(MF) Musical Form Lesson

Musical Form Lesson

Every piece of music has an overall plan or structure, the "big picture," so to speak. This is called the musical form.

Musical forms offer a great range of complexity. Most listeners will quickly grasp the form of a short and simple piece, or of one built from many short repetitions. It is also easier to recognize familiar musical forms. The average American, for example, can distinguish easily between the verses and refrain of any pop song, but will have trouble recognizing what is going on in a more complex piece of music from another culture. Classical music traditions around the world tend to encourage longer, more complex forms which may be difficult to recognize without the familiarity that comes from study or repeated hearings.

 

You can enjoy music without recognizing its form, of course. But understanding the form of a piece helps a musician put together a more credible performance of it. Anyone interested in music theory or history, or in arranging or composing music, must have a firm understanding of form. And being able to "see the big picture" does help the listener enjoy the music even more.

Musicians traditionally have two ways to describe the form of a piece of music. One way involves labeling each large section with a letter (i.e. ABA, AABACA, ABCD, etc.). The other way is to simply give a name to a form that is very common (Binary, Ternary, Rondo, Sonata).

 

Be sure to watch the video on Music Form below before moving forward in the module.

 

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