Motif
A short musical idea, usually a few notes with a distinct rhythm, that is repeated and developed throughout a piece.
A motif is the smallest unit of musical identity and the raw material of composition: it is stated once, then altered by transposition, inversion, extension or rhythmic change so that the listener recognises it in new contexts. Guitar riffs and classical themes alike are motifs, and development is what separates a piece that grows from one that simply repeats. Players often improvise more convincingly when they treat a single motif as material to vary rather than playing a stream of unrelated licks.
Example: A four-note rhythmic figure that returns in the bass, in the melody and in the solo of a piece is a motif.
See also
Related
- PageRiff
- PagePhrasing
- PageLick
- PageAugmented chord
- PageBlue note
- PageBlues scale
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley