Understanding texture

Hello. Welcome to today's lesson entitled "Understanding Texture." My name is Mr. Norris. Today, we're gonna look at all the different ways that composers use texture to create different effects, and also some more specific ways that parts interact in music. Our outcome is: "I can identify different textures and analyze interaction between parts effectively. Some keywords: "unison." This is when parts play the same rhythm and pitch, and that includes playing in octaves. "Melody and accompaniment." This is a texture including a separate melody and accompaniment. "Polyphonic:" this is where there are two equally important, but independent melodic parts. "Contrary motion:" this is where two parts move in opposite directions. So, for example, one is ascending while the other is descending. And "harmonization:" this is when one part plays at the same time as a melody, adding notes that create harmony with the melodic line. So we're gonna explore all of those concepts in more detail as we go through. The first part of today's lesson is focused on monophonic and homophonic textures. Texture can describe how many musical layers are playing at the same time. So you might say there's a thick texture 'cause there are lots of different layers of music or a thin texture. However, it also describes the relationship between those different musical parts. So it's not just as simple as how many there are, but also explaining how they relate to each other. Genres and traditions often have typical textures associated with them. So if you think of your favorite style of music, there'll probably be a typical texture that you normally hear in that style. Now, the simplest texture is a monophonic texture. This is when one musical line is playing on its own. This is an example of that. (bright melodic piano music) Now the word "monophonic" comes from the Greek "mono," which means "one," and "phon," which means "sound." So "monophonic" means "one sound." We can represent it like this. If you want to represent a monophonic texture visually, it'll look something like that. One line on its own. Have a listen to this. Why is this texture not monophonic? (bright melodic piano music) That example was not monophonic because it had more than one note playing at the same time; it was playing chords. So there was not just one musical line at a time. Now, texture refers to the number of sounds or notes playing together, not just how many instruments or performers are playing. So in that example, there was one performer playing. It was one person playing a piano, but they were playing more than one note at the same time. So it was not monophonic. And all of those parts were playing the same rhythm. Do you know what that texture is called when all the parts play the same rhythm at the same time? Have a quick think. So that would be called a homophonic texture. So when more than one musical line is playing the same rhythm. We could represent it like this, where we've got three different parts playing the same rhythm, same time. This is a chordal homophonic texture. And what we heard there was a chordal homophonic texture as well, where it uses the same rhythm and is based on chords. If the parts are playing the same notes. And that could include an octave. So it could mean one part playing an octave lower than the other. We call this unison. Listen to this unison version of the same melody. Think about how that's different to the chordal homophonic version we just listened to. (light melodic organ music) So the key difference between that unison texture, the chordal homophonic texture, is that in the unison texture, they're playing the same pitches, although they are an octave apart, but that still counts as a unison texture. In the homophonic version, they were playing different notes, but still using the same rhythm. Listen to this example. Is this a homophonic texture or unison? I'd like to justify your answer as well. Here we go. (light melodic electronic synth music) So quickly coming up with your answer. And here we would say that is unison, and that's because all the parts are playing the same notes. Although they are octaves apart, that still counts as unison. In pop music styles, melody and accompaniment is by far the most common texture used. This texture has a melody that is clearly separate from the accompanying parts. You might also hear it called melody-dominated homophony. Here are two contrasting examples of a melody and accompaniment texture. Try to pick out the difference between the melody and accompaniment and how they're really clearly separate from each other in the recordings. Pause my video and have a listen to both. So in melody and accompaniment, the accompaniment is separate from the melody. This is really key. There's a melody, an example of how we might represent it, and there's an accompaniment that is clearly different and kept apart from the melody. So you don't confuse the two. Have a listen to this example. How does this composer make the melody and the accompaniment contrast with each other? So how does this artist make sure that they're really different from each other? And think about some of the musical elements when you're listening to this. Pause my video. Have a listen. Here are some of the ways that that artist made the melody and the accompaniment really contrast with each other. The accompaniment uses different rhythms. It's rhythmically very different from the melody, so it stands apart. It has a much lower pitch than the melody, so it's easy to pick them apart. And it plays repeated chord patterns, whereas the melody is playing a more melodic line that doesn't use repetition as much. So by using those elements in those ways, it creates a really separate and contrasting accompaniment and melody. Some pieces of music use a consistent texture throughout. So, for example, many pop songs will have a consistent melody and accompaniment from the very start to the very finish. Classical music often has a melody and accompaniment texture or a homophonic texture. If we listen to baroque music, the texture tends to be homophonic or polyphonic. However, texture can change in a piece of music, and it's important to listen carefully to identify how the parts interact and how the texture changes. Let's check your understanding. What is the most typical texture in popular music? Is it melody and backing, accompaniment and melody, chords and backing, or melody and accompaniment? I'll give you a few seconds. And the correct answer is melody and accompaniment. That is by far the most typical texture in pop music. What is melody and accompaniment also known as? Is it melody-dominated monophony, melody and harmony, melody-dominated homophony, or melody and backings? I'll give you a few seconds. And the correct answer here is melody-dominated homophony. That's another word for a melody and accompaniment texture. For task A, identify the texture of each clip. Choose from monophonic, homophonic, unison, and melody and accompaniment. Justify your answer with an explanation of why you chose that texture. Let's start off by listening to the first example. Here we go. (bright melodic music) I'll play you that one two more times. Here it is for the second time. (bright melodic music) And now the third time. So, choosing your texture and your justification for this example. (bright melodic music) Pause my video if you need to finish your answer. Now, question two. Here it is for the first time. (light melodic music) I'll give you two more times. Here it is for the second time. (light melodic music) And the third and final time, making sure you're choosing what texture you think this is. (light melodic music) So if you need to pause my video while you finish your answer, do that now. For question three, you'll need to listen to this example yourself. Pause my video and have a go at that question. And now, finally, let's listen to question four. Here it is for the first time. (groovy melodic rock music) The second time. (groovy melodic rock music) And the third and final time, question four. (groovy melodic rock music) So if you need to pause my video to finish your answer, you can just do that now. Okay, let's review this task. So example one had a melody and accompaniment texture. And we know that because there is a clearly separate melody and accompaniment. In example two, it was a homophonic texture. There are multiple musical lines all playing the same rhythm, so that chordal homophonic texture. Question three was a melody and accompaniment texture again. That's 'cause there's a clearly separate melody and accompaniment. And question four was "unison." That's because both parts play the same rhythm and pitches, same rhythm and notes. And in this case, they're an octave apart. But remember, that's still a unison texture if they're playing in octaves. Really well done if you could identify those, and hopefully, you're starting to get your ear in for identifying some of these different textures now. Now we're gonna move on to have a look at polyphonic textures. In homophonic and melody and accompaniment textures, there is more than one musical layer, but one, which is the melody, is more important and more prominent than the others. That's really key. A polyphonic texture has two or more equally important but independent melodic parts. So that's key there. There's more than one that are equally important, not one that is the most important. They play different rhythms and different pitches from each other. So if we've got a melody that looks like that, we might have another melody that looks like that that is just as prominent. It's independent and different, and it's just as important. And we could also have accompanying parts as well. So you might have these two melodies that are both equally important and independent, and then an accompaniment underneath, and that's still a polyphonic texture. Have a listen to this polyphonic texture. How many equally important and independent melodic lines are there? You can pause my video and have a listen. So in that case, there are three separate melodic vocal lines. They're all equally important. There's no one melody that is more important than the other two. Now, in this clip, there is more than one melodic line as well. Is it polyphonic? Pause my video. Have a listen. And it's quite a tricky question to answer this one, but well done if you picked up that this is not polyphonic. And that's because the melodies are not equally important. The string counter-melody is much less prominent than the main vocal melody. So this would not be a polyphonic texture. And that's the key point here is to be polyphonic, you have to have equally important and independent melodic lines, not one melody that is the main melody and another one that sort of accompanies it in the background. In some polyphonic textures, like in baroque fugues, for example, the different melodic lines use the same or very similar melodic ideas. Have a listen again to this clip, and notice that when each new vocal line joins in, they use the same melody, but starting at different times. Pause my video; see if you can pick that out. In this piece of minimalism, the different melodic lines are very different from each other. So unlike the previous example, where they're using the same melodic idea but starting at different times, in this case, they contrast with each other, but they're still equally important. So there's no one melody that is the main melody. Pause my video and have a listen. See if you can pick out those different melodic lines. Let's check your understanding: Which two must be true for polyphonic textures? There is more than one melodic line. There is a separate accompaniment. The melodic lines are equally important. Or one melodic line is prominent. So pause my video and choose two. And the two correct statements here are: There must be more than one melodic line, and the melodic lines must be equally important. If you chose option B, that could be true, but it doesn't have to be. So you can have an accompaniment in a polyphonic texture, but it doesn't necessarily have to be there. Which of these best represents a polyphonic texture? And pause my video while you have a look and choose the best answer. And the best option here is option A. That's because we've got two different melodies there that are independent from each other and are equally important. In option B, they're all playing a similar shape together at the same time. So that's probably a chordal homophonic texture. And in option C, we've got a clearly separate melody and accompaniment, so that would be a melody and accompaniment texture. Well done if you chose A. For task B: Identify the starting and finishing texture of each clip. Choose from polyphonic, monophonic, homophonic, unison, and melody and accompaniment. So we've got five different options to choose from, and make sure you're identifying it both at the start and the end of the clip because it may well change. Let's have a listen to example one. Here we go. (light melodic music) I will play you example one for a second and final time. (light melodic music) So you need to pause my video to finish your answer. You can do that now. And now on to question two. Here it is for the first time. (lively dramatic melodic music) And for the second and final time, example two. (lively dramatic melodic music) And while you're finishing your answer, you can pause my video if you need to. Finally, question three. Here it is for the first time. (bright melodic music) And the second and final time, question three. (bright melodic music) And if you need to, pause my video while you finish off all three answers. And now let's review task B. So the first question started with a monophonic texture and ended with a polyphonic texture. In example two, it started with a unison texture, and that developed into a homophonic texture because there were different notes being played. And then in example three, it started with a polyphonic texture, and then at the end, there was a melody and accompaniment texture. That's 'cause the bassoon moved from playing a melodic line to playing an accompanying figure instead. So well done if you managed to pick out some of these changes. It takes practice to get used to identifying different textures. And as always with all these things, the more practice you do, the easier it will become to get really efficient at identifying texture. The final part of today's lesson is looking at interaction between parts. Texture is the relationship between different parts. As well as describing the specific type of texture, for example, homophonic or unison, we can also describe the way that the parts interact with each other in greater detail. I'd like to have listened to this example. What word describes the relationship between the flute and the violin here? Pause my video and have a listen. Well done if you identified that the flute imitates the violin. This is an example of what we call imitation. And even if you didn't use that word "imitation" specifically, if you managed to identify that the flute is copying or mimicking the violin melody, well done for identifying that. In imitation, a second part copies or imitates part of the melody immediately. Often this is just a short phrase where there is a space in the main melody, and another part will just copy part of it to sort of refer to it, to echo it back. Have a listen to this clip. Can you hear the short phrase that's imitated between the parts here? Pause my video and have a listen. And that's a really typical example of how classical and romantic composers, in particular, use imitation, which might just be for a short phrase like that one. That's a three-note phrase that's imitated between the two parts. Another relationship between parts is contrary motion. This is where two melodic lines that play together move in opposite directions. For example, one line might play an ascending scale going up while the other plays a descending scale going down at the same time. So they're moving in opposite directions, or what you might call contrary directions. Have a listen to this clip. See if you can pick out which instruments are playing an ascending line and which are playing a descending line here. Pause my video and have a listen. Well done, then, if you picked up that the ascending line was played by the double basses and the cello, so the lower string instruments, and the descending line was played by the violins, so the upper strings there. And together they create an example of contrary motion. One final and very common relationship between parts is harmonization. This is where one part plays at the same time as a melody, adding notes that create harmony with the melodic line. Let's take this example. Let's listen to the melody on its own first. (light melodic string music) And now let's hear it with another part adding harmonization. (bright melodic string music) So that second part is playing along with the melody, adding notes that create harmony with it. Have another listen. This time, can you identify the interval between the melody and the harmonizing parts? So what's the difference in pitch between the two parts? This is a really key aspect of harmonization. Let's have a listen, see if you can pick it out. (bright melodic string music) So it's a tough question that, but the interval there was a third. So the second part, the harmonizing part, was playing everything a third higher than the main melodic line. And in most Western music, thirds and sixths are the most common intervals for harmonizing melodies. So typically when a part harmonizes a melody, it'll play a third or a sixth above the melody, or a third or a sixth below the melody. Let's hear a melody, this time harmonized in sixths. So we've already heard it in thirds; this would be the interval of a sixth between the two parts. (bright melodic string music) Hopefully, you can hear the difference between using different intervals for harmonization. And when you're harmonizing melodies in your own composition or performance, experiment with different intervals, particularly thirds and sixths, to see what works most effectively in your context. One of the most common places to hear harmonization is in backing vocals. In this example, the backing singers add harmony to the main melodic line, and that's a really typical technique in many styles. Have a listen. See if you can pick out how those backing vocals harmonize the main melody. Let's check your understanding. Which of these describes harmonization? Is it: when a piece of music gets harmony, when a melody has notes added to create harmony, or when a composer changes the chord sequence? I'll give you a few seconds. And the correct answer here is: harmonization is when a melody has notes added to create harmony. Well done if you picked that correct answer. Which of these represents contrary motion? Have a look at the three options and choose the one that best fits that. And well done, then, if you picked option C, where we've got one line ascending and one descending, so they're going in opposite directions. That is the key to contrary motion. Well done if you've got that one. For task C, I'd like to describe each texture in detail. Start by naming the texture, or textures, if it changes, and describe the relationship between the parts. Here's an example. The texture starts homophonic in the brass instruments, then there's a short section of melody and accompaniment with contrary motion between the trombone and trumpet. So we're not only naming the texture, we're also describing what's going on in more detail. And if there are techniques like imitation or contrary motion, we're identifying those as well. This is the level of detail we want to go into when we're talking about texture. So let's start with example one. Here we go. (light melodic music) I am going to play that two more times. Here's question one for the second time. (light melodic music) And now the third and final time, example one. (light melodic music) And pause my video while you finish your answer for question one. Now let's move on to question two. Here it is for the first time. (bright melodic music) Now for the second time. (bright melodic music) And for the third and final time, example two. Here we go. (bright melodic music) And pause my video while you finish your answer to both questions. Okay, let's review task C. So in the first example, we should have said the texture is melody and accompaniment. The melody is played by the guitar, and there's some imitation in the piano accompaniment. So well done if you picked up on that specific device and relationship of imitation. In example two, the texture is polyphonic, with a melody in the flute and the harp. There's contrary motion near the end when the flute descends and the harp ascends. So really well done if you managed to pick out that specific technique there as well of contrary motion. And both of these are good examples of the amount of detail you want to go into when you're describing texture. We're not just saying this is a melody and accompaniment texture. We're describing it in much more detail and picking out specific interactions between the different parts. That's key at this level. Let's review today's lesson. Texture refer to both the number of different musical lines and the way that they relate to each other. Common textures include monophonic, homophonic, unison, melody and accompaniment, and polyphonic. And other specific relationships between parts include contrary motion, imitation, and harmonization. Hopefully, now you feel better equipped to describe texture and understand texture with a little bit more detail and a bit more sophistication. So when you're analyzing texture in the future, try to go into that level of detail. Try to refer to these techniques. And rather than just saying it's a thick or thin texture, or it's a unison texture, try to add that extra little bit of sophisticated detail to improve your responses. Thanks for taking part in today's lesson, and I'll see you in another one.