DURATION is all about time (long/short). It can refer to:
- The length of individual notes or even whole songs
- Beat and pulse
- Rhythmic patterns:
- Notes, rests, duplets, triplets,
- Time signatures like 3/4, 4/4, 6/8 etc
- Syncopation, polyrhythms
- Tempo
- Rhythmic features that belong with particular genres and styles
DYNAMICS is all about volume (loud/soft). It can refer to:
- The volume of individual notes or even whole songs
- Changes in volume; sudden (block dynamics) and gradual (crescendo, decrescendo)
- Accented notes
- Use of technology to control dynamics (compression, automation)
- Articulation
- Dynamic features that belong with particular genres and styles
MELODY is all about the horizontal arrangement of sound. I can refer to:
- A sequence of single notes (sung or played)
- The contour of the melody
- Patterns such as phrases, riffs, sequences, motifs
- Ornamentation or Embellishment
- Modulation
- Pitch bends, slides or electronic pitch adjustment
- Range and register
- Intonation
- Melodic features that belong with particular genres and styles
HARMONY is all about the vertical arrangement of sound. It can refer to:
- Chords such as triads, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths or 13ths
- Diatonic tonality such as major, minor and dominant
- Tension and resolution, consonance and dissonance
- Atonality
- Countermelodies
- Modal harmony
- Accompaniment styles
- Modulation
- Intonation
- Harmonic features that belong to particular genres and styles
STRUCTURE is all about sections of the music. It could refer to:
- Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Middle eight, Collision, Instrumental solo, Ad lib, AABA form, Theme and Variation, Compound AABA form (A1, A2, B1, A3 etc..)
- Repetition, variety, contrast, development or unification
- Treatment of material such as samples and sequencing
- Well known forms such as 12 bar blues, verse and chorus, through composed, theme and variation
- The design of particular musical works such as rock opera or musicals
- Structural features that belong to particular genres and styles
TEXTURE is all about density. It may refer to:
- The number of instruments or tracks
- The way a recording has been mixed using effects such as reverb and delay
- Musical voicings
- The way an instrument’s tone affects it’s timbre (distorted vs clean guitar)
- Musical textures such as monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic,
- Textural features that belong to a particular genre and style
TIMBRE is all about tone. It may refer to:
- The way particular instruments or voices sound
- Different tonal techniques used on an instrument (muting, fingertips, picks, bowing, scratching, tapping)
- Electronic altering of tone using EQ, effects, pedals etc.
- Tonal features that belong to particular genres and styles
[source: Music Industry College's Musical Analysis Writing Guide]
