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QEGS Music Department
Melody
Melody: A series of notes organised one after another to form a tune.
Melodic Contour
Melodic Contour
Melodic contour describes the shape of a melody: whether it is rising or falling, and whether it is moving by small or large intervals.
Melodic Devices
Melodic Devices
Melodic devices are used by composers to extend and vary a melody. Devices include:
Augmentation
Diminution
Inversion
Retrograde
Transposition
Sequence
Fragmentation
Intervals
Intervals
Intervals are the distances between two notes. Intervals are measured in semitones and can also be worked out using major and minor scales.
Phrasing
Phrasing
Phrases are sections of melody and used in much the same way as phrases are used in writing. See cadences in harmony to find out how phrases are punctuated.
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