What is a contour in music theory?

In linguistics, speech synthesis, and music, the pitch contour of a sound is a function or curve that tracks the perceived pitch of the sound over time. In music, the pitch contour focuses on the relative change in pitch over time of a primary sequence of played notes.

What is melodic contour example?

One can picture a line that goes up steeply when the melody suddenly jumps to a much higher note, or that goes down slowly when the melody gently falls. Such a line gives the contour or shape of the melodic line. For example, you can speak of a “steeply rising melody” or of an “arch-shaped” phrase.

Why is melodic contour important?

Melodic contour, or the pattern of rises and falls in pitch, is a critical component of melodic structure, and has an important impact on listeners’ perceptions of, and memory for, music.

How does a melodic contour represent rhythm?

Melodic contour represents a higher-level organization of the elements of pitch and time, and manipulation of materials at Page 4 the level of contour can indicate shifts of meaning. Taking the rhythmic contour [ . . . Another global organizing principle for pitch is tonality (Krumhansl, 1990).

How many phrases are in a melody?

Melodic Phrases A melodic phrase is a group of notes that make sense together and express a definite melodic “idea”, but it takes more than one phrase to make a complete melody.

What are the five melodic contour?

contour consists of five tones presented at different frequencies as follows: (1) 523 Hz for an ascending contour, (2) repetition of a single tone of 392 Hz for a staying the same contour, and (3) 523, 349, 330, 294, and 262 Hz for a descending contour.

What are the two types of melodic contour?

Lesson Summary All melodies have contour, and all melodies utilize a combination of four basic types of melodic motion: step up, step down, leap up, and leap down. Contour analysis can classify the melody’s motions according to these four types.

How do you identify melodic phrases?

How do you spot a phrase in a melody? Just as you often pause between the different sections in a sentence (for example, when you say, “wherever you go, there you are”), the melody usually pauses slightly at the end of each phrase.