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Music > Glossary > Flashcards

Glossary Flashcards

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0
Q

Acciaccatura

A

A very short ornamental note played just before a principal melodic note

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1
Q

Accent

A

Emphasis on a note or a chord (sometime indicated by the symbol >)

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2
Q

Alto

A

A low female voice

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3
Q

Appoggiatura

A

An ornamental note that falls on the beat as a dissonance and then resolves by step onto the main note

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4
Q

Arpeggio

A

A chord in which the notes are played one after the other rather than at the same time

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5
Q

Backbeat

A

In pop music this refers to accenting beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time

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6
Q

Baritone

A

A male voice that lies between tenor and bass

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7
Q

Bass

A 
1= the lowest male voice 
2= the lowest-pitched line in a piece of music, on which the harmonies are based
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8
Q

Beat

A

The beat in a piece of music is a regular pulse that we can clap along to. The number of beats in each bar is indicated by the time signature

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9
Q

Binary Form

A

A musical structure of two sections with contrasting material in each (AB)

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10
Q

Blue note

A

A note (usually the third , fifth or seventh degree of a major scale) performed at a slightly lower pitch than normal for expressive effect

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11
Q

Bridge

A

In jazz and pop music, a contrasting passage that connects two longer sections.

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12
Q

Broken chords

A

A chord in which the notes are played one after the other rather than at the same time

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13
Q

Cadence

A

Formed by the last two chords of a phrase, a type of musical punctuation

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14
Q

Call and response

A

A pair of phrases, performed by different musicians, in which the second phrase is heard as a reply to the first. This term normally refers to jazz, pop and world music

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15
Q

Chimes

A

A percussion instrument consisting of a row of metal tubes, tuned to different notes, which are struck with a hammer

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16
Q

Chorus

A

1) the repeated refrain in a verse-chorus structure
2) a movement for a whole choir in a large-scale choral work
3) a small choir
4) a digital effect that thicken the sound by superimposing similar versions of the same track

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17
Q

Chromatic

A

Notes that don’t belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in

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18
Q

Coda

A

A section of music that ends a piece

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19
Q

Compound time

A

A metre in which the main beat is sub-divided into three equal portions. (E.g. A dotted-crotchet beat divided into three quavers.) Opposite of simple time

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20
Q

Consonance

A

Notes that are consonant sound pleasing when played together. Opposites of dissonance

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21
Q

Continuo

A

An accompanying part in instrumental music of the Baroque period. The continuo is played by a bass instrument (such as cello) and a harmony instrument (such as harpsichord)

22
Q

Contrapuntal

A

Adjective to describe music that uses counterpoint

23
Q

Countermelody

A

A second melody in a piece that is heard at the same time as the main melody, to provide contrast.

24
Q

Counterpoint

A

A texture in which two or more melodic lines, each one significant in itself, are played together at the same time

25
Q

Crescendo

A

A gradual increase in dynamic.

26
Q

Cross rhythm

A

The presence in a passage if music of conflicting rhythms (e.g. Groups of three notes played in one line while groups of two are played simultaneously in another)

27
Q

Dialogue

A

When two or more instruments or voices have a musical ‘conversation’, with the individual parts responding to one another with different ideas and phrases.

28
Q

Diatonic

A

Notes that belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in

29
Q

Disjunct

A

A disjunct melody moved by leaps, or intervals larger than a 2nd

30
Q

Dissonance

A

Notes that are dissonant produce a clashing sound when played together so that is becomes rougher and harsher

31
Q

Dominant

A

Image fifths note of a scale

32
Q

Dotted rhythm

A

A rhythm that contains pairs of notes in the pattern long-short. The first note is dotted and the second is a third of the dotted note’s value (e.g. Dotted crotchet-quaver)

33
Q

Double stopping

A

Playing two notes at once on a bowed string instrument

34
Q

Doubling

A

A note or passage in one part is played by another part at the same time, either at the same pith if at a different octave.

35
Q

Drum machine

A

An electronic device that replicates the sound of various percussion instruments

36
Q

Dynamics

A

How loudly or softly the music is played; the volume of the music

37
Q

Ensemble

A

A group of musicians performing together

38
Q

Falsetto

A

A vocal technique used by men to sing notes higher than those within their normal voice range

39
Q

Fill

A

A short passage of music between two sections of a melody

40
Q

Free time

A

Describes music without a regular pulse

41
Q

Funk

A

A type of popular music that developed in the 1860’s, combining soul, jazz and R n’ B

42
Q

Glissando

A

A slide between two notes

43
Q

Hammond organ

A

An electronic organ invented in the 1930s

44
Q

Harpsichord

A

The most common keyboard instrument of the Baroque period . Similar to the piano, except that the strings re plucked rather than hit

45
Q

Hexatonic scale

A

A scale made up of 6 notes

46
Q

Homophony

A

A texture in which one part has the melody and the other parts accompany

47
Q

Horn section

A

In popular music, a group of wind and brass players (frequently made up trumpets, trombones and saxophones)

48
Q

Imitation

A

A melodic idea in one part is immediately copied by another part, often at a different pitch, while the first part continues with other music.

49
Q

Interval

A

The distance between two notes.

50
Q

Key

A

The key indicates the scale that a section or piece of music is based in.

51
Q

Layered

A

A texture made up of independent lines which are designed to be heard together.

52
Q

Loop

A

A short segment of music that is repeated a number of times in succession

Music (12 decks)

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