The Concepts of Music
Dylan Wright

Pitch/Melody
Pitch represents the fundamental frequency of a sound reflecting generally the lowness or highness of a sound and the melody is the pitch and rhythm combined. In Australian popular music composers tend to pick one or two melodies (verse and chorus) and stick with them. The variety then occurs in the lyrics. The beat and the melodies in pop songs have a tendency to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment. This is so the piece is catchy and remains in our head. The pitch is usually within a one octave range, for the simple reason of the vocalist being unable to reach certain notes. It also makes it ‘singable’ for the listeners. What's more, this means that there are no large leaps from notes as popular music is more written with small steps of notes rather than octave leaps. In more recent Australian popular music, it has become less uncommon for us to hear pitch perfect vocals. The reasoning behind this is an ingenious plug-in called Auto-Tune. It’s a studio trick that can take a vocal and instantly nudge it onto the proper note or move it to the correct pitch. You could say it's like Photoshop for the human voice. It can transform an okay performance into something technically flawless. Pitch and melody play a big part in Australian Popular music because, obviously, something that is not pleasing to our ears is not going to entice listeners.

Duration
Duration is the amount of time in a piece and how long it lasts for. In Australian popular music the duration is simple with pieces usually being written in the tempo of simple quadruple time (4 beats per bar) but can vary depending on what kind of genre of popular music you are looking at. Emphasizing the first beat of the bar in pop music leads to it being more defined and prominent. Apparently, the perfect length of a pop song is two minutes and forty three seconds long with songs like “Get Up” by R.E.M, “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas & the Papas and “This Charming Man” by the Smiths being that length. When it comes to a pop song, there’s no need to stick with very high (fast) or low (slow) tempos. Most of the hit Australian popular songs are around mid tempo. This way the listener can groove to it on the dance floor but can still listen to it on the radio without any problem. When pitch and melody start to tie in with duration, rhythm and tempo- You have a pop song on the way.

Tone Colour
Tone Color is the quality or sound of a voice or instrument.

Texture
Texture is the overall sound of a piece of music.

Structure
The structure of songs in Australian popular music is usually sectional with repeating forms. Popular music songs are rarely composed using different music for each stanza of the lyrics as they uses simple melodies, harmonies and words to create catchy songs or ballads that are easy to remember.
An Australian pop song may start with an introduction which is usually the way people identify the song. The introduction is a unique section that comes at the beginning of the piece. It usually builds up suspense for the listener so when the downbeat drops in, it creates surprise. Alternatively, the intro may be based around the chords used in the verse, chorus and bridge.
The verse and chorus of a song are considered the primary elements. Each verse has the same melody with some slight modifications. The lyrics however change for most verses. In Australian popular music a verse could slighting be compared with a poetic stanza.

Often when the verse and chorus involve the same harmonic structure, there will be a pre-chorus that will introduce a new harmonic pattern in order to make the chorus seem fresh. The chorus has a melodic phrase and a key lyrical line which is repeated.

Pop songs that use verses and choruses often have a bridge, which is a section that connects the verse and chorus at one or more points in the song. The verse and chorus are usually repeated throughout a song though the bridge, intro and outro are usually only used once. The bridge usually differs from the verse and the chorus in its harmonic structure and lyrics. Prior to a bridge, the verse is normally performed twice. Since the listener is expecting the chorus, when the bridge is performed the listener is pleasantly surprised by their expectations not being met. The chorus after the bridge is usually last and is often repeated in order to stress that it is final.

Some pop songs may have a solo section, particularly in rock or blues influenced pop. During the solo section one or more instruments play a melodic line which may be the melody used by the singer. After this and/or the bridge, the chorus is usually repeated to indicate the end of the piece and an outro may be played.

Dynamics and Expressive Techniques
Dynamics refers to the softness or loudness of a sound or note, for example pianissimo or fortissimo. Where as expressive techniques are those elements in music that create change which aren’t related to pitch or rhythm. In Australian popular music, different playing techniques help to make the piece more interesting. Bends, trills, powerchords, vibratos and slides creates an entertaining song for all.