out a beat on a log drum or singing
a children’s song. Music can also be
complex—for example, hundreds of
instruments playing together for hours.
The Elements of Music
All music includes basic elements, or
parts. The main 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 your foot to a song you like, you are
tapping out the beat. The speed of the
beats is called the tempo. The pattern of
the beats is called the meter. Drums help
other instruments and voices keep the
rhythm in many songs.
Melody is a series of different tones, or
sounds, in a piece of music. The tones
The remains of a dinosaur nicknamed Sue
are on display at the Field Museum of
Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.
Most musicians learn to read music.
212 Music BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
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. All of these numbers and symbols
together 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, such as
violins and harps, have tight strings that
make sounds when people pluck or rub
them. Wind instruments, such as trumpets
and saxophones, make sounds when
people blow into them. Percussion
instruments, such as drums and rattles,
make sounds when people hit or shake
them. Keyboard instruments, such as
pianos and accordions, make sounds
when people press their keys, buttons, or
levers.
Types of Music
Most cultures make different types of
music. Some music goes along with religious
ceremonies. Other music is a part
of everyday life. The traditional music
made by everyday people is called folk
music.
Children learn about music as they play the
xylophone.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Music 213
Classical music is a formal and artistic
music that developed in Europe over
hundreds of years. Orchestras, choirs,
and chamber ensembles (small groups of
musicians) often perform classical
music. Opera is a type of classical music
that features dramatic singing.
When large numbers of people enjoy a
type of music, it is called popular music.
Popular music is usually shorter and
simpler than classical music. People
often buy recordings of popular music
or listen to it on the radio. Some of the
many types of popular music are rock,
country, hip-hop and rap, the blues,
jazz, and world music.
#More to explore
Blues • Classical Music • Country Music
• Folk Music • Hip-Hop • Jazz • Opera
• Popular Music • Rap • Rock Music
•World Music
Musical
Instrument
An object that can be used to produce
music is called a musical instrument. A
musical instrument may be as large and
complicated as a pipe organ or as small
and simple as a tiny bell or whistle.
Musical instruments are found in almost
all cultures and periods of history. Scientists
have found clay drums and shell
trumpets that were used thousands of
years ago by some of the earliest
humans.
Musical instruments have great power to
stir human feelings, and they have been
used in a variety of ways. In some places
they are thought to have magical powers.
Drums have been used to chase
away evil spirits in many cultures. Religions
around the world use instruments
in worship services and to mark special
A girl plays a panpipe called a
rondador in the South American
country of Ecuador. A rondador
is a wind instrument.
A man in the African country of
The Gambia plays a stringed
instrument with a long, thin neck.
The talking
drums of West
Africa can be
heard over a
distance of
20 miles
(32 kilometers).
214 Musical Instrument BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
cello, and double bass. The strings are
