Music Theory And Practicing Music Styles

Music is the art of combining different sounds in harmony through the components of tone, melody, harmony, and rhythm. It is probably one of the oldest universal musical elements of all human civilizations. Generally accepted definitions of music generally include common rhythmic elements like beat, rhythm, melodic quality, and the fundamental sonic qualities of texture and timbre. All other elements including diction, voice, or structure are ancillary and contribute to the beauty of music as well. The ability to play music and its evolution through history is deeply entrenched in the culture of each country, as is evident in the popular genres of Western music. Examples of such genres in other countries' music include classical, folk, jazz, hip hop, blues, r&b, and gospel.

In a very simplistic definition, Music is a medium through which an artist expresses his creative genius through his performance. The process typically starts with a basic musical idea expressed by the performer. Then he creates the melody by following his musical ideas through his instrument. Finally he completes the tune by expressing it through his vocal chords.

In terms of composition, music has three important phases namely, creation of the melody, construction of the tonal harmony and finally expression of the melody through expression through the lyrics and rhythm. The process of creation of a melody depends on the tone, structure and harmony of a musical piece. In other words, it involves the searching for a message through music. Creation of a melody involves musical concepts like tonality, rhythmic and melodic development, range, texture, register, and bass line.

Rhythm refers to the overall tempo of a piece of music. Rhythmical content varies according to the type of genre, whether it's pop, classical or folk. A popular example is found in jazz where the lead rhythm guitarist often plays fast solos while the backing rhythm guitarist often plays intricate rhythmically based patterns. Examples of popular rhythmically based songs are "Take Me In Your Eyes" by Beethoven, "Tcha Donna" by salsa, and "Echo de la Vergencia" by Chicano.

The creation of a melody involves using various expressive techniques like scales, modes, rondo, melodic invention, use of polyphonic forms and other chromatic techniques. This process is also called composition because it is considered to be a form of art. The melody expresses a unique sound and expresses something about the singer or musician. Examples of expressive techniques used in a melody are: pitch contouring, chromatic harmonies, line extension, chromatic transition, suspension, variation, multiple pattern, parallel change, variation harmony and figure. Expressionism is a popular movement that emerged in the late 19th century.

Timbre is another important aspect in music. It refers to the range of sound an instrument or voice can produce. A pianist can play two octaves only using one type of keyboard and a flautist can play a full scale but only use one technique for each note. Using appropriate timbre in a musical composition can help you produce and interpret a melody more clearly.