Music: Melody

Pitch, simple melodies and music notation

Pitch and Melody

Pitch is how high or low a sound is. Melody is a sequence of pitches that form a tune — the part of a song you can hum or sing. Melodies go up, down or stay the same. Simple notation uses symbols to write melodies so others can read and play them.

Example

Melody Activities

Sing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' — notice how the melody goes up and down. Simple notation (solfa): do re mi fa sol la ti do Twinkle = do do sol sol la la sol (going up and coming down) Try singing a melody starting low and going higher — like climbing stairs.

Note

Remember

Every song has a melody (the tune you sing) and rhythm (the beat pattern). High notes are written higher on the staff (the five lines in music). South African songs like Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika have beautiful melodies that express deep feelings.

Key Vocabulary

PitchHow high or low a sound is

MelodyA sequence of notes that form a tune

NotationWritten symbols representing musical sounds

ScaleA series of notes going up or down in order

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Pitch

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