View source for Melodic pattern

{{See also|Prosody (linguistics)}}
[[Image:Four note ascending melodic pattern.png|thumb|Simple melodic pattern. {{audio|Four note ascending melodic pattern.mid|Play}}]]
[[File:God Save the Queen melodic sequence.png|thumb|Melodic sequence on the lines "Send her victorious," and "Happy and glorious," from "God Save the Queen" {{audio|God Save the King melodic sequence.mid|Play}}]]

In [[music]] and [[jazz improvisation]], a '''melodic pattern''' (or '''motive''') is a cell or germ serving as the basis for [[repetition (music)|repetitive]] [[pattern]]. It is a figure that can be used with any [[scale (music)|scale]]. It is used primarily for [[solo (music)|solos]] because, when practiced enough, it can be extremely useful when [[musical improvisation|improvising]]. "Sequence" refers to the repetition of a part at a higher or lower pitch,<ref>Berg, Shelly (2005). ''Alfred's Essentials of Jazz Theory'', p.83. Alfred Music. {{ISBN|9780739030899}}. "Melodic sequence is the repetition of an idea transposed by some interval."</ref><ref>Briggs (2011). ''The Language and Materials of Music'', p.202. Third Edition. Highland Heritage. {{ISBN|9781257996148}}. "Melodic sequences are patterns that repeat at different pitches."</ref><ref>Randel, Don Michael; ed. (2003). ''The Harvard Dictionary of Music'', p.768. Harvard. {{ISBN|9780674011632}}. "Sequence: The repetition of a phrase of melody (melodic sequence)...at different pitch levels, the succession of pitch levels rising or falling by the same or similar succession of intervals."</ref><ref>Giffe, William Thomas (1906). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3e0sAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22melodic+sequence%22&pg=PA107 A Practical Course in Harmony and Musical Composition]'', p.107. T. Presser. {{pre-ISBN}} "A melodic sequence may consist of a melodic design, or phrase, repeated in a symmetrical manner."</ref> and melodic sequence is differentiated from [[sequence (music)|harmonic sequence]]. One example of melodic motive and sequence are the pitches of the first line, "Send her victorious," repeated, a step lower, in the second line, "Happy and glorious," from "[[God Save the Queen]]".

[[Image:C major scale melodic pattern.png|thumb|center|400px|Melodic pattern in C major.<ref>Berle, Arnie (1997). ''Mel Bay Encyclopedia of Scales, Modes and Melodic Patterns'', p.9. {{ISBN|0-7866-1791-8}}.</ref>]]

"A melodic pattern is just what the name implies: a melody with some sort of fixed pattern to it."<ref>Greene, Ted (1985). ''Ted Greene -- Jazz Guitar Single Note Soloing'', p.42. Alfred Music. {{ISBN|9780739053843}}.</ref> "The strong [[subject (music)|theme]] or [[motif (music)|motive]] is stated. It is repeated more or less exactly, but at a different pitch level."<ref>Haerle, Dan (1993). ''Jazz Improvisation for Keyyboard Players'', p.2-7. Alfred. {{ISBN|9781457493874}}.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Isorhythm|Color (isorhythm)]]
*[[Imitation (music)]]
*[[Melody type]]
*[[Lick (music)]]
*[[Phrase (music)]]

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

==Further reading==
*Hanon, C.L. (2000) ''The Virtuoso Pianist''. {{ISBN|9781569221440}}. Cited in Baerman, Noah (2003). ''Big Book of Jazz Piano Improvisation'', p.&nbsp;33. {{ISBN|9780739031711}}.
*[[Yusef Lateef|Lateef, Yusef]] (1981). ''Repository of Scales and Melodic Patterns''. Fana Music. Cited in Baerman (2003), p.&nbsp;33.
*[[Nicolas Slonimsky|Slonimsky, Nicolas]] (2000). ''Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns''. {{ISBN|9780825672408}}. Cited in Baerman (2003), p.&nbsp;33.

{{Jazz theory}}
{{Melody}}

[[Category:Melody]]
[[Category:Repetition (music)]]


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