#AP Music Theory: Melody & Motives - The Night Before 🎶

Hey there! Let's get you feeling super confident about melody and motives for your AP Music Theory exam. This guide is designed to be your go-to resource tonight, hitting all the key points quickly and clearly. Let's do this!

#Melody: The Heart of Music

Melody is where pitch meets rhythm, creating a musical statement. It's all about how notes move over time. Think of it as the tune you hum! 🎵

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• A phrase is a complete musical idea, like a sentence in language. It has a beginning, middle, and end.
• Phrases give structure to music, creating a sense of coherence. They're the building blocks of a musical piece.

#Phrasing: Shaping the Music

• Phrasing is how a musician interprets and shapes the melody and rhythm. It's all about expression!
• It involves techniques like dynamics, tempo, and articulation to bring the music to life.
• Good phrasing makes the music more engaging and meaningful.

#Melodic Characteristics

Melodies have several key characteristics that we can analyze:

• Contour: The shape or direction of the melody (ups and downs).
• Conjunct Motion: Stepwise movement (notes moving by whole or half steps).
• Disjunct Motion: Movement by leaps (larger intervals).
• Register: How high or low the melody is.
• Range: The total span of notes in the melody.

#Melodic Contour: The Ups and Downs

Melodic contour is the shape of the melody, its ups and downs. It's what makes a melody memorable and satisfying. Think of it like a scenic route, not just a straight line.

<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Melodic_contour_examples.svg/640px-Melodic_contour_examples.svg.png" alt="Melodic Contour Examples" ...