Music · 40 minutes
Suggested grades 9–12 · Unit 1: Rhythm and Melodic Design · Lesson 2 of 2
Move a Melody Without Losing Its Shape
Use an original pitch sequence to distinguish contour from interval size and absolute pitch.
Mr. S Teaches · Original starter lesson · HS-MUS-02 · Grade range is planning guidance.Watch, notice, discuss
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The Most Effective Way to Transpose Music - Music Theory
By Music Matters
Follow the written-transposition method and check that each motif pitch moves by the same interval.
Open on YouTube: The Most Effective Way to Transpose Music - Music Theory (opens a new tab) ↗How to read music - Tim Hansen
By TED-Ed
Use pitch and notation review as an alternate readiness explanation before testing whether contour and rhythm were preserved.
Open on YouTube: How to read music - Tim Hansen (opens a new tab) ↗What idea from the video helps you transpose a short motif by a fixed semitone amount and explain what changes and what remains? Identify one useful example and one limit of the video's model or explanation.
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Learning objective
Transpose a short motif by a fixed semitone amount and explain what changes and what remains.
Before you begin
- Read letter-name pitches and signed differences.
Gather your materials
- Paper or notebook
- Pencil; calculator optional for numerical work; all task data supplied below
Language to know
- contour
- The pattern of rising, falling or repeated pitch movement.
- interval
- The distance between two pitches.
- transposition
- Moving all pitches by the same interval while retaining their relationships.
Understand the concept
Original motif: C4–D4–G4–E4–D4–C4, all with equal durations. Use semitone positions C4=0, D4=2, E4=4, F4=5, G4=7, A4=9, B4=11, C5=12. Moving every position up two semitones gives 2, 4, 9, 6, 4, 2; name position 6 as F♯4. Contour describes direction, while interval size preserves more precise relationships. A melody can retain contour yet change intervals, so contour alone does not identify an exact melody.
Teach it step by step
- Place the original motif on a numbered pitch line and connect successive points.
- Calculate adjacent signed semitone differences and describe the contour.
- Add two to every pitch position, then compare the differences before and after.
- Discuss with a partner/tutor using the prepared pitch-line evidence; ask whether a proposed version is transposed or merely similar in contour, then revise the labels.
Make the thinking visible
Worked example or model response
The original differences are +2, +5, −3, −2, −2. The transposed pitches D4–E4–A4–F♯4–E4–D4 retain those differences. Changing only C4 notes to D4 would not transpose the whole motif.
Guided practice
Together compare the original with 0, 1, 4, 3, 1, 0: it has a similar up/up/down/down/down contour but different interval sizes.
Independent practice
Write the motif’s positions after moving all notes down one semitone, using numbers if pitch names are unfamiliar. Explain preserved intervals and summarize another learner’s contour-versus-interval distinction.
Quick assessment
Can two melodies share contour without being exact transpositions?
Answer key & assessment criteria
Answers and teaching guidance
- Guided: Yes; the comparison sequence has different step sizes, despite the same directional pattern.
- Independent: Positions become −1, 1, 6, 3, 1, −1; adjacent differences remain +2,+5,−3,−2,−2. Assess accurate uniform shift and explanation.
- Quick check: Yes. Exact transposition requires the same interval relationships, not only the same rise/fall directions.
Look for: Assess the stated objective using the concrete criteria and explanations in the answer key. Invite an alternative supported solution; distinguish a model’s prediction from an established observation.
Make it work for your learner
More support
Use numbered pitch cards and a ruler; a silent written score fully replaces performance.
Extension challenge
Change one interval deliberately while keeping contour; discuss how that creates a variation rather than an exact transposition.
Verified references · Selected contributions
Standards connections
Subject-content alignment not yet verified
Supporting literacy connections
These records apply to the specified reading, writing or communication task. They do not establish subject-content alignment.
Supporting Common Core connection
SL.9-10.1
Common Core · Grades 9–10
Prepare, discuss evidence, question ideas and respond to other perspectives.
Read the official standard ↗The prepared critique or discussion practices selected communication skills in the stated ELA band. This is not an arts, music, health or physical-education content standard and does not establish subject-content alignment.
Verified 2026-11-04. Selected contribution, not full attainment.