What is texture in music

The texture will depend on the number of instruments playing at any given time as well as how those instruments are being performed.

When you are discussing, performing, or studying, what is texture in music, there are a few main points to consider.

When you are trying to work out the texture of a piece of music, one of the first things you will need to do is list the instruments performing in the music. There are a few ways to do this.

You could listen for each instrument, you could watch a live performance of the music, or you could look at the musical score. Once you have listed the instruments, it will be easier to work out the overall texture if you work out the overall structure being used.

Then, try and list the instruments performing in each section. With your sections written down, it should be a less complicated process to discuss the role, range and register of each instrument in the music.

Knowing what each instrument is doing in each section, will also help you to determine other aspects of what is the texture in the music you are studying. There are four main roles that an instrument can perform in any section of a piece music. Please note that not every piece of music will have an instrument in each of these roles.

Melody — this is defined as a series of pitches that form a tune. The melody, or main melody, is the part that is most memorable and is often the part you sing along to in the music. Beat — an instrument that performs the beat is often a drum or percussion instrument. The beat is defined as performing the underlying pulse of the music and helps the listener to hear the tempo of the music. Melodic Accompaniment — the melodic accompaniment is performed by any pitched instrument that is not performing the melody but plays along and supports the melody.

For example, if there was someone singing, and a guitar strumming the chords, then the guitar would be the melodic accompaniment and the melody would be sung by the vocalist. Rhythmic Accompaniment — these are any instrument that performs with and supports the beat.

These could be like a tambourine or shaker that plays a rhythmic pattern to accompany the drum kit that is playing the beat.

The bass guitar, or double bass, are also often part of the rhythm section or rhythmic accompaniment. Even though the bass plays pitched notes, they often are in time and playing on the beat with the drum kit. The density of the music will depend on three main factors. The first being what instruments are performing? Secondly, what type of ensemble is performing the music?

And lastly, how are the instruments performing in each section? When discussing what is texture in music, it will help if you can work out first, what is the structure of the music. Knowing the different sections will help you later figure out what is happening with the texture in each section. Once you know the musical structure, you can then start to work out what is the texture. When you are listening, or looking at a musical score, determine what instruments are performing in the music, then what instruments perform in each section.

It also helps to know what type of ensemble is performing the music. If for example it is an orchestra, then the overall texture and density will be vastly different to the texture of a duet! Is it a choir, or rock band, or jazz big band performing? Knowing the answer to this question will help you to be able to describe the density of the music.

After you have all the information you need about the number of layers of sound in the music, it will be easier to describe the density of each section, or the texture of the overall music. There are several adjectives that you can use to describe the density in the music.

These include — light, airy, open, thin, medium, thick, dense, heavy, closed, wide, spacious, tight, and close. Feel free to add to this list! Homorhythm is a type of homophonic texture in which all voices move in an extremely similar or completely unison rhythm.

This is most often seen in chorale-like compositions, where the melody and harmonies move together in block chords. Example 5. Example 6. Remember that in a homorhythmic texture there is a similarity of rhythm throughout all of the voices. In this example there is a melody that stands out from the texture, but the voices still move in rhythmic unison.

A melody and accompaniment texture is perhaps the most common type of homophony. This texture is characterized by a clear melody which is distinct from other supporting voices, which are called an accompaniment.

Often the melody will have a different rhythm than the supporting voice s. Example 7. This example features a very clear melody flute and accompaniment piano. Notice how the piano is never completely in rhythmic unison with the flute; however, it provides the role of accompaniment by filling out the texture harmonically. Example 8. Polyphony is characterized by multiple voices with separate melodic lines and rhythms. In other words, each voice has their own independent melodic line, and the independent voices blend together to create harmonies.

Example 9. Notice how each individual melodic line is independent, yet the voices create harmonies overall when heard together. Notice how there are three independent vocal layers, singing different melodies and rhythms, but working together to create new harmonies overall:. Example Most musical works do not have a single texture; rather, there are often different textures throughout a composition. Homophonic music can also be called homophony.

More informally, people who are describing homophonic music may mention chords, accompaniment, harmony or harmonies. All other parts provide accompaniment or fill in the chords. In most well-written homophony, the parts that are not melody may still have a lot of melodic interest.

They may follow many of the rules of well-written counterpoint, and they can sound quite different from the melody and be interesting to listen to by themselves. But when they are sung or played with the melody, it is clear that they are not independent melodic parts, either because they have the same rhythm as the melody i. Choral music in which the parts have mostly the same rhythms at the same time is homophonic. A single bagpipes or accordion player playing a melody with drones or chords.

Polyphonic music can also be called polyphony, counterpoint, or contrapuntal music. If more than one independent melody is occurring at the same time, the music is polyphonic.

See counterpoint. Examples of Polyphony Rounds, canons, and fugues are all polyphonic. Even if there is only one melody, if different people are singing or playing it at different times, the parts sound independent.

Much Baroque music is contrapuntal, particularly the works of J. Most music for large instrumental groups such as bands or orchestras is contrapuntal at least some of the time.

Music that is mostly homophonic can become temporarily polyphonic if an independent countermelody is added. A heterophonic texture is rare in Western music. In heterophony, there is only one melody, but different variations of it are being sung or played at the same time. There are no examples of heterophonic music that would be familiar to most Western listeners.