Short answer
Melody is a succession of pitches in rhythm; harmony concerns pitches sounding together and their chordal relationships. They are not competing names for the same thing: a melodic line can participate in harmony, and music need not contain both. 1 2
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| Question | Melody | Harmony |
|---|---|---|
| What is being followed? | Pitches unfolding in rhythm | Pitches sounding together |
| How is it represented in a lead sheet? | Notes and rhythms | Chord symbols |
| Must it occupy a separate part? | No; melodies can overlap | No; overlapping melodies can create it |
| Does it involve change over time? | Yes, through successive pitches | Yes, through harmonic progressions |
These distinctions follow the supplied songwriting and introductory theory accounts. 1 2
What each thing is
Melody combines pitch with rhythm, rather than being merely a list of note names. Harmony describes combinations of pitches: CUNY introduces it through simultaneous sounds and chords. Its discussion also includes how harmonies progress, so harmony is not limited to one isolated instant. 1 2
Key differences
The central difference is the relationship being examined. For melody, follow how one pitch succeeds another rhythmically. For harmony, examine how pitches combine at a shared moment and how those combinations change. A familiar or memorable tune is often melodic, but memorability is not the definition. 1 2
How to tell them apart
Ask whether you are tracking a line through time or comparing pitches heard together. On a lead sheet, written notes and rhythms identify the melody, while chord symbols identify harmony. The limit: those symbols do not specify the actual harmonic voicing, texture, or orchestration. 1 2
Where they overlap
Melody and harmony can be present in the same musical material. When two melodies overlap, each remains a line unfolding through time, while their simultaneous pitches create harmony. Calling one part “the melody” therefore does not mean its notes have no harmonic role. 2
Edge cases
A line of pitches and rhythms without additional simultaneous pitches illustrates melody without harmony under CUNY’s introductory definition. Conversely, harmony need not be a block of chords underneath a tune: it can emerge from overlapping melodies. Neither term guarantees a separate, dedicated performance part. 1 2
Why the distinction exists
The distinction separates two useful musical questions: what line unfolds, and what pitch combinations occur? Songwriting notation makes that separation practical. A lead sheet preserves melody and chord symbols while leaving voicing and orchestration unspecified, distinguishing the musical outline from a fully detailed realization. 1
Common misconceptions
Harmony does not simply mean pleasant sound: CUNY includes both stable, consonant combinations and tense, dissonant ones. Nor does harmony always mean accompaniment, since overlapping melodies can produce it. Finally, the sources do not require every piece to have harmony alongside its pitches and rhythms. 2
Examples
Two hypothetical cases apply the distinction. First, a singer performs a rhythmic sequence of pitches alone: the sequence is melody, without the simultaneous pitch combinations described as harmony here. Second, two singers perform different melodies together: each line is melodic, and their coinciding pitches produce harmony. 1 2