Internal Structure of the Parts of a Melody
Be sure to remember that the As and Bs used to describe the internal structure of a melody are NOT the rhyme scheme of a verse. These letters represent the music structure. It may be that rhyme structure and musical structure align. But it isn't required.
Successful melodies keep the number of new melodic ideas small. Two or three are enough. This is true of parts and the internal structure of parts.
In strophic form there is only one part to structure. But there will almost always be two phrases within that one part. The phrases may be nearly identical, but there will likely be two of them.
Usually a part will have two significant phrases. Music composed with this constraint will these structures as options
The ABBA form is not as common as the other two. But it is powerful and often makes a melody or verse seem longer and more complex than it really is. Two good examples of this structure are:
The Lakes of Pontchatrain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNn0iRA0f3M
Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGAZ7YajIGI
Three phrase tunes also exist. Usually phrase C is at the end of the section. So the options become
Successful melodies keep the number of new melodic ideas small. Two or three are enough. This is true of parts and the internal structure of parts.
In strophic form there is only one part to structure. But there will almost always be two phrases within that one part. The phrases may be nearly identical, but there will likely be two of them.
Usually a part will have two significant phrases. Music composed with this constraint will these structures as options
- AABB
- ABAB
- ABBA
The ABBA form is not as common as the other two. But it is powerful and often makes a melody or verse seem longer and more complex than it really is. Two good examples of this structure are:
The Lakes of Pontchatrain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNn0iRA0f3M
Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGAZ7YajIGI
Three phrase tunes also exist. Usually phrase C is at the end of the section. So the options become
- AABBC
- ABABC
- ABBAC
