Introduction to Music

What is music? Why is it so important?

The Greek philosopher Plato said it best over 2,000 years ago!

Music is an art form to stir the soul, lift the spirit and entertain.

Music is all around us in our daily lives: TV theme music; movie and drama mood music; at parties and celebrations: birthdays; weddings; funerals; on the radio or streaming on a journey; or in religious ceremonies and worship; or just in the background while we work or relax.

We believe that music is part of our DNA. Humans have evolved over 100,000s of years with music and dance in their lives, whether to bring communities together and build relationships by singing, dancing and playing music together, or to communicate over distances by voice or drum.

(Getty images)

The first thing an unborn baby hears is the rhythmic beat of its mother’s heart. It may even hear her singing to it!

Life without music would be pretty dull!

So what is it?

Music is sound that has been organized by using rhythm, melody or harmony. If someone bangs saucepans while cooking, it makes noise. If a person bangs saucepans or pots in a rhythmic way, they are making a simple type of music (wikipedia).

Music is made up of:

  • Pitch – music consists of higher or lower sounding notes.
  • Rhythm – music usually has a regular beat of alternate sound and silence, rather than one long sound, or sounds of random lengths. It’s what you tap your feet to or clap your hands along with.
  • Dynamics – music can be loud or soft and quiet, or changing from loud to quiet and vice versa.
  • Timbre (pronounced “tamber”) – the quality or texture of the sound – what allows us to recognise and distinguish between the human voice, a guitar, piano or trumpet for example

Explore the wonderful world of music theory on our pages:

What is sound?

Harmonics

Music scales

Musical intervals

Music notation

Why are there only 7 notes names A to G?

The Circle of fifths

Click here for BBC Bitesize on music

Click here for music on simple wikipedia

Return to An Introduction to Brass Music