Episode 5: Melodic Evolution

In this episode, we’ll learn a new simple melody on the keyboard (this time in the ‘ta-ki-de’ or skipping meter, but still with the classic ABA structure), and discover how complex a melody’s evolutionary growth can get by analyzing a Chinese folk song and listening to a Bach keyboard invention.

Key terms and definitions from this episode:

Repetition with variation - the most common process for generating a melody with clear, logical architecture (start with a melodic molecule, repeat it with some degree of variation, rinse, repeat).

Legato and Staccato - ‘smooth’ and ‘choppy;’ standard music terms for describing how notes are articulated (all connected or with clear space between them).

Motivic development - when a melodic molecule recurs throughout the melody as a whole, accruing small variations each time so that it’s like an evolving creature or a developing fictional character in a novel.

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