LECTURE 4: Basic Elements of Music (You will need about 4 hours to complete this folder)
Basic Elements of Music
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Time required: About 4 hours to view all the assigned videos.
Objectives: To develop an understanding of the following components of music and how they connect with the natural order of things (physics).
Instruments for Playing Music
Melody
Rhythm
Harmony
Equal Temperament
Background: The ancient Greeks were the first to break down music into component parts and to understand how those parts work together. You will be watching a series of videos that discuss some (not all) of these component parts. The idea here is not to make musicians out of students, but to give you a better understanding of how music works.
What's Cool about It?
Hopefully, by the time you work through the following assignments, you will begin to see some fascinating connections between music and nature. Remember, musical tones are sound, which in turn are vibrations (you already learned some things about how sound travels through the environment as vibrating waves having frequencies). Music tends to work coherently with the laws of nature to produce vibrations or sounds that are pleasing (at least to someone) to the ear.
Assignment 1
- Click on and go to the following website: Dave Conservatoire. Music: A Beginner's Guide Links to an external site.
Click on Get Started. That directs you to the Topics page.
Click on Getting Started
a. Watch What Is Music Theory.
b. On the Topics page, click on Instruments and watch the entire list of short videos (about 40 minutes).
Assignment 2
Howard Goodall narrates a series of video documentaries on music, which are very good and available on You Tube. Each is about 40-50 minutes in length.
1. Click on the following link and watch Howard Goodall's documentary on Melody.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-P55m37hWk
Links to an external site.
NOTE: If the above link does not work try the following link. Watch all the parts. A portion of the documentary (Part IV) may be blocked due to copyright issues. Just skip over that part.
Link Links to an external site.
2. Click on the following link and watch Howard Goodall's documentary on rhythm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZJPnAer7EM
Links to an external site.
3. Click on the following link and watch Howard Goodall's documentary on harmony. Note the video is in four parts (total length is under an hour):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTUXKWnHH-g
Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oShLg8JCHCg
Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0IcvVF-p_k
Links to an external site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ik4Qt3MUw
Links to an external site.