Ethnomusicologist
Bruno Nettl describes various types of
melodic movement or
contour to categorise a song's melody. There are three general categories,
ascending,
descending, and
undulating: •
Ascending: Upwards melodic movement (only found in remote regions). •
Descending: Downwards melodic movement (prevalent in the New World and
Australian music). •
Undulating: Equal movement in both directions, using approximately the same intervals for ascent and descent (prevalent in Old World culture music). Usually concludes with a descending progression. •
Pendulum: Extreme form of undulating movement that covers a large range and uses large intervals is called pendulum-type melodic movement. Like undulating melodies, usually concludes with a descending progression. According to Nettl, undulating and descending melodies are far more common than ascending ones. He also identifies additional specialized types which characterise musical styles with exceptionally homogenous contours, named after the melody contour's trace. •
Tile,
terrace, or
cascading: a number of descending
phrases in which each phrase begins on a higher pitch than the last ended (prevalent in the
North American Plain Indians music). •
Arc: The melody rises and falls in roughly equal amounts, the curve ascending gradually to a climax and then dropping off (prevalent among
Navajo and
North American Indian music) In addition to this,
rise, which may be considered a
musical form, is a contrasting section of higher pitch, a "musical plateau". Other examples include: •
Double tonic: smaller pendular motion in one direction These all may be
modal frames or parts of modal frames. ==See also==