Unit 1 · Lesson 5 of 6 — IB MYP: Personal and Cultural Expression · Communication
Contour
Contour is the overall shape of a melody. Instead of copying a shape, you will create a melody first, then identify the shape your musical choices produced.
In this lesson
Learning Targets
Each section below is labeled with the target it teaches. The questions and your Noteflight task practice every target.
Target 1Describe melodic contour
Target 2Identify high and low points
Target 3Connect contour to musical direction
Target 4Revise a melody to change its shape
IB MYP connection
Command terms: DESCRIBE · IDENTIFY
DescribeIdentify
Learner Profile · ATL
Knowledgeable · Thinker — Thinking: apply what you notice about melodic movement to shape your own musical ideas.
Task
Use what you're learning to complete the Noteflight task below, then check your own work before moving on.
Inquiry: What shape did your melody end up making, and was that shape a choice or an accident?
Reflect: What did “Contour” teach you about your own composing choices?
Key words
Words you will use today
Contour
The overall shape of a melody when you zoom out from individual notes: the line you would draw through all of them.
Arch
A contour that rises to an apex and then falls.
Inverted arch
A contour that dips to a low point and then rises.
Wave
A contour that rises and falls several times without one dominant peak.
Ascending / descending contour
A contour whose overall direction is up, or down, from start to finish.
Contour sketch
A quick line drawing of a melody’s shape: time left to right, pitch low to high.
Zooming out
Target 1
From segments to shape
In Lesson 2 you analyzed melodies note by note and segment by segment. Contour is the view from farther back: the single shape all those segments add up to. A contour sketch below each example traces pitch over time. Orange marks the apex; green marks the low point.
01
Seeing the shape
Look past the individual steps and you can see “Ode to Joy” rise to its apex, fall to its low point, and rise partway again before settling. Two segments of motion, one clear shape.
apex low pointBeethoven, “Ode to Joy,” first phrase: rise, fall, partial rise.
Common contours
Target 1Target 2Target 3
Four shapes you will hear everywhere
Most melodies fit one of a handful of contours, and each shape tends to create a particular sense of direction. Listen to each example, then look at its sketch. Find the apex and the low point in each.
01
Arch
Rises to an apex, then falls. The arch feels complete in itself: tension builds and then releases. It is the most common melodic shape.
apex low point“Amazing Grace” (NEW BRITAIN): up to E, back down to G.02
Descending
Moves downward from start to finish. A descending contour sounds like settling, arriving, or pouring out. Here it spans a full octave.
apex low point“Joy to the World”: high C straight down to low C.03
Inverted arch
Dips to a low point, then climbs. It creates a sense of gathering energy and pushing upward toward a goal.
apex low point“The Star-Spangled Banner”: down to C, then up an octave.04
Wave
Rises and falls repeatedly within a narrow band. Waves feel calm and continuous, like the music is breathing, which is why Grieg used one to depict a sunrise.
apex low pointGrieg, “Morning Mood” (pitches of the opening, rhythm simplified).
Worked revision
Target 2Target 4
Revising a melody to give it shape
A melody can be correct and still shapeless. The draft below never leaves a three-note band until the last measure, so there is no apex to aim for. One revised measure changes the whole contour.
BeforeDraft: a flat wave with no real apex.
AfterRevision: m. 3 climbs to an apex on high C (orange).
apex low point
apex low point
Where
Change
Effect on contour
mm. 1–2
Unchanged
The repeated wave now works as a calm setup
m. 3
E–F–E–D becomes G–A–C–G
Creates an apex late in the phrase, so the line builds toward it
m. 4
Unchanged
Now descends from the apex to a closed ending on C
Model description: The draft is a narrow wave that repeats the same four notes three times, so nothing stands out. Revising measure 3 to climb to high C gives the phrase a clear apex three-quarters of the way through. The contour becomes an arch with a late peak: two calm measures, a rise, and a descent to the home tone. The melody now has direction.
Only one measure changed. Revising for contour is usually about where the apex goes, not rewriting everything.
Check your understanding
Try it before you compose
Pick an answer for each question. You will see right away whether you are correct and why.
0 of 6 correct
1What contour does this melody have?
Target 1
2In “Amazing Grace,” where is the apex?
Target 2
3Listen only. Which contour do you hear?
Target 1Target 3
4You want a melody to build excitement all the way to its final measure. Which contour fits best?
Target 3
5Here is a flat draft. Play both revisions. Which one turns it into an arch?
Target 4Target 2
A
B
6In “The Star-Spangled Banner” opening, where is the low point?
Target 2
Take it to Noteflight
Compose, sketch, and revise
This time you work in the order composers actually do: draft freely, step back to see the shape you made, then revise on purpose.
Your Noteflight task
Create a 4-measure melody. Listen, sketch its contour on paper or in your notes, then revise at least one measure to make the contour more intentional.