Glossary Flashcards
Acciaccatura
A very short ornamental note played just before a principal melodic note
Accent
Emphasis on a note or a chord (sometime indicated by the symbol >)
Alto
A low female voice
Appoggiatura
An ornamental note that falls on the beat as a dissonance and then resolves by step onto the main note
Arpeggio
A chord in which the notes are played one after the other rather than at the same time
Backbeat
In pop music this refers to accenting beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time
Baritone
A male voice that lies between tenor and bass
Bass
1= the lowest male voice 2= the lowest-pitched line in a piece of music, on which the harmonies are based
Beat
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
Binary Form
A musical structure of two sections with contrasting material in each (AB)
Blue note
A note (usually the third , fifth or seventh degree of a major scale) performed at a slightly lower pitch than normal for expressive effect
Bridge
In jazz and pop music, a contrasting passage that connects two longer sections.
Broken chords
A chord in which the notes are played one after the other rather than at the same time
Cadence
Formed by the last two chords of a phrase, a type of musical punctuation
Call and response
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
Chimes
A percussion instrument consisting of a row of metal tubes, tuned to different notes, which are struck with a hammer
Chorus
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
Chromatic
Notes that don’t belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in
Coda
A section of music that ends a piece
Compound time
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
Consonance
Notes that are consonant sound pleasing when played together. Opposites of dissonance
Continuo
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)
Contrapuntal
Adjective to describe music that uses counterpoint
Countermelody
A second melody in a piece that is heard at the same time as the main melody, to provide contrast.
Counterpoint
A texture in which two or more melodic lines, each one significant in itself, are played together at the same time
Crescendo
A gradual increase in dynamic.
Cross rhythm
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)
Dialogue
When two or more instruments or voices have a musical ‘conversation’, with the individual parts responding to one another with different ideas and phrases.
Diatonic
Notes that belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in
Disjunct
A disjunct melody moved by leaps, or intervals larger than a 2nd
Dissonance
Notes that are dissonant produce a clashing sound when played together so that is becomes rougher and harsher
Dominant
Image fifths note of a scale
Dotted rhythm
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)
Double stopping
Playing two notes at once on a bowed string instrument
Doubling
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.
Drum machine
An electronic device that replicates the sound of various percussion instruments
Dynamics
How loudly or softly the music is played; the volume of the music
Ensemble
A group of musicians performing together
Falsetto
A vocal technique used by men to sing notes higher than those within their normal voice range
Fill
A short passage of music between two sections of a melody
Free time
Describes music without a regular pulse
Funk
A type of popular music that developed in the 1860’s, combining soul, jazz and R n’ B
Glissando
A slide between two notes
Hammond organ
An electronic organ invented in the 1930s
Harpsichord
The most common keyboard instrument of the Baroque period . Similar to the piano, except that the strings re plucked rather than hit
Hexatonic scale
A scale made up of 6 notes
Homophony
A texture in which one part has the melody and the other parts accompany
Horn section
In popular music, a group of wind and brass players (frequently made up trumpets, trombones and saxophones)
Imitation
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.
Interval
The distance between two notes.
Key
The key indicates the scale that a section or piece of music is based in.
Layered
A texture made up of independent lines which are designed to be heard together.
Loop
A short segment of music that is repeated a number of times in succession
