Answer:
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, skipwise or no movement, respectively. See also contrapuntal motion.
Explanation:
Melodic contour is the direction of tones ascending and descending in a melody without regard to the rhythm of the actual notes.
The general contour of the line is an important aspect of melody. For example, an 'arch-like' shape is common for many melodies where the line gradually rises hits a single highest not as a climax then gradually descends.
The specific intervals employed in the contour are important. Consider that two lines could generally have the same shape, but the specific intervals could determine that one melody is in the minor mode while the other is in major. You could even have a third line with the same general shape that is atonal and not in any key!
While rhythm is not normally considered when examining melodic contour it is very important for creating the final character of the actual melody.
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