Harmony and tonality Flashcards
Concord
chord where all the notes seem to ‘agree’ with each other, it feels at rest and complete in itself.
Discord
chord where some notes seem to ‘disagree’ or clash giving an unsettled feel.
Diatonic
harmony uses notes which belong to the key.
Chromatic
harmony uses notes from outside the key to give the chords more ‘colour’.
Perfect cadences
sound as though the music has come to an end. A perfect cadence is formed by the chords V - I.
Interrupted cadences
are ‘surprise’ cadences. You think you’re going to hear a perfect cadence, but you get a minor chord instead.
Imperfect cadences
sound unfinished. They sound as though they want to carry on to complete the music properly. An imperfect cadence ends on chord V.
Plagal cadences
sound finished. Plagal cadences are often used at the end of hymns and sung to A-men. A plagal cadence is formed by the chords IV - I.
tonal music
in a major or minor key
atonal
music is not related to a tonic note and therefore has no sense of key
modal
music is in a mode
Modulation
When a piece of music changes key it is said to modulate. It is most likely to modulate to a closely related key. The three most closely related keys to the tonic are the dominant, the subdominant or the relative minor or major keys.
drone
a held (or repeated) chord, (usually a bare 5th) throughout a passage of music.
Pedal
a single note that is held on, or repeated in, the bass. An inverted pedal note is a sustained or repeated note in a high register.
Ground bass
the term used in Baroque music where a bass part is repeated throughout the piece. Whereas an ostinato pattern might be very short, a ground bass can last many bars before it is repeated.
Interval
An interval is the distance in pitch between two notes. The smallest interval is a semitone.
Phrasing
A musical phrase is like a spoken sentence. When you talk, you take a breath after each sentence. With a musical phrase, you can almost hear a ‘breath’ at the end of the phrase, even when the music is played by non-wind instruments.
Name the scales
major scale minor scale pentatonic scale chromatic scale wholetone scale
What is a musical device?
A musical device is a technique used to develop a compositional idea.
What is imitation?
Imitation is where a melody in one part is repeated a few notes later in a different part. This overlaps the melody in the first part, which continues. Imitation is a useful textural device. For example, a flute may imitate a tune just played by the oboe.
What changes to imitations may take place?
changes in octave - it could be played higher or lower
adding ornaments
playing the same melody in notes of different duration
What are riffs, ostinatos and loops?
These three words mean similar things. Ostinato is more often used when describing classical music and means a repeating pattern of notes or rhythms. Riff is more often used when describing pop music and means a recognisable pattern of notes, which occur at important moments (such as the chorus) or throughout a song and loop is used in contemporary dance music to mean a pattern which appears as a cycle.
BASICALLY A REPEATED PATTERN OF NOTES
What are sequences?
A sequence is a pattern of notes which goes up or down in pitch every time it is repeated. Here is a simple rising sequence. The first four notes set the pattern, which is then repeated over and over, each time higher in pitch.
What are hooks, fills and breaks
A hook is a short catchy melodic idea designed to be instantly memorable. A fill is a short flourish used to fill a gap between phrases and is often played on drums. A break is an extended instrumental section in dance music or a solo in pop and jazz, usually improvised.
What are ornaments?
Ornaments are decorative notes which embellish a melody:
a trill is formed by quickly playing the note and the note above it alternately
a mordent is formed by playing the note, the note above and then back to the first note
a grace note is a single note ornament such as the acciaccatura or appoggiatura
What is an acciaccatura?
An acciaccatura is played as quickly as possible before the note that follows it. It is sometimes called a crush note.
What is an appoggiatura
An appoggiatura leans on the main note, taking part of its value.
