melody

Melody is a sequence of musical pitches perceived as a single, coherent line, often serving as the principal musical idea of a piece. It is typically what listeners remember and hum, and it is built from a combination of pitch, rhythm, and phrasing that gives a tune its distinct character. The term derives from the Greek melōidia, meaning a song or singing, and entered Western musical language through Latin as melodia.

A melody can be described by several features, including its contour (the overall shape of the line), range (the span between its highest and lowest notes), and rhythm (the placement and duration of notes). It may progress by step (conjunct motion) or by leaps (disjunct motion), and often contains motifs—short musical ideas that recur and develop throughout a work. Phrasing and cadences provide musical punctuation, signaling breath points, structural breaks, or conclusions.

Melody exists in relation to other musical dimensions, especially harmony and rhythm. In tonal music, melodies often align with scales and harmonic progressions, while in other traditions melodies may be built from different scale systems, such as pentatonic or modal frameworks. Ornamentation and variation also shape melodic identity in many genres.

Notation typically represents melodies on a staff, though many musical cultures preserve melodies through oral transmission or alternative notation. Across cultures, melodies serve varied expressive purposes, from storytelling and ritual to entertainment and personal expression, making them a central element of musical communication.