melody
Notes in succession
A melody is a sequence of musical notes forming a recognizable tune—the part of a song you hum or whistle.
While harmony involves simultaneous notes, melody is the horizontal line that moves through time: The melody kept running through my head.
A pleasing or tuneful quality in speech or writing can also be called melody.
Inescapable catchy melody
- hookCurved catching device
- jingleBrief advertising melody
- singableAble to be voiced musically
- memorableWorth holding onto
refrain · chorus · anthem · hit · chart-topper · viral · sticky · addictive
Musical sequence of notes
- songMusical piece with words
- airGaseous envelope surrounding Earth
- themeCentral recurring concept
- motifRecurring thematic element
phrase · line · passage · strain · hook · refrain · chorus · verse
Musical piece with words
- ariaOperatic solo piece
- balladNarrative poem or song
- lullabySoothing song for babies
- serenadeOutdoor romantic performance
carol · hymn · chant · ditty · chanson · lieder · crooning · croon
Repeated musical phrase
- soloPerformance by one
- themeCentral recurring concept
- motifRecurring thematic element
- obligatoRequired musical accompaniment
obbligato · cadenza · leitmotif · ostinato · passage · run · trill · glissando
Musically expressive
- flowingMoving continuously onward
- soaringRising effortlessly upward
- hauntingDisturbingly unforgettable
- liltingPleasantly wavering in pitch
plaintive · wistful · melancholic · joyful · uplifting · tender · sweet · poignant
Words forming partial meaning
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- antecedentSomething that precedes
- consequentFollowing as an effect
sequence · development · variation · inversion · retrograde · augmentation · diminution · transposition
Regular common people
- classicalOf ancient Greece/Rome
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- bluesMournful American music genre
- popFizzy drink, regionally
rock · ragtime · raga · gamelan · pentatonic · modal · chromatic · diatonic
Secondary melodic line
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- counterpointSimultaneous independent melodies
- polyphonySimultaneous independent melodic lines
- homophonySame-sounding different words
accompaniment · bassline · chord · consonance · dissonance · interval · thirds · fifths
earworm
Inescapable catchy melody
memorable · refrain · chorus · anthem · hit · chart-topper · viral · sticky · addictive · repetitive
tune
Musical sequence of notes
motif · phrase · line · passage · strain · hook · refrain · chorus · verse · riff
song
Musical piece with words
serenade · carol · hymn · chant · ditty · chanson · lieder · crooning · croon · vocalize
riff
Repeated musical phrase
obligato · obbligato · cadenza · leitmotif · ostinato · passage · run · trill · glissando · legato
lyrical
Musically expressive
- flowingMoving continuously onward
- soaringRising effortlessly upward
- hauntingDisturbingly unforgettable
lilting · plaintive · wistful · melancholic · joyful · uplifting · tender · sweet · poignant · expressive
phrase
Words forming partial meaning
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- antecedentSomething that precedes
consequent · sequence · development · variation · inversion · retrograde · augmentation · diminution · transposition · modulation
folk
Regular common people
- classicalOf ancient Greece/Rome
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- bluesMournful American music genre
pop · rock · ragtime · raga · gamelan · pentatonic · modal · chromatic · diatonic · atonal
countermelody
Secondary melodic line
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- counterpointSimultaneous independent melodies
- polyphonySimultaneous independent melodic lines
homophony · accompaniment · bassline · chord · consonance · dissonance · interval · thirds · fifths · octave
- artsartist, creativity, expression, songs, painting
- musicmusic, song, songs, singing, singer
- songssong, songs, tune, folk ballads, ballads
- soundssound, beeps, listen, sounds, hear
- songwritinglyrics, verse, verse-chorus, refrain, song structure
- kids musicsinging, songs, lullabies, nursery rhymes, alphabet songs
melodycacophony
Harsh, clashing sounds
discord · dissonance · noise · discordance · disharmony
melodyharmony
Agreement or musical blend
rhythm · counterpoint · chord · beat · accompaniment
- melody linePrimary musical phrase
- folk melodyTraditional communal tune
- catchy melodyMemorable musical phrase
- Unchained MelodySong about unrestricted longing
- folk melodiesAncestral community songs
- Victorian melodramaSensational nineteenth-century stage entertainment
melodious, melodrama, melodic, unmelodious, melodies, melodiously, melodically, melodiousness, melodize