"Melodic Contour"

Transcript
Page 1. The World On A String. Number 8, the Volume 4 finale! CC BY-SA Ken Alleman 2020. [Defunct link.] A vehicle tows a camper down a road lined with pine trees. There are mountains in the distance. The snow caps form two distinctly similar contours.

Page 2. Hugh Mann drives. K, the passenger, says, "A melody is defined by a pattern of rising and falling intervals." An editorial comment clarifies that an interval is the total distance between any two notes in a scale.

Page 3. Two examples, in tablature and standard notation, followed by a third example that links the two into one long phrase. The two phrases have a similar rise and fall in the progression of the dots. Text reads, "That pattern is recognizable no matter where in the scale it starts or what key it's in. An example in F minor of the same pattern occurring twice in one part."

Page 4. K says, "This pattern is called the melodic contour."

Page 5. We see up close that the vehicle is the String Wing, and the camper, of similar make, is called the String Stream. K says, "Melodic contour is one of the elements tht can be repeated in order to connect otherwise dissimilar sections of music."

Page 6. K and Hugh Mann sit around a campfire roasting broccoli. Hugh Mann, communicating through handwritten sign, says, "Use melodic contour in your own compositions and improvisations!" K, strumming a guitar, says, "Also, listen for melodic contour in the music you're hearing. It's good training for your musical brain!" A final editorial comment reads "From the String Senshi to you, thanks for reading!"

Page 7. A text letter which reads, "That wraps it up for The World On A String Volume 4. I hope you enjoyed it. Making the change from ink to digital has been a learning experience, as the changing quality of the strips reveals. Aside from long-form projects, like The Way Of Jamming, this is the last time The World On A String comic strips will be produced and released as a collection. From here on out, new comic strips will be freestanding and released upon completion. Working in volunmes was a helpful challenge, but I'm ready for more flexibility. A good lesson in setting creative guidelines early on, then abandoning them once they've outlived their purpose! Ken, 1/8/2021, 10:21 PM." A note follows, reading, "Ken is the creator of The World On A String. He has been a guitarist for 20 years and a cartoonist for 32."

Page 8. An all-text page, reading

Aaron Bailey
Addie Mae Collins
Ahmaud Arbery
Aiyana Stanley Jones
Akai Gurley
Albert Joseph Davis
Alexia Christian
Alonzo Smith
Alteria Woods
Alton Sterling
Amadou Diallo
Andrew Kearse
Anthony Ashford
Anthony Hill
Antronie Scott
Antwon Rose II
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Atatiana Jefferson
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Billy Ray Davis
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Bradley Blackshire
Brendon Glenn
Breonna Taylor
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Calin Roquemore
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Chavis Carter
Chris Beaty
Christian Taylor
Christopher Davis
Christopher Mccorvey
Christopher Whitfield
Clinton R. Allen
Corey Carter
Corey Jones
Cynthia Wesley
Danroy "DJ" Henry Jr.
Dante Parker
Darius Robinson
Darius Tarver
Darrien Hunt
Darrius Stewart
David Joseph
David Mcatee
Demarcus Semer
Demetrius Dubose
Derrick Ambrose Jr.
Dion Johnson
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Dominique Clayton
Dontre Hamilton
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dyzhawn Perkins
Elijah McClain
Emmett Till
Eric Garner
Eric Harris
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Ezell Ford
Felix Kumi
Frank Smart
Freddie Carlos Gray Jr.
George Floyd
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Henry Smith
India Kager
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Jamar Clark
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James Byrd Jr.
James Lee Alexander
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Janet Wilson
Jemel Roberson
Jerame Reid
John Crawford III
Jonathan Sanders
Jordan Edwards
Joseph Mann
Junior Prosper
Kalief Browder
Karvas Gamble Jr.
Keith Childress Jr.
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Kendrick Johnson
Kevin Hicks
Kevin Matthews
Kimoni Davis
Kionte Spencer
Kiwane Carrington
Kobe Dimock-Heisler
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Martin Lee Anderson
Mary Truxillo
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Matthew Ajibade
Medgar Evers
Michael Brown
Michael Lee Marshall
Michael Lorenzo Dean
Michael Noel
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Michael Stewart
Michelle Cusseaux
Miguel Espinal
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Natasha McKenna
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Nicholas Heyward Jr.
Oscar Grant III
Pamela Turner
Paterson Brown
Paul O'Neal
Peter Gaines
Philando Castile
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Renisha McBride
Richard Perkins
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Tamir Rice
Tanisha Anderson
Tayler Rock
Terence Crutcher
Terrill Thomas
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Tony McDade
Tony Robinson
Torrey Robinson
Trayvon Martin
Troy Hodge
Troy Robinson
Tyre King
Tyree Crawford
Victor Duffy Jr.
Victor Manuel Larosa
Victor White III
Walter Scott
Wayne Arnold Jones
Wendell Celestine
William Chapman II
William Green
Willie McCoy
Willie Tillman
#BLM

Names sourced from BabyNames.com.

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