Minds On
Today’s vocabulary
The element of music that relates to the way music is organized. Explore also binary form (AB form); fusion form; minuet; rondo; ternary form (ABA form); theme and variations; 12-bar blues; verse and chorus.
A form of music that consists of a melody or theme that is followed by variations of that theme (A, A1, A2, A3…). The variations can result from changes in tempo, rhythm, instruments, dynamics, articulation, and/or mood of the theme. Explore also form.
The element of music that connects to time. Fundamental concepts connected to it are beat, rhythm, metre, and tempo.
The element of music that relates to the highness or lowness of a tone or sound.
Giving different kinds of focus or emphasis to notes using articulation, fermatas, tempo, dynamics, and timbre.
The element of music that relates to the unique sound of an instrument or voice (e.g., the characteristic sound of a trumpet versus a clarinet, or a knock on the door versus a bell ringing).
The layers of a piece of music and how they are combined to create the overall sound. Some common terms for different types of texture are monophony, homophony, and polyphony.
Let’s get started!
Explore the following excerpts from the lullaby “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.
Student Success
Think-Pair-Share
What do you notice? How are the excerpts similar? How are they different?
Record your ideas using any method of your choice. If possible, share your thoughts with a partner.
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Action
Get ready, get set…
Theme and variations
Let’s review the two excerpts of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” you explored in the Minds On section.
Did the excerpts seem similar, but different?
This is because what you explored was a theme (“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” melody) and a variation on that theme.
In music, form is the structure of a musical work or piece. The theme is the main melody of the music piece. A variation is music similar to the main melody, but with some differences so that it does not sound exactly the same as the theme
How is a variation created?
The variations often result from changes in the melody, rhythm, tempo, metre, and melody. A variation can also impact the musical elements of texture, dynamics, and/or timbre.
The element of music that relates to time, which includes beat, rhythm, metre, and tempo.
Consider the following questions:
- How would you describe the rhythm?
- Are short or long notes being primarily used?
- How does the rhythm affect the overall energy of the piece?
- How might you represent the length (duration) of the notes?
- What tempo markings (e.g., allegro, vivace, largo) do you notice?
- How would a different tempo change your experience of the music?
How does an increase in tempo affect the mood of the piece?
The element of music that relates to the highness or lowness of a tone.
Consider the following questions:
- How might someone move their body to show how individual pitches go up, go down, or stay the same, and how do they connect to form a melody?
- What patterns do you notice in the melody (e.g., repetition, sequence)?
- How could you show others how this melody moves without singing/playing it for them?
- What words might someone use to describe the character of this song/piece of music (e.g., cheerful, bright, bold, intense)?
- In musical terms, how would you describe the tonality of this piece of music (e.g., pentatonic, major, minor, chromatic?)
- What accidentals or key signatures do you observe in the music?
The element of music that relates to volume.
Consider the following questions:
- What range of dynamics is being used?
- What dynamic markings do you notice in the music?
- How does a decrease in volume affect the feeling or mood in the music?
- What dynamic level would support the mood of this piece?
- How does the compose use expressive controls (e.g., staccato/legato or crescendo/decrescendo) to create contrasts and changes in mood?
Comparing two pieces of music/songs:
- How do these two pieces of music/songs use dynamics differently to create uniquely expressive pieces?
The element of music that relates to the quality of a sound (e.g., sound of a doorbell versus a laugh, a trumpet versus a clarinet, or two people speaking).
Consider the following questions:
- What are the primary instruments used by the composer?
- Which pitched or non-pitched percussion instrument(s) are used to accompany this piece of music/song?
- Why do you think the composer chose specific instruments for this work?
- What mood do the instruments in this piece create?
- How would changing the instruments change the effect?
- What words might someone use to describe the tone, colour, or timbre of this song/musical work (e.g., rich, bright, mellow, or piercing)?
The element of music that relates to the layers of sounds within music.
Consider the following questions:
- Which instruments or found sounds are used to accompany this piece of music/song?
- What is the rhythmic relationship between the melody and the accompaniment?
- How does the accompaniment in this piece of music/song reflect the story/poem/lyrics?
- What similarities and differences do you notice between the melodies and rhythms?
- How might someone graphically portray the layering of melodies in this piece of music?
- Is the accompaniment rhythmic, melodic, or choral?
The element of music that relates to the way musical pieces are organized.
Consider the following questions:
- How is the music organized?
- Using musical terms, how would you describe the overall form and effect of the music?
- How does the music change from one section to the next?
- What elements of music does the composer use to vary the original theme?
- How did the composer use form to suggest certain images?
Did You Know?
Fun fact!
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” is a popular English lullaby. The lyrics are from a poem written by Jane Taylor in the early 19th century. It is sung to the tune of a French melody “Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman,” which was published in 1761 and arranged by several composers, including Mozart.
How to: Variations in Song Maker
There are several ways in which composers vary the theme of a piece. In this next section, we will explore how common elements of music are changed.
We will also explore how to change these elements yourself in the Chrome Music Lab experiment, Song Maker(Opens in a new window). Check out the “Student Tips” boxes to learn how to use Song Maker.
Note that a variation is based on the original theme. In this case, we will be thinking of variations of the theme of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” If the music is like the theme, but not the same, it is considered a variation.
Rhythmic variation
Composers can change the duration of a piece. They can adjust the rhythm, tempo, or metre of the original melody to create a different feel or character.
The tempo can be changed in either direction to be faster or slower.
To vary the rhythm, a composer might replace notes with rests or extend or shorten notes. For example, to split up/shorten notes, a composer might split up a half note (too-oo) into two quarter notes or four eighth notes. To extend a rhythm, two eighth notes (ti-ti) might become one quarter note (ta).
Perhaps the most drastic rhythmic variation is to change the metre. This is because metre changes the way beats are grouped together and which beats are emphasized.
Student Tips
Rhythmic variation in Song Maker
There are different ways to play around with duration in Song Maker.
Tempo
You can use the “tempo slider” to adjust the speed (beats per minute) of the music. Slide to the left for a slower tempo and slide to the right for a faster tempo.
You can use the tempo slider to adjust the speed of the music.
Metre (time signature)
In Song Maker, there are white and grey sections on the grid.
When you first open Song Maker, by default, each section is 1 measure/bar of music in 4/4 time.
Also, by default, each square is equal to one eighth note. Two squares are equal to two eighth notes or (ti-ti).
In Song Maker, there are white and grey sections on the grid.
To adjust the time signature, click ‘Settings’ and add or subtract the number of beats per bar.
You can also go into ‘Settings’ adjust how each beat is split up:
- Split into 1: each square is equal to one quarter note
- Split into 2: each square is equal to one eighth note
- Split into 3: each square is equal to one eighth of an eighth note triplet. An eighth note triplet is made up of three eighth notes that are equal to a single quarter note
- Split into 4: each square is equal to one sixteenth note
In Song Maker, you can split squares into 1, 2, 3, or 4 beats
Melodic variation
Composers can change the original melody of a song in different ways. They can add notes, take notes away, take the melody and flip it upside down (inversion), or even play it backwards (retrograde)!
When it comes to inverting a melody (flipping it upside down), it’s important to keep the relationship between the notes the same. For example, instead of going down a major 2nd, you would go up a major 2nd.
Student Tips
Melodic variation in Song Maker
In Song Maker, you can add notes by clicking the grid of squares. The higher the square, the higher the note. Likewise, the lower the square, the lower the note.
The notes are also colour-coded.
Notes in Song Maker. Each note is a different coloured block. Each block has a letter on it. Red is a C note Orange is a D note Yellow is an E note Green is an F note Teal is a G note Purple is an ‘A’ note Pink is a B note
- C note: red
- D note: orange
- E note: yellow
- F note: green
- G note: teal
- A note: purple
- B note: pink
When you click the ‘Play’ button, the music plays from left to right. In other words, the notes that are placed on the left will play before the notes on the right. Two or more different pitches on the same vertical line will play at the same time.
The default settings provide you with a grid of squares measuring 32 across and 16 down. Click ‘Settings’ to adjust the number of bars/measures (across) and as well the octaves (up and down).
Texture variation
A common element to change is the texture or the layers of sound. This could mean adding a bassline to a melody and/or a rhythmic accompaniment.
Student Tips
Texture variation in Song Maker
In Song Maker, you can choose from different melodic playback sounds. You can choose marimba, piano, strings, woodwind, or synth.
In Song Maker, melody playback sounds include marimba, piano, strings, woodwind, or synth
There is a thicker horizontal line that runs across the Song Maker grid. This represents the division between octaves. If you would like to add a bassline, create your melody above the horizontal line. Your bassline will go below the horizontal line.
In Song Maker, the melody and bassline are separated by a thick horizontal blue line.
You can also choose from different rhythmic playback sounds. You can choose electronic, blocks, kit drum, or conga.
In Song Maker, rhythmic playback sounds include electronic, blocks, kit drum, or conga.
There is a part of the Song Maker grid that is dedicated to rhythmic playback sounds. There are two rows. The top row is a treble sound (the box), and the bottom row is a bass sound (the kick). When you click ‘Play’ the sounds will play left to right.
In Song Maker, there are two rows for rhythmic playback sounds.
A chart of rectangles from Song Maker. There is a thick horizontal line in the middle. Above the line, some boxes are filled in with coloured rectangles. This is the bass line section. Below the line, some of the rectangles have a triangle or circle in them. These are the rhythmic playback sounds.
Other elements
Dynamics and expressive controls
Composers can vary the emphasis given to notes using articulation, tempo, dynamics, and timbre. For example, if the original theme is played smoothly, the composer may decide to write the variation with detached (e.g., staccato) articulation or add markings to indicate accents or especially strong-sounding notes. Of course, sudden or gradual changes in dynamics can also have a dramatic effect.
Timbre
Composers can play around with the quality of a particular musical sound. Again, there are different ways to do this. A composer can choose to vary the dynamics, articulations, the types of instruments, or how many instruments are used.
Consolidation
Putting it all together
Create your own version of the “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” theme using Song Maker.
The following templates will provide you with different starting points.
Select a template to open in Song Maker. Play around with the elements of music to create your variation.
Student Tips
Saving and sharing your work
Once you have created your variation, click ‘Save.’
On the next screen, you can click ‘Copy Link’ to share your variation.
Additionally, there are options to download a WAV file or a MIDI file, which can be used in other digital audio workstations like Soundtrap, GarageBand, and Audacity.
Let’s get started. Explore the following templates and choose one to work with.
Template 1
In this version the theme melody is provided.
You can add a percussion part and select instrument playback sounds.
Template 1(Opens in a new window)
Once you have created your variation, click ‘Save.’ On the next screen click ‘Copy Link’ to send/share your variation with others.
Template 2
In this version, the first part of the melody is provided as well as the final note.
Fill in the rest of the melody, add a percussion part, and select instrument playback sounds.
Template 2(Opens in a new window)
Once you have created your variation, click ‘Save.’ On the next screen click ‘Copy Link’ to send/share your variation with others.
Template 3
In this version, the first part of the melody and bassline are provided.
Fill in the remainder of the melody and bassline. Then, add a percussion part and choose your instrument playback sounds.
Template 3(Opens in a new window)
Once you have created your variation, click ‘Save.’ On the next screen click ‘Copy Link’ to send/share your variation with others.
Portfolio
Portfolio
After you have created and saved your variation, consider adding your creation to your portfolio.
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.