Re: Melodies move by step in any form of music?

Well,, you do need something! These assumptions that you have made are
simply not true. They are all true in SOME instances but certainly not
in all and are not nearly specific enough nor are they frequent enough
to be categorized  as indicative of these styles. All of the things
you mentioned have scale steps, leaps, different contours and interval
spacing usually in each phrase and certainly during each specific
piece of music.

There are characteristics of each of the styles, but it is the very
things that you mention that can help you tell them apart. This is a
big part of what theory is about. listening to music, analyzing it and
determining the conventions of each particular style.

You may do well to get some Music Appreciation books and they may have
the types of charts you are looking for. And of course, you can listen
to the styles that you are interested in,  analyze them and make your
own lists of conventions. That is the best way!
LJS

On May 28, 7:41 pm, nono umasy <nigelinsouthamer...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> just a general question on melody.
>
> no matter what form of music, jazz, flamenco, cuban, funk, afro-beat,
> the melody in these form of music moves by step and not by leaps.
> basically the melodies move using similar contours and intervallic
> spaces?
>
> this just leads me to another question,
> what makes melodies characteristic of certain forms of music, for e.g.
> flamenco the melodies usually start with a tonic note, followed by a
> b2, b3 imposing that phrygian sound.
> e.g. arabic music usually has 3 minor seconds in the scale.
>
> but what about the other forms of music?
>
> would be nice to have a guideline or chart which breaks these
> different characteristic grouping of sounds.