Music can be analyzed by considering a variety of its elements, or parts, individually or together. The elements of music may be compared to the elements of art or design. There are different lists of the main elements of music, but some of the most commonly used ones are:
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Pitch: How high or low a note sounds.
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Timbre: The quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.
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Texture: The way different sounds and melodies are combined in a piece of music.
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Volume: How loud or soft the music is.
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Duration: The length of time a note is played.
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Form: The structure of a piece of music, including its sections and how they are organized.
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Rhythm: The pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in music by the occurrence of strong and weak beats.
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Harmony: The way chords are constructed and how they follow each other.
Different experts may have slightly different definitions of these elements, but they generally agree on the principal constituent elements of music. Some sources may include additional elements, such as tonality or expression, but the above list covers the most commonly used ones.
