1.2 Introducing pitch and rhythm
Figure 7 A visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies in a sound as it varies over time
The two primary elements of all music are pitch and duration/rhythm:
- Pitch is the term that musicians use for describing how high or how low a note is. Physicists would describe this element as frequency and measure it in cycles per second, or hertz.
- Rhythm refers to music’s temporal structure, how long or short notes are and how they are stressed.