A song is a purely musical composition designed to be played by the voice. The melody or song quality is determined by the arrangement, harmony, and rhythm of the musical notes. Songs are different types, including those with the basic variation and repetition of rhythmic elements. Most commonly used in modern music, some of these popular songs include: How Do You Want The World To Know? (The Beatles), Mary Had A Little Lamb ( Dylan), I Remember You (Riders Of Time), and Purple Rain (The Beatles). Other popular songs that have entered into the mainstream include: Take It Easy (Eagles), Home On The Sunshine Coast (Eagles), Wonderful Tonight (mith iv), Proud Mary (OK Go), Take Me Home I Remember (ramsay Brothers), and Thank God I’m a Country Boy (Waxahatchee Indians). Some more country and western songs have been adapted for use in modern music.
One of the most important aspects of the definition of a song is that it contains two parts. The first part is pragmatic play or phrases that make up the lyrics of the song. The second part is the melody, which is the basic musical arrangement of the words or phrases on the page. The words or phrases may also appear in a separate component called the instrumental. The term ‘part song’ refers to a song that consists of more than one piece.
A number of compositional methods are used in making a song. Many styles are represented in Western music, though some older forms of classical music, such as German and Italian operas, don’t use many of the complex musical structures used in Western music. In fact, many classical songs don’t use any melody at all. A song is said to be a melodic or a non-melodic musical composition if it only uses chords, scales, and arpeggios. Even a song that includes harmony is considered a melodic song.
Melodically, music can be classified according to ornamentation, texture, and structure. Instrumental and vocal accompaniments, for instance, can change the mood or emotion of a song. Examples of instrumental and popular songs that incorporate an accompaniment include such popular songs as: I Want To Hold Your Hand, Take It Easy, Make It Last, Hampden (Where Are You) by The Beatles, American Pie by The Eagles, and Round Here I Stand by The Rolling Stones. Vocal accompaniments include such famous voices as: George Harrison’s sad, wailing voice on All Along the Watchtower, Annie Atkins’ heavenly, strong voice on The Little Girl Next Door, and Don Williams’ powerful, soulful vocals on Here, There And Everywhere.
A song that includes an instrumental interplay of sounds, most often played on the piano or guitar, is referred to as a chordal song. A song with a melody that is sung by a single singer may also be categorized as a chordal song. Simple songs like: Home, Good Day, and I’m a Homeowner are usually not thought of as chords. On the other hand, a song may incorporate an instrumental line with the singer’s words, most often sung in a Minor scale. This song, called a plagio (for flat, half-tones played repeatedly) is most often associated with the old classical music form, when it was first introduced.
Finally, some songs can best be described as a poem. While there are thousands of song titles and formulas available to songwriters, few if any will be able to accurately label and define a poem. Poetry is the only form of song that completely escapes the categorization of either music or dance. A poem, with no melody and only a few lyrics, can also be termed a song because it is wholly its own thing.