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General terminology Flashcards

1
Q

Define “compound time”

A

Each beat is subdivided into 3 quavers

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2
Q

Define “syncopation”

A

When any off beat is accented

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3
Q

Trill =

A

Vibratory sound/technique

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4
Q

Swing/ shuffle rhythm =

A

In compound time, beats in ratio 2:1

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5
Q

Metre =

A

Time signature

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6
Q

4 types of tonality

A

major, minor, modal, atonal

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7
Q

tonal =

A

major/minor

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8
Q

modal =

A

music with an unconventional scale

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9
Q

atonal =

A

music has no key

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10
Q

modulation =

A

changing key

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11
Q

What is a tremolo?

A

Often played on strings:a rapid repetition of one note.

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12
Q

types of cadence

A

perfect, plagal, interrupted, imperfect, tièrce de picardie

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13
Q

which cadence: between chords 1 and 5

A

perfect

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14
Q

which cadence: between chords 1 and 4

A

plagal

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15
Q

which cadence ends in the relative minor when it should end in the tonic?

A

interrupted

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16
Q

which cadence ends on chord 5

A

imperfect

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17
Q

which cadence ends in the relative major of the tonic, where the key is minor?

A

tièrce de picardie

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18
Q

rubato =

A

expressive changes in tempo

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19
Q

increase in tempo =

A

accelerando

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20
Q

decrease in tempo =

A

rallentando/decelerando

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21
Q

getting softer =

A

decrescendo/diminuendo

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22
Q

getting louder =

A

crescendo

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23
Q

3 string techniques

A

pizzicato, arco, con sordino

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24
Q

pizzicato =

A

string technique, plucking

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25
arco =
string technique, played with bow
26
con sordino =
string technique, played with a mute
27
types of texture (10 total)
monophonic/unison, homophonic, polyphonic/contrapuntal, octaves, call + response, antiphonal, melody + accompaniment, imitation, canon, a capella.
28
monophonic texture =
only 1 melodic line (different instruments can be playing, but always the same notes)
29
homophonic texture =
chordal, in harmony. all parts move at same rhythm, but play different notes.
30
portamento =
slides on string instruments
31
glissando =
slide
32
what is harmonic rhythm?
the speed at which the chords change
33
word for when chords don't clash
consonance/concordance
34
words for when chords clash
dissonance
35
what is anacrusis?
when a piece starts on an unaccented beat of the bar (e.g. the "a" in "a-way in a manger" starts on the 3rd beat)
36
what is hemiola?
a rhythmic device. music written in duple metre is temporarily accented to make it feel like it's in triple metre, or vice versa.
37
what's the word for when 2+ contrasting rhythms are played simultaneously?
polyrhythmic
38
4 types of polyrhythms
bi-rhythm, vertical hemiola, triplets played against standard notes, cross rhythms
39
bi-rhythm =
2 lines played at same time
40
vertical hemiola =
different instruments accented differently to give the impression that they're playing in different time signatures
41
triplets =
a beat subdivided into 3
42
cross-rhythm =
accents on 2 instruments are out of sync (e.g. violin note accented every 3 beats, and piano note accented every 4 beats)
43
what is a scotch snap?
accentation other way round to dotted quaver rhythms. semiquaver is on the beat and accented, followed by a dotted quaver.
44
give 4 italian tempo terms for slow
largo, grave, larghetto, adagio
45
give 2 italian tempo terms for medium speed
andante (walking pace), moderato
46
give 3 italian tempo terms for fast
allegro, vivace, presto
47
what is augmentation?
rhythmically means note lengths are increased (gives illusion of slowing down). harmonically means chords or intervals are expanded (larger spaces between notes).
48
what is diminution?
rhythmically means note lengths are decreased (gives illusion of speeding up). harmonically means chords or intervals are compressed (smaller spaces between notes).
49
ritenuto =
holding back the pace
50
allargando =
slowing down, getting broader
51
a tempo =
go back to the original BPM/pace
52
what is the marking for a strong and sudden accent?
sforzando (sfz)
53
pentatonic scale =
5 note scale
54
notes in major pentatonic scale =
1,2,3,5,6
55
notes in minor pentatonic scale =
1,3,4,5,7 of natural minor scale
56
melodic interval vs. harmonic interval
melodic = one note after the other. harmonic = played at same time
57
alberti bass =
method of playing an arpeggiated chord: 1, 5, 3, 5 played in sequence
58
melismatic =
more than one note sung per syllable
59
syllabic =
one note sung per syllable
60
word-painting =
where the music matches the words (like onomatopoeia)
61
What is portamento?
When a singer slides from one note to another- like glissando.
62
What is scat?
Improvisation using syllables like "doo" and "dat". This comes from jazz.
63
backbeat =
A strong accent on one of the normally unaccented beats of the bar
64
shuffle rhythm =
where the first beat in a pair may be twice (or more) the duration of the second. based on triplet subdivisions of the beat, rather than on dividing each beat perfectly in half
65
swung rhythm =
the beat (typically a crotchet) is divided into 2 parts, and the former is twice as long and more accented than the latter.
66
strophic =
verse-chorus structure where the chord patterns and melodies repeat.
67
a vamp =
a short sequence of chords that gets repeated for an extended period

Music GCSE (17 decks)

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