Beatles Key Terms Flashcards
Antiphonal
A musical texture where the musical material is sung/played by alternate groups.
Automatic Double Tracking (ADT)
Creating a double tracking effect through the use of tape delay. Can now be done digitally.
BPM
The number of beats per minute.
Bridge
A contrasting section performed before returning to a verse of chorus. Can sometimes be called a middle 8.
Celeste
A keyboard like instrument where hammers strike metal plates of different pitch.
Concept Album
A studio recording with thematic unity, purpose or artistic cohesiveness.
Contrapuntal
A texture where two or more melodic lines are performed at the same time.
Call and Response
A musical texture where one musician or group makes a musical statement and it’s then immediately answered by another musician or a group of musicians.
Dilruba
A bowed string instrument found throughout the Indian sub-continent.
Double Tracking
Recording the same instrument or vocal part twice to achieve a chorus type effect.
Drone
A harmonic effect where a single note or chord is sustained throughout a musical phrase. Often appears as a perfect 4th/5th.
Harpsichord
A keyboard instrument where the strings are plucked rather than struck.
Imperfect Cadence
A cadence that finishes on the dominant (V) that makes an unfinished sound.
Inversions
An inverted chord is one where any note from the chord appears as the lowest pitch other than the root note.
Lesley Speaker
A loudspeaker and amplifier with a rotating drum producing a fluttering effect.
Mixolydian
Can refer to the Greek, medieval or modern mode.
Modulation
Process of changing from one key to another.
Ostinato
A constantly repeated musical phrase.
Overture
Opening section to a piece of music, usually an instrumental introduction.
Passing notes
Melodic notes that do not form part of the essential harmonic structure but ‘pass’ between one chord and another.
Perfect Cadence
A progression from V to I in both major and minor keys. It gives the musical phrase a sense of finish.
Pizzicato
Plucking rather than bowing a stringed instrument such as a violin or cello.
Root
The note from which the chord grows. ie The first note.
Segue
A smooth, uninterrupted transition from the end of one piece of music into another piece.
Sequence
Repetition of a music motif or melodic phrase at a higher/lower pitch.
Shuffle Beat
Commonly found in rock, jazz and blues with an eight beat rhythm sub-divided into triplets.
Sitar
A plucked string instrument found mainly in Indian music.
Stepwise
Refers to melody in most cases where the movement is largely by step.
Swarmandal
An Indian harp or zither.
Syncopation
Refers to stresses in the rhythmic flow that appear to be off the main beats in the pulse.
Tabla
An Indian drum where the pitch can be altered by pressing on the skin.
Tala
A repeated rhythmic pattern found in Indian music. Played by the Tabla.
Tambura
A lute like stringed instrument producing a drone.
Tie
Two or more notes held/ tied together.
Transition
A transition is a section of music that links one main idea to another. For example, between a verse and a chorus.
Word Painting
A compositional technique whereby the sound of the music reflects the lyrical content thereby literally ‘painting’ the words.
