melody

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In music, a recognizable series of notes of different pitches played or sung one after the other. It could also be described as the tune. Melody is one of the three main elements of music, along with rhythm and harmony. In Western music a melody is usually formed from the notes of a scale or mode. A melody, with or without accompaniment, may be a complete piece on its own – such as a simple song. In classical music it is more often used as a theme within a longer piece of music.

Melodic structure
Melody is often seen as an element in music that is distinct from harmony and rhythm. However, in Western music the three are mostly interdependent. For example, phrases within a melody can often be analysed as a series of notes that imply chords, and thus a harmonic structure; and rhythmic ideas (or motifs) may help to shape the structure of the melody. Other factors, such as the ascending or descending phrases, or the width of intervals between notes in the melody, can greatly change its quality.

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