countermelody

A vivacious melody might be countered by a more solemn and slow one. A good example of the contrasting counter melody is found in Bach's famous setting of the chorale melody "Wachet auf, ruft uns die stimme" in his Cantata 140.

A counter-melody should not overlap with the main melody or the harmony. You can use a different octave, a different sounding instrument, or use a different rhythm, or all of these techniques. When the main melody rests, the counter-melody is active and vice-versa.

counterpoint, art of combining different melodic lines in a musical composition. It is among the characteristic elements of Western musical practice.

But when they do, countermelodies have the effect of adding an extra melodic dimension to your song, as well as giving you interesting lyrical possibilities.

Combining timbres is a very important aspect of creating musical textures that make one piece of music stand out from another. There are four types of textures that appear in music, Monophony, Polyphony, Homophony, and Heterophony. These four textures appear in music from around the world.

descant, also spelled discant, (from Latin discantus, “song apart”), countermelody either composed or improvised above a familiar melody. Descant can also refer to an instrument of higher-than-normal pitch, such as a descant recorder.

Counterpoint is a specific technique of composition relying on one, pre-established melody. The result of counterpointing a melody is a countermelody.

The simplest rule of thumb in creating countermelodies is this: when the melody is sustained, you move your line. When the melody moves, you sustain your line. The countermelody will always be heard second behind the melody because the melody is usually stated first.

What Is Counterpoint in Music? In the language of music theory, counterpoint is a compositional technique in which two or more melodic lines (or "voices") complement one another but act independently.

Simply stated, counterpoint is just a fancy term for one or more melodies that are added either above or below another melody and played together. The name counterpoint is derived from the Latin term contrapunctus; contra meaning counter (or another) and Punctus meaning melody. So melody against melody.

There are two types of melodic motion: conjunct motion, which proceeds by step from one scale degree to the next (i.e., by the interval of a 2nd) and disjunct motion, which proceeds by leap (i.e., by intervals larger than a 2nd).

There are five main types of melody shapes in music: arch, inverted arch, ascending, descending, and stationary. Look at the example below to see the shape of each gesture.