in 1970, Jan LaRue's Book Guidelines for Style Analysis was published.  While musical analysis has been around much longer, I consider this to be an excellent resource.  It is a method that can be taught both to the beginner trying to bring more coherency to their music and the more advanced musician trying to refine their technique.  It is also an excellent teaching tool when trying to instruct children in the interpretation of pieces that they play.

LaRue focuses on "SHMRG" (shmerg) analysis.  This acronym allows analysis of a piece of music by considering the following five elements:

Sound

Harmony

Melody

Rhythm

Growth

Rosemary Olsen's master's thesis on the educational application of LaRue's style is available through this website, but before we turn to her wisdom, here are some basics of "SHMRG analysis."

Sound:

             First think about the instrumentation.  Obviously, this refers to what you are using to make the music, such as a violin, tuba or even just your vocal chords.

             Next, we come to texture.  Pieces can be monophonic(one-sound), homophonic (same sound) or polyphonic (many sounds).  More simply put, monophonic is like a chant.  Homophonic music is where all of the voices move in the same direction,    such as a hymn or a melody and an accompaniment.  Polyphonic music allows all of the voices to move in different directions.

             Finally, think about the timbre (tambur).  This is a fancy word for the quality of the sound the instrument is producing.

Harmony:

            It is important in any piece of music to have at least a basic understanding of how the harmonies work off of each other.  In AP Music Theory, I was subjected to Schoenberg's Theory of Harmony, but that is not for the faint of heart.  You can start by looking at a single line, such as the left hand of a piece.  Focus on one note and follow where it goes from the start to finish of a line.

Melody:

          If music were all like karaoke, the melody would be the singer.  It is important to understand the flow of that melody.  Many times, it will be very simple and easy to identify; at other times, no one 'voice' has it.  A good way to study the second one is to listen to symphonies or concertos.  See my recommended recordings page.  Even if you're listening to a piece played by a single instrument, such as a piano, the melody can belong to multiple voices.  First study the general line of melody and countermelody to understand what the end goal of the piece is.  In other words, try to understand from the beginning of the story how it will end. 

         It is also a good idea to identify the mood of the piece for yourself.  This can be anything--musical analysis is meant to be highly subjective--but make sure that it works for you.  If you need to tell a story about the piece, do so.  If you need to just think of an adjective, such as "bright" or "pensive," do so.

Rhythm:

        This is another thing that is simple, but fundamental.  It is more than looking at the time signature and tapping out the beat with your foot.  You need to first identify if it's a simple rhythm or a more complex one.  One good example of the simple rhythm is Bach's Minuet in G, where the melody line is no more complicated than alternating quarter-note and short eighth-note passages.  A complex rhythm might be found in something like Grieg's Notturno in C Major.

Growth:

        This last element has more to do with looking at the big picture.  It studies the progress of the music.  If you think of a piece as a novel, these might be major plot points or chapters.  And, as in a novel, there have to be certain elements such as the introduction, rising tension, denoument, etc.