"Melody type" is a fundamental notion for understanding a nature of Western and non-Western musical
modes, according to
Harold Powers' seminal article "Mode" in the first edition of the
New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians . Melody types are used in the
composition of an enormous variety of
music, especially
non-Western and
early Western music. Such music is generally composed by a process of
centonization, either freely (i.e. improvised) or in a fixed pattern. "Melody type" as used by the ethnomusicologist
Mark is defined as a "group of melodies that are related, in that they all contain similar modal procedures and characteristic
rhythmic and melodic contours or patterns". Most cultures which compose music in this way organize the patterns into distinct melody types. These are often compared to modern Western
scales, but they in fact represent much more information than a sequence of permissible
pitches, since they include how those pitches should function in the music, and indicate basic formulas which serve as a basis for
improvisation. In non-improvised music, such as codified liturgical music, it is still usually clear how the melody developed from set patterns. == Melodic formulae and melody types in monodic traditions around the world ==