Elements of a Song

Music is everywhere. In the public forum, it blasts from car radios, rattles trunks from subwoofers and trickles politely through elevators. The tapping of feet, the opening of doors and the tap of falling rain creates the rhythms of daily life. The elements of songwriting, from melody to structure, rhythm to harmony, help define genres and enhance the way we hear music.
 

Melody
 

Melody is vital to a song's recognizability. Songwriter and music producer defines melody as "the tune of the song that you sing or play. The best melodies are considered to be "catchy." A melody can define a popular song or simply be another element in the equation. Melodies dominate songs by artists such as U2 while in genres such as hip hop and death metal, where it takes a back seat to, respectively, rhythm and inertia. Melodic songs generally have distinct melodies for each section of the song, with the chorus carrying the largest, or most captivating, melody.

Harmony
 
Vocal and musical harmonies enhance the depth of a song. "When you have more than one pitch sounding at the same time in music, the result is harmony," writes music columnist and instructor Catherine Schmidt-Jones. She goes on to assert: "Harmony is one of the basic elements of music." Harmony is important to melodic music, as it can be used to enhance and deepen the melodies of the song. Harmonies were an important element of The Beatles' songwriting and a strong part of the band's appeal. Motown also relies heavily on harmony as a tool.

Rhythm
 
Rhythm carries a song forward and determines its tone. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines rhythm as "the aspect of music comprising all the elements (as accent, meter and tempo) that relate to forward movement." The San Francisco Symphony "Kids" music resource tells that "rhythm is what makes music flow." Rhythm is an important element of dance, electronic, rock and hip hop songwriting that both drives and tempers songs. The drums and bass -- commonly referred to as the rhythm section -- generally create and sustain the rhythm of song.

Structure  

A song's structure is important to its distinction in parts and as a whole. Structure is an important element of songwriting. Dynamics within structure can be used to effectively contrast the components of a song, helping them to stand in stronger opposition to one another, thus enhancing their distinction. Pop songs rely on familiar structures to appeal to listener expectations, while progressive music looks for alternate or strange structures. To quote the BBC's songwriting guide: "The structure of a song is the skeleton that holds the component parts of the music together. It gives the song shape and order and each genre of music tends to follow a given structure or musical convention."