Music Types of Music
Music is a group of sounds that people have arranged in a Most cultures make different types of music. Some music
pleasing or meaningful way. All cultures of the world make goes along with religious ceremonies. Other music is a part
some form of music. Music can be simple—for example, one of everyday life. The traditional music made by everyday
person tapping out a beat on a log drum or singing a people is called folk music.
children’s song. Music can also be complex—for example,
hundreds of instruments playing together for hours.
Classical music is a formal and artistic music that developed
in Europe over hundreds of years. Orchestras, choirs, and
The Elements of Music chamber ensembles (small groups of musicians) often
perform classical music. Opera is a type of classical music
All music includes basic elements, or parts. The main that features dramatic singing.
elements of music are rhythm, melody, harmony, and form.
Rhythm describes the length of musical sounds. The most
important part of rhythm is the pulse, or beat. When you tap When large numbers of people enjoy a type of music, it is
your foot to a song you like, you are tapping out the beat. called popular music. Popular music is usually shorter and
The speed of the beats is called the tempo. The pattern of simpler than classical music. People often buy recordings of
the beats is called the meter. Drums help other instruments popular music or listen to it on the radio. Some of the many
and voices keep the rhythm in many songs. types of popular music are rock, country, hip-hop and rap,
the blues, jazz, and world music.
Melody is a series of different tones, or sounds, in a piece of
music. The notes are played or sung one after another to
make up a song. The tones in a melody may be low or high.
The highness or lowness of a tone is called its pitch.
Musicians describe different tones with the letters A, B, C, D,
E, F, and G.
Harmony takes place when people play or sing more than
one tone at the same time. Groups of tones played together
are called chords. Harmony also describes the way chords
go along with a melody.
Form is the way that people put rhythm, melody, and
harmony together. There are many different types of musical
forms. Repeating a short melody is one of the simplest
forms. For example, in the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb,”
each verse repeats the same melody. A symphony is a more
complex form. In a symphony, different groups of
instruments may play different melodies at the same time or
a series of harmonies. The rhythm may also change—for
example, the tempo may be fast or slow at different points in
the symphony.
Musical Notation
Some musicians make up music as they perform. Others
sing songs or play pieces that someone else created.
Musicians have developed a system for writing down music
so that others can play it again. They use certain symbols,
called notes, to indicate the tones to be played or sung. The
arrangement of the notes shows the order in which the tones
should be played. Other numbers and symbols show how
fast to play each note. These numbers and symbols are
known as musical notation.
Musical Instruments
People use their voice to sing. To make other kinds of music
they use many different musical instruments. Most musical
instruments fall into one of four groups. Stringed instruments,
like violins and harps, have tight strings that make sounds
when people pluck or rub them. Wind instruments, like
trumpets and saxophones, make sounds when people blow
into them. Percussion instruments, like drums and rattles,
make sounds when people hit or shake them. Keyboard
instruments, like pianos and accordions, make sounds when
people press their keys, buttons, or levers.
