Exam #1 Part 1 Flashcards
Staccato
performed with each note sharply detached or separated from the others.
Ancient Music
very little notation hence no understanding of sound or style
Legato
in a smooth flowing manner, without breaks between notes.
Melody
A series of single notes that add up to a recognizable whole.
Range
Distance between voice or instrument’s highest & lowest possible tones.
Octave
Doubling/halving of frequency.
Romantic
1820-1900
Beat
Recurrent pulsation.
Divides music into equal units of time.
Tape Studio (1950s)
Rudimentary form of sampling
Meter
Grouping of beats
2s and 3s; strong and weak
Clef
A symbol that is placed at the left-hand end of a staff, indicating the pitch of the notes written on it.
Accent
note is emphasized.
Dominant
the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, called “dominant” because it is next in importance to the tonic.
Duration (Rhythm)
Flow of music through time.
Particular arrangement of note lengths.
Tone
Definite pitch.
Tones have specific frequencies.
MIDI
an acronym that stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s a way to connect devices that make and control sound.
Triad
a set of three notes that can be stacked vertically in thirds.
Vibrato
the act of actually altering the pitch of the string by rocking or vibrating your finger the pitch of the note through the physical movement of your fingers.
Climax
High point of melody.
Resolution
movement away from a dissonance, towards consonance
Music Notation
music uses the first 7 letters of the alphabet.
Tambourine
Indefinite pitch
Register
The “height” or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument, or group of instruments.
Monophonic Texture
Single, unaccompanied melody.
Crescendo
Gradually louder.
Consonance
Stable, restful chords.
Metronome
Indicates exact tempo (120 BPM)
Baroque
1600-1750
Picolo Flute
Highest woodwind
Pizzicato
playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument.
Variation
reworking ideas to keep them new.
Treble Clef
AKA the G Clef, represents higher notes.
Harmony
The way chords are constructed and how they follow each other.
Music
A vital part of human society.
- Provides entertainment and emotional release; accompanies activities
- Heard everywhere in modern life
Syncopation
Emphasis placed on an unexpected note or beat.
Homophonic Texture
One melody with chordal accompaniment.
Accent
Tone played louder than tones near it.
Dissonance
Unstable, tense chords.
Renaissance Timeline
1450-1600
Flat
Lower in pitch by one semitone.
Tuning Peg
Mechanism used to tune string instruments.
Binary Form
AABB
Saxophone
Single Reed
Bass Clef
AKA the F Clef, represents lower notes.
Tempo
The speed of the beat; the pace.
Italian terms are used.
Decrescendo
Gradually softer.
Musical Texture
Layering of sound, how layers relate.
Timpani
Definite pitch
Polyphonic Texture
Two ore more equally important melodies sounding simultaneously.
Adagio
slow tempo
Mute
a device fitted to a musical instrument to alter the sound produced
Chord
Three or more tones sounded at once.
Staff
a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch
Key
Centering of a melody or harmony around a central note.
Tonic
the first scale degree of a diatonic scale (the first note of a scale) and the tonal center or final resolution tone that is commonly used in the final cadence in tonal (musical key-based) classical music, popular music and traditional music.
Musical Form
Organization of musical elements in timeline.
Ternary Form
ABA
Tone Color (timbre)
Quality that identifies an instrument’s sound
Can be bright, dark, mellow, etc.
Unlimited variety of tone colors.
Dynamics
Relative loudness of a sound.
Italian terms are used to indicate dynamics.
Pitch
Highness or lowness of sound.
Determined by frequency of vibration.
- Fast Vibration = High Pitch
- Slow Vibration = Low Pitch
Interval
Distance between 2 tones.
Sharp
Higher in pitch by one semitone.
