Texture
What will we learn?
Today we will learn that music can be layered to create a thinner or thicker sound.
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This can take 20 minutes to complete but we recommend spending around 30-35 minutes on it.
What is texture?
Watch this advert, but listen closely to the music – maybe even close your eyes as you play it. It starts off with one voice, then more instruments join in until the very end when you hear a full band. The texture gets thicker.
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Texture
is the layers that music can have to create a thicker or thinner sound.
When we are talking about texture in musical we use these terms:
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monophonic – the prefix ‘mono-’ means one or single. So this is a single line of music – just like you singing on your own. This is a thin texture.
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polyphonic – the prefix ‘poly-‘ means many. In maths, a polygon has many sides, so a polyphonic piece of music had many layers – a thick texture.
ACTIVITY
Watch the video of Canon in D. It has four different parts.
As you watch the video, notice each musician starts in turn and makes the texture thicker.
ACTIVITY
Listen to this Gregorian chant. Do you think it is monophonic or polyphonic?
Lots of voices are singing the same tune at once. It does not matter how many instruments play it – if they all sing or play the same melody, it is monophonic!
Now try this at home...
You will need at least one person to help you with this!
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Sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat together. This is a monophonic texture.
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Now, let’s try it in a polyphonic texture. We are going to make a round. A round is when one person starts, then other people come in a little later, creating a polyphonic layer!
Watch this video below if you’re not sure and see where you need to come in!