monoääninen

Monoääninen is a Finnish term that translates to "monophonic" in English. It describes music or sound that consists of a single melodic line, without any harmonic accompaniment or contrapuntal elements. In essence, it is a single voice or instrument playing a melody by itself. This contrasts with polyphony, which involves multiple independent melodic lines played simultaneously, or homophony, where a melody is supported by chords.

Historically, monophony was the dominant form of music in many cultures before the development of more complex musical structures. Early Gregorian chant, for example, is a prime example of monophonic music. In modern music, monophonic passages can be found in various genres, often used for emphasis, simplicity, or to highlight a particular melody. Electronic music producers also utilize monophonic synthesis, where a synthesizer produces only one note at a time, to create distinct melodic leads or basslines. The term can be applied not only to vocal music but also to instrumental music where only one melodic part is present at any given moment.