Melodic motion is the quality of movement of a melody, including nearness or farness of successive pitches or notes in a melody. This may be described as conjunct or disjunct, stepwise or skipwise, respectively.

Bruno Nettl (1956, p.51-53) describes various types of melodic movement or contour:

• Ascending
• Descending
• Undulating: equal movement in both of the above directions
• Pendulum: extreme undulation which uses a large range and large intervals
• Tile, terrace, or cascading: a number of descending phrases in which each phrase begins on a higher pitch than the last ended
• Arc
• Rise: may be considered a musical form, a contrasting section of higher pitch, a "musical plateau"

Other examples include:

• Double tonic: smaller pendular motion in one direction

These all may be modal frames or parts of modal frames.

Source

• Nettl, Bruno (1956). Music in Primitive Culture. Harvard University Press.

Melodic motion