melodic line
1
4.5
- noun
- /məˈloʊdɪk laɪn/
- Specialized
:
línea melódica
- During the lesson, the teacher demonstrated how to create a memorable melodic line using only three notes.
- sing a melodic line
- shape of the melodic line
Examples
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The composer crafted a beautiful melodic line that captured the emotion of the scene.
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In the performance, the singer's melodic line stood out against the orchestral accompaniment.
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You may want those who are performing the accompanying role to support the shape and direction of the melodic line.
Academic text (2002) -
We're going to start with a simple melodic line, and it's going to be this FGA flat.
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Transcribe the melodic line as a group.
Academic text (2003) -
Introduce Poulenc as a twentieth-century composer who was known for writing beautiful melodic lines.
Academic text (2003) -
Inexperienced choristers easily become confused and wander back to the primary melodic line.
Academic text (2000) -
Students in guitar class should learn to play, read, and improvise single melodic lines in various styles, employing techniques characteristic of the style.
Academic text (1990) -
Hampton's fingers fly as he weaves an intricate melodic line over a set of repeating harmonic changes.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
327
1.0
A series of musical notes that you can sing or hum
179
7.2
A single musical tune or clear sound frequency
146
1.8
A series of musical notes that form the main tune of a song
88
7.5
A short melody that returns and changes in a musical piece
31
6.6
A simple tune that you can easily sing or hum
10
9.9
A short series of notes that make a tune
1
3.4
The main tune that represents a person or idea in a piece of music
1
3.4
A short group of notes that sounds complete in a piece of music
1
5.8
A main tune that returns and shapes a musical piece
1
4.9
A short group of notes that sounds like one musical idea
The main tune and words sung in a pop song
How Central
146
1.8
- Specialized
173
3.4
- Specialized
1
4.5
- Specialized
3
6.7
- Specialized
1
4.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'melodic' (having a melody) modifies 'line' (a sequence or strand), yielding a sequence of musical notes or tune. This is a common, cross-linguistically parallel noun phrase and follows regular English noun modification patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase melodic line comes from the idea of melodic, meaning like a song, and line, meaning a path of notes on the music page. Imagine a bright thread of notes you can follow with your ear — that's why melodic line means the 'main tune' of a piece.