What Is Polyphony in Music? A Complete Guide

[rozalinapiano]

No, NOT every piece of music we hear today is polyphony, but instead, most of music is homophonic. Polyphony consists of MELODICALLY INDEPENDENT VOICES., as the main distinction, among other features of it. Melody+accompaniment texture that is most common in popular music, for example, is NOT polyphony. Polyphony is rarely used as the form of music composition in our days, and its complexity isn't taught much even to music majors in music colleges, since its value isn't understood completely, and hopefully - not yet. So, despite the presenter's enthusiasm, I am afraid, this is most incorrect definition of polyphony, sadly.

[darkkitchenrecords]

What a voice! This man can sell me anything

[onlyguitar]

Want some nice polyphonic music? Listen to Jethro Tull- "Songs from the Wood" at 2:38 in or Coheed and Cambria- "Mother Superior" or "Light and the Glass"

[annainspain]

Even l know that Harmony and Polyphony are not synonymous. This man has explained Harmony but not Polyphony.

[justmenate]

This was great - and this guy is great! Cheers!

[brandonplantier]

I guess I'm old school I only play with my right hand melody

[DAVE]

It's good to know the history of this term; as usual your videos are interesting, informative and insightful as well as encouraging. I first came across the term in its more recent usage and was not aware of its history. I.E. on electronic instruments, - e.g. on a Yamaha Clavinova, or a digital 'pipe' organ (digital recordings of actual organ pipes 'speaking')- Polyphony is defined as: -"The maximum number of notes that may be played by an instrument at any one time before experiencing note droppage or loss". This is usually at least 32 (on early models) or 64 or 128 on later ones. A Monophonic electronic instrument can only play one note at any one time.

[lambertstarr]

who came here after watching 5 levels of megalovania?

[송지혜혜]

Thanks! It helped a lot in my studies. 😊

[_picazo_]

Thank you for the video! Very Informative to my music appreciation, and music theory 1 class!

[thepianoplayer]

Howard Goodall did a good documentary on the history of music. Western music started with 1 line of church music. Since women tends to sing higher than men, what came next was men and women singing together but an octave apart. Makes music a bit more interesting but still both parts sound almost identical. And then composers found that by adding 3 & 5 to a melody add nice sounding harmony. For instance the note in the melody is a C you would add something like a E & G below the melody (the notes of a C-chord).

[GustavoGaming]

well 'today' s music is hardly polyphonic..

[rexprabu]

I think this explanation is kid stuff. Achieving reasonable and intricate polyphony is a big subject.

[mathematician]

Before speaking history of music mentioned European, since you are only speaking history of European Music history, not as rest world whole

[UnPureMaddness]

is it worth it to restore a old abandoned piano?

[augustinenathan]

Reduce talking nobody is interested
Come to the point directly