Melody & Texture

This lesson is part of the Fundamentals of Sound & Music module.

Objectives

• Students will understand the fundamental concepts of texture, melody, countermelody and accompaniment.
• Students will be able to identify different types of texture.
• Students will learn the basic features of melodic writing: motive, phrase, contour, range
• Students will explore how melody is portrayed in sign languages through signing space and gestural modification

Resources

Readings

• Jackson, Music Appreciation:
  • Melody
  • Motives
  • Musical Texture: Part 1, Part 2
• Magnuson, Sound Patterns: Chapter 3 - Texture
• Hutchinson, Music for the 21st Century Classroom
  • Chapter 11.1 - Motive
  • Chapter 11.4 - Phrase
  • Chapter 14.1 - Texture
  • Chapter 14.2 - Choral Texture
• Earmaster: Chapter 2.4 - Texture
• Maler, [forthcoming book from OUP on sign language and music]
• Music Theory Academy:
  • Texture
  • Imitation
  • Musical Structures Part 1
• Lipscomb, History & Styles of Rock:
  • Examples of Musical Texture
• Rumery, Composer's Tools: Contour
• Tagg, Excerpts from "Chapter 5: Melody" in Everyday Tonality II (2014).

Listening or Videos

• Texture Sample Playlist (Youtube)
• Playlist to Accompany Tagg Chapter 5 (Youtube)

Tools

• AddTexture

Class Activities

• Discussion and definition of different types of texture
• Identification of texture in musical examples from different genres and time periods
• Identification of general contour for melodic segments

Assignments

• Identifying melodic shape and texture in recorded examples