of 9

Harmony
Melody

Harmony refers to the combinations of chords in a piece of music. Usually, music will have a sequence of chords playing one after the other. This sequence is called the chord
progression or harmonic progression.
The melody of a piece is usually the tune. Often, it’s the part that the singer sings, but melodies can be played on most instruments. A melody is different from chords because a
melody is a sequence of notes played one after the other, whereas chords are several notes stacked together at the same time. 1 Listen to the Song

1 Listen to the Song • Start by listening to the song attentively. Pay close attention to the chord progressions and how they support the melody and overall feel of the song.

• Start by listening to the song. Pay close attention to the vocal melody, as well as any instrumental melodies that may be present.. 2 Identify the Chords and Key

2 Identify any Melodies in the Song

•Work out which part of the song contains the main melody. This is usually the vocal line, but it can also be a line played by guitar, keyboard, or another instrument. •Listen for the basic chords that accompany the melody. These are typically played by instruments like guitar, piano, or synthesizers.
•Listen for the main melody line throughout the whole song. It can be useful to separate the song into sections at this point (so you might analyse the verse melody, •Use your instrument (if you play one) or a keyboard/piano to figure out the chords by ear. Alternatively, you can find chord charts or tutorials online that
then later analyse the chorus melody). •provide chord progressions for popular songs.
•Listen for any other melodies. Sometimes a piece of music can have more than one melody playing at at time. Sometimes you can find melodies contained in •Write down the chords in the order they appear throughout the song. Use chord symbols (e.g., C, G, Am, F) to represent each chord
instrumental riffs or in solos. These are all worth talking about as they are a great opportunity to show your understanding and get a higher mark. •Work out which key the chords belong to (this is nearly always the first chord of your sequence. If you need more help with this, check the Harmony and
•Tonality Booklets or ask for help). At this point it can be useful to write out the chords usually found in your key. This will make the next step much easier.
3 Analyse Pitch and Range

•Work out the pitch of the melody: Overall, is it higher or lower pitched than the instruments around it? 3 Analyse the Chord Progressions
•Identify the range of the melody. This is the distance between the lowest and highest pitches.

4 Examine Rhythmic Elements •Look for patterns or recurring chord progressions in the song. Common progressions in pop music include the I-IV-V-I progression in major keys and the i-VI- IV-V
progression in minor keys.
• Analyse the rhythm of the melody, including note durations, syncopation, and rhythmic patterns. •Identify cadences within the song.
• Identify any rhythmic motifs or repeating rhythmic figures that contribute to the character of the melody. A lot of the time these will be the same as rhythms •Look for any key changes or modulations in the song (where the song changes key). This often happens during the chorus or during the bridge of the
found in other parts of the song (For instance, the singer might sing something in time with what the guitarist is playing). •song. Another place to look for modulations is if the song feels like it “lifts” towards the end.
•Identify any borrowed chords. This is where a song uses chords that are not from the original key. These usually make a progression more interesting by
•adding colour or tension.

4 Summarise your Analysis

• Describe how what you have discussed above impacts on the sound of the piece. For instance, modulations can add contrast, or the composer choosing a minor key
can create a dark mood.