Melody
A sequence of single pitches perceived as a coherent musical line.
Category
fundamental
Pronunciation
MEL-uh-dee
Origin
Greek (melodia)
Length
133 words · 1 min read
About Melody
Melody is the horizontal dimension of music — a succession of pitches organised in time that the listener perceives as a unified idea. Melodies have contour (the shape of rising and falling pitches), range, intervals, and rhythm.
More fundamental terms
Dynamics
View all fundamentalterms →The variation in loudness between notes or phrases in a performance.
PitchThe perceived highness or lowness of a sound, determined by its frequency.
Sight-ReadingThe ability to perform a piece of music at first sight without prior practice or rehearsal
DroneA sustained or continuously repeated note or chord that sounds throughout a passage or entire piece
HarmonyThe simultaneous combination of pitches to produce chords and chord progressions.
Compare with similar terms
v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →