Background

In music, thisclosure means that a melody should end on the tonic note of any particular scale or another note implied by the progression of the melody. Typically, if the melody is played in the key of C, the last note will be C. Occasionally, the note might be G, but seldom any other note in the key of C. To illustrate this point, think of the very short melody of the song “Shave and a Haircut.” If you simply play the notes or sing the words “shave and a haircut,” most people experience a strong longing to hear or sing the last two notes (“two bits”). Try it yourself: Most people cannot stop themselves from singing the l ast two notes of the sequence. In the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? the character of Roger Rabbit is lured out of hiding because he cannot stop himself from completing this melody.

Go to the next tab. You can play "Shave and a Haircut" both with and without closure. When you play it without the last two notes, are you like Roger Rabbit and fill them in?

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