defying gravity key terms

Question 1

leitmotif

Answer 1

a recurring musical idea which is associated with theme, character or place

Question 2

motif

Answer 2

a short melodic phrase of just a few notes

Question 3

metrical shifting

Answer 3

the downbeat is shifted to a different part of the bar

Question 4

bitonal

Answer 4

music that is in 2 keys at the same time

Question 5

augmented chord

Answer 5

chord built on 2 major triads

Question 6

tremolo

Answer 6

rapid playing on the same note to produce a wavering, tremulous sound

Question 7

colla voce

Answer 7

literally ‘with the voice’ - instruction to the band and musical director to follow the vocalist’s tempo

Question 8

bare fifth

Answer 8

chords without the 3rd degree - therefore creating an ambiguous tonality, as major or minor cannot be defined

Question 9

circle of fifths

Answer 9

the root note of each note is a 5th lower or a 4th higher than previous

Question 10

interrupted cadence

Answer 10

v-vi

Question 11

hexatonic

Answer 11

based on 6 of the 7 pitched in major scale

Question 12

octatonic scale

Answer 12

scale with 8 notes, alternating tones and semitones

Question 13

polytonal chords

Answer 13

chords that are built from 2 or more keys simultaneously

Question 14

vocalisation

Answer 14

wordless singing

Question 15

stabbed chords

Answer 15

sfz chords

Question 16

unlimited theme

Answer 16

octave leap, based on ‘somwhere over the ranibow’

Question 17

continually shifting harmonies

Answer 17

used to avoid a sense of tonality and to give the effect of uncertainty

Question 18

half-diminished chord

Answer 18

interval consists of minor 3rd, minor 3rd, major 3rd

Question 19

e bow

Answer 19

a small device held over the guitar that emits electromagnetic radiation to vibrate the strings

Question 20

perfect intervals

Answer 20

help to create a strong and assertive melody

Question 21

distortion

Answer 21

guitar effect that increases the volume and sustain to create a gritty/grunge like sound

Question 22

chorus

Answer 22

an effect where the signal is doubled to create a thicker texture