Elements of Music: Melody

Elements of Music: Melody

Un-Break My Heart:

1. The melody of this song is performed by the female vocalist Toni Braxton. The female singer is considered the melody since all the accompanying instruments are playing softly behind her with the countermelody. The female singer stops singing the melody during the interlude of the song when there is a guitar solo, giving the guitar the melody, but it is shortly switched back over to the female vocalist containing the melody.

2. When I imagine the shape of the melody of this song, I think of a land that starts off flat and emerges into hilly. As the songs continue, the hills grow into steep hills then into mountains. Starting off, the melody is narrow as the vocalist uses continuous low notes but as the song continues there is a wide range of octaves being used. Toward the end she breaks into her high notes bringing out the mountains with huge jumps in octaves.

3. At the beginning of the song there is a sense of hurt. The slow background music puts you in a "depression" mood as it continues the same few notes that makes up its countermelody over and over. The singer's voice sounds as if she is crying of heart break which puts you in the mood to just flop down on your bed and think of your own problems.

Mogonde

1. The melody of this song is played by the mbira even though it is not the first instrument that enters into the song. It has a contrast to the accompaniment that is already playing that sets it apart as the melody. The reason that you can tell the mbira is the melody is because when the singer comes in, the singer and mbira seem to be interlocking as if they are talking to each other.

2. The shape of this melody is very narrow and confined. There isn't a lot of shape to it since there are very few notes being played and the ones that