Topmusicanswers
Chapter 11 Melodic Analysis We will divide analysis of melodies into motives (which can be broken into fragments) and phrases (which can be broken into subphrases) in order to understand the construction of melodies.
- How do you analyze a melody?
- What is the purpose of music analysis?
- How do you Analyse a song using the concept of music?
- How do you Analyse harmony in music?
How do you analyze a melody?
Assuming the music is tonal or in a key, I suggest analyzing the notes of a melody in four ways:
- rhythm - metric placement.
- harmony - note relative to the chord (if a the melody is accompanied)
- tonality - relative to the key (or tonal center if perhaps the music isn't clear cut major/minor key)
What is the purpose of music analysis?
Taking such an approach helps to identify what it is in the patterns in the music (voice leading, root progressions etc) that contributes to the style, period and the mood of the music. Musical analysis, by some, is regarded as a dry theoretical exercise that is of little practical use to musicians.
How do you Analyse a song using the concept of music?
First pass
- Melody – the tune of the music.
- Harmony – the individual chords as well as the overall chord progression.
- Rhythm – the beat and groove of the song.
- Form / Song structure – the different sections in the song.
- Texture – the number of layers of music going on.
- Tempo – the bpm.
How do you Analyse harmony in music?
Analyzing harmony in a piece or passage of music involves more than labeling chords. Even the most basic analysis also involves interpreting the way that specific chords and progressions function within a broader context.
