Melodies that progress from note to note in adjacent movement move in stepwise motion or conjunct motion. Melodies that progress from note to note by leaps larger that a whole step move in leaps or disjunct motion. Melodies that are primarily conjunct have a "smooth" and "flowing" quality while melodies that are primarily disjunct have a "rough" and "angular" character. A melody with mostly conjunct motion is said to be "lyrical". A melody with more conjunct than disjunct motion is relatively easier to play or sing.
A composer may use more than the seven tones of a major or minor scale to compose a melody in the Western twelve-tone chromatic tuning. Other than the seven tones of the major or minor scale, there are five (5) other tones available in both major and minor. The use of these other tones in a passage of music that is either major or minor in orientation is known as chromaticism. The individual extra notes are called chromatics (or chromatic tones) and a melody is known as a chromatic melody if it uses a large number or chromatic tones.
Within the body of a composition the tonal center note may change and other notes may assume the role of tonal center and be the basis for scales of a particular passage of music. A change of tonal center in a passage of music is called a modulation.
The Western major - minor tonal system, which began to unfold during the Renaissance (1450-1600), culminated in a high point of development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During the mid-19th century Western composers began to explore new tonal systems. Church scales from the medieval period were revived; scales from Arab, Persian, Oriental and Indonesian musical cultures were imported; scales from eastern European folk musics were embraced. This quest for new scales continues in the latter part of the 20th century. In the early 20th century, just before World War I, certain composers developed compositional methods that evolved beyond the major - minor tonal system. These methods were known as atonality before World War One, and dodecaphonic or twelve-tone music after World War One. During the mid-20th century Western composers developed an interest in alternative tuning systems - systems other that twelve-tone equal temperament. This compositional activity in the 20th century led to new scale formations, which allowed for the creation of new melodic and harmonic "languages".
Melody contributes to the effect of motion in music. Since melodies are derived from scale pitches, melodies automatically assume the gravitational properties that scales display. The gravitational attraction of melodic notes imparts goal-oriented motion to the effect of any melody.
When the gravitational effect of scale is coupled with rhythmic patterns in a melody, the effect of or sense of motion can be quite strong with the building of and subsequent relaxation of tension.
Melody displays hierarchical structural design. The overall structure of music and the overall structure of language in Western culture are closely related. The overall syntax of language and the structural layering of musical events in a piece of music are strikingly similar. Both language and music mirror certain socio-psycho forces of our culture, most notably our goal-oriented mode of behavior.
Westerners think, speak and write in phrases, sentences, paragraphs, sections and chapters. Musical structure is arranged similarly to this language model, and melodic structure mirrors this syntactical model of language very closely.
There is much repetition in "popular" melodies. The short units of these melodies are motives, and motives combine to make larger units of related material known as phrases. The length of phrases may extend from eight to sixteen measures and phrases combine to form complete melodies. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) composed his Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 which contains examples of motives and phrases. Indeed, the motive that begins the first movement of Beethoven's 5th symphony is perhaps the most famous motive in the history of Western music. Its fame is so much a part of the Western culture that it has acquired a name -- "fate knocking at the door".
In Western music complete melodies are usually at least thirty-two measures in length and are made up of a series of dependent phrases which may "break down" into motives. The successive phrases of a melody are said to be dependent because they share motivic material and rely on each other to make cohesive "sense" as a complete melody.
From this description it may be seen that melody is formed from an hierarchical layering of small pitch units that recombine to form larger units of the whole melody. Repetition plays an important role in the building of melodies and, indeed, in the building of all musical structures.
Melody is the primary repository of abstract "idea" in music. Language is the medium by which both spoken and written concrete and abstract aspects of reality are communicated. Music is the medium by which pitches are arranged according to parameters of duration, amplitude and timbre. Music not associated with text (instrumental music not associated with literature) is known as pure music. Pure music communicates non-literal and abstract sounds. Pure music is an abstract, non-literal “language” of sounds arranged in time. Music alone (without text) is not able to communicate emotional states but it may subjectively “suggest” these states in a very general manner. When text is combined with music, or when music accompanies visual action in cinema or opera, pure music is able to participate vicariously in a literal dimension. However, pure music’s essential realm of communication is one of abstract relationships of sounds to each other with no attachments to literary meanings.
The subject matter of pure music is melody. Melody is the idea of music. Even though this is true for most world musics, melody is very important as “idea” in Western music. Western composers have conceived music from the impetus of melodic “ideas” which have served as the beginning part of the process for building longer compositions of music. The melodic “ideas” of a composition interrelate all of the composite material. Listeners follow melodic material in their "mind's eye" and respond to melody intellectually, emotionally and, often, spiritually. In Western music melody is supported by all of the other basic elements of music – meter, rhythm, harmony, dynamics and timbre. It is possible to find world musics in which pure rhythm, harmony, or timbre serve as the primary “idea” of music, and this is true for some Western music written during the latter part of the 20th century.
Melody mirrors text inflection and heightens text meaning. With the evolution of ancient spoken languages there came a realization that (1) spoken language was inflected and (2) spoken language could be heightened (enhanced or intensified) by presenting it in a stylized (a special or non-regular) mode of delivery - singing.
All languages are spoken in a framework of pitch contour (the up and down melodic curve of pitches). Words and word groups are spoken on short but precise pitches that rise and fall. This subtle aspect of spoken language is known as inflection whereby the speaker controls highs and lows of the short pitches within words by use the vocal cords. Languages that have acute inflective characteristics are called tonal languages. In a tonal language the inflected pitches and pitch contours are as important to cognitive meaning as the written words themselves. The languages of China, Thailand and Viet Nam are tonal.
When the inflections of spoken words are greatly extended in length the result is singing. Singing was a very natural activity for ancient humankind. Singing is a stylized mode of word utterance, as opposed to speech, which is a normal mode of word delivery. Any stylized mode of presentation heightens (enhances or intensifies) the effect of the communicative medium whether the medium is words (song) or movement (dance). Words are enhanced and special meaning is bestoyed upon words when they are sung. The meaning of words is intensified and their impact upon the listener is "heightened".
Writers of song are very sensitive to the inflective contour of text. Such contour often dictates the curve of melodies that are written in conjunction with text. The inflectional contour of text may be directly translated into a melodic line. It is a very simple step from speaking to singing if one is sensitive to text inflections. When both text and accompanying melody have inflective interaction the effect of this interaction may enhance or heighten the text considerably. Singing and the melodic material which is sung combine to enhance the impact of the meaning of the words to listeners.
The ancients also discovered that sung text has an hypnotic effect on the listener. Sung text is found in all world religions. The original singing style for religious purposes was called chant and chant continues to be a musical genre in religious expression in modern times. The singing of religious text imparts an atmosphere of mystery to any religious environment. To the participant in a religious service religious text which is sung gives that text a heightened "otherworldly" character. The text, its meaning and the experience of the participants in the service are carried to a "place" beyond ordinary reality. The effect of such music is to mask the sense of reality in the environment. In this context the music serves as a vehicle for heightened spiritual awareness.