HIGHER CONCEPT DICTIONARY Flashcards
A Cappella
Unaccompanied choral singing
A B
Two-part form (binary)
A B A
Three-part form (ternary) where the first section is repeated at the end
Accelerando
The music gets gradually faster
Accented
Notes that sound louder than others
Acciaccatura
An ornament that sounds like a crushed note played very quickly (on the beat or just before it) before the main note of the melody
Accompanied
Other instrument(s) or voice(s) support, or play along with, the main melody
Accordion
An instrument with a keyboard in which sounds are produced by the player squeezing a set of bellows with their arms / hands
Acoustic Guitar
A guitar that does not require an electric amplifier to produce sound
Adagio
The tempo (speed) of the music is slow
Added 6th
A chord that is made up of the root, 3rd, 5th and 6th (for example, the notes in the chord of C6 would be CEGA). This chord is used frequently in jazz and popular music. Try playing it to get used to its sound
African Music
Music from Africa which, in the case of SQA exams, features voices and/or African drums
Alberti Bass
Broken chords, most commonly in piano music, played by the left hand outlining harmonies while the right hand plays the melody. Classical composers such as Haydn and Mozart used this technique extensively in their piano music
Allegro
The tempo (speed) of the music is fast
Alto
The lowest female voice
Andante
The music is performed at a walking pace
Anacrusis
The notes that appear before the first strong beat of a musical phrase. It sounds as an upbeat
Answer
A reply to a musical question
Arco
An instruction given to string players to play their instrument using a bow.
Aria
A song in an opera, oratorio or cantata with orchestral accompaniment
Arpeggio
Notes of a chord played one after the one
Ascending
Notes that rise in pitch
A tempo
A direction telling the performer to return to the original speed
Atonal
No feeling of key. Very dissonant (clashing). A feature of some 20th century music
Augmentation
An increase in the length notes. The music will sound slower when imitated or repeated even though the tempo has not slowed down
Backing Vocals
Singers who support the lead vocalist(s), often by singing in harmony in the background
Bagpipes
The national instrument of Scotland. A bag with 3 drones and a chanter (to play the melody on), inflated by blowing through the blowstick
Baritone
A male voice whose range lies between that of a bass and tenor
Baroque
Music written between 1600-1750 (approximately). Bach and Handel were two of the composers from this period. Music from this period sometimes features the harpsichord and is often, although not always, quite polyphonic and heavily decorated with ornaments
Bass (voice)
The lowest male voice
Bass Guitar
A four-stringed electric guitar that plays the bass part of a piece of music
Basso Continuo
In the Baroque period, the continuo part consisted of a bass line played by an instrument such as the cello, double bass, viola da gamba, or bassoon. In addition, the harpsichord, organ, or lute player was expected to fill in harmonies built on the bass line. The combination of this bass line and the harmonies on top is Bass Continuo and features heavily in Baroque music
Beat
The basic pulse you hear in music. The pulse mis often in groups of 2, 3, or 4 with a stress on the first beat in each group
Binary
A B. A form in which the music is made up of two different sections (labelled A and B). Each section may be repeated.
Blowing
The sound of an instrument is produced by blowing into or across the mouthpiece of a brass or woodwind instrument.
Blues
Blues music is often in 4/4 time and is often patterned on a 12-bar structure and built on a blues scale where some of the notes are flattened (e.g. in the key of C, the main blues scale uses the notes C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb, C).
Blues music originated in the Deep South of the United States of America around the 1860s. Blues incorporated elements of spirituals, work songs etc.
Bodhran
An Irish drum made of a wooden and goatskin. It is played with a double headed stick. This is a popular instrument in a folk group.
Bothy Ballad
A type of Scottish song. It is from the North-East of Scotland and is sung (usually) by a male voice in Doric. These songs often have many verses, are often in strophic form, and tell stories about rural life, farm work and things relating to this.
Bowing
The sound is produced by drawing the bow across the strings of a string instrument (e.g. violin or cello).
Brass
A family of instruments made from metal. E.g. trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba.
Brass Band
A band of brass instruments and percussion. A brass band often features brass instruments not normally found in an orchestra, for example, cornet, flugal horn, tenor horn, and baritone.
Broken chord
The notes of a chord are played separately.
Cadenza
A passage of music that allows soloists to show off their technical ability in singing or playing an instrument. This is often a feature of concertos where the orchestra stops playing and the soloist performs unaccompanied. In a concerto at the end of the cadenza the performer often plays a trill just before the orchestra joins back in.
Canon
Strict imitation. After one part starts to play or sing a melody, another part enters shortly afterwards performing exactly the same melody.
Celtic Rock
A style of music that mixes together traditional Celtic (Scottish / Irish) folk music with elements of rock music (for example, electric guitar, distortion etc.)
Chamber Music
Music written for a small instrumental ensemble with one player to a part. For example, a String Quartet.
Change of Key
A move from one key to another key. The same meaning as a modulation.
Choir
A group of singers. This can be all male voices, all females, or a mixture of both (SATB).
Chord
Two or more notes being played together.
Chord Change
A move from one chord to a different chord.
Chorus
- A group of singers with several people to each part (a choir)
- The written for the singers mentioned above.
- The refrain between the verses of a song.
Chromatic Scale
A stepwise series of notes built up entirely of semitones, e.g. C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C.
Clarsach
A Celtic / Scottish harp.
Classical
Music from 1750 to 1810 approximately. The era of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.
Cluster
A group of notes played on a keyboard instrument with the palm of the hand or even with the forearm. It creates a clashing sound.
Coda
A passage at the end of a piece of music that rounds it off effectively.
Coloratura
A term for very high, florid singing performed by a coloratura soprano voice.
Compound Time
The beat divides into groups of three. Time signatures in compound time include 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8.
Compound Time Groupings
The beat is a dotted note that divides into three, e.g. 6/8. In 6/8 there are two dotted crotchet beats in a bar and each beat can be divided into three quavers.
Con Sordino
An Italian term instructing a performer to play the instrument with a mute.
Concertino
In a Concerto Grosso this is the name given to the small group of soloists as opposed to the accompanying group which is called the Ripieno.
Concerto
A work for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra. For example, a flute concerto is written for solo flute and orchestra.
Concerto Grosso
A type of concerto in which a group of soloists (concertino) is combined and contrasted with a larger accompanying group (ripieno).
Contrapuntal
A musical texture in which each of two or more parts has independent melodic interest. Contrapuntal has a similar meaning to polyphonic.
Contrary Motion
Two parts that move in opposite directions, e.g. one part ascends while the other part descends.
Countermelody
A melody played against the main melody.
Crescendo
The music gets gradually louder.
Cross Rhythms
- A term used to describe the rhythmic effect of two notes being played against three notes. For example, in piano music it might be groups of two quavers in the right hand while the left hand plays triplets against these.
- The term is also used to describe the effect that occurs when the accents in a piece of music are different from those suggested by the time signature. For example, the division of 4/4 time into 3+3+2 quavers.
Da Capo
An instruction telling the performer to go back and play from the beginning of the music. This instruction saves the composers from having to rewrite the opening section of the music.
Da Capo Aria
An aria in ternary form (A B A), found in opera and oratorio in the 17th and 18th centuries. The third section of the song is not written out but the instruction Da Capo (meaning from the beginning) is given instead. When the singer repeat the first A section they might decorate the performance with ornaments etc.
Descant
Another melody sung above the main melody. Often heard in the final verse of hymns and Christmas carols where the soprano singers will perform a descant over the top of the original tune.
Descending
Notes that go down in pitch.
Diminished 7th
A chord consisting of three intervals of a minor 3rd built on top of each other. This can be a very useful chord for modulation to distant keys. An example of a diminished 7th is Cdim7: C, Eb, Gb, B double flat.
Diminished Chord
A chord consisting of two intervals of a minor 3rd built on top of each other.
Diminuendo
The music gets gradually quieter.
Diminution
A decrease in the length of notes. The music will sound faster even though the underlying pulse will remain the same.
Discord
A chord in which certain notes clash.
Distortion
An electronic effect used in rock music to colour the sound of an electric guitar giving it a “rough” sound.
Dominant 7th
A chord built on the dominant (5th) note of a key which adds the flattened 7th note above its root. It is sometimes written as V7. In the key of C major, the dominant 7th is G7 which contains the notes G, B, D, F.
Dotted Rhythm
A longer note followed by a shorter one. For example, a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver.
Drone
- One note of notes held on or repeated in the bass.
- The low-pitched pipes of a bagpipe which accompany the melody.
Drum Fill
A rhythmic decoration played on a drum kit.
Drum Kit
A set of drums and cymbals often used in rock and pop music.
Electric Guitar
A guitar that requires an electric amplifier to produce sound.
Episode
A section of music separating two appearances of the same material. For example, in rondo form ( A B A C A), the B and C sections are episodes.
Exposition
The first section of a movement that is in Sonata Form (Exposition - Development - Recapitulation).
Faster
The speed of the music increases.
Fiddle
The name used for a violin when it performs folk / traditional / Scottish music.
Flutter Tonguing
A method of tonguing in which the player rolls the letter “r.” It is used by wind players and is particularly effective for flute and brass.
Folk Group
A group of singers and instrumentalists who perform traditional music from a particular country, for example, Scotland and Ireland.
Gaelic Psalm
Slow, unaccompanied Gaelic church song, heard mostly in the Western Isles of Scotland. The piece begins with the presentor and then the congregation join in.
Glissando
Sliding from one note to another passing through all the notes in between.
Gospel
Religious music from America. It is usually happy, uplifting and sung in the praise of God. There will be reference to religion in the lyrics such as “God,” “Jesus,” “Praise,” etc.
Grace Note
A type of ornament played as a quick note before the main note of a melody. Grace notes are also a prominent feature of bagpipe music.
Ground Bass
A theme / pattern / tune in the bass that is repeated many times while the upper parts vary and develop.
Harmonic Minor
A scale that shares the same key signature as its relative major but raises the 7th note by a semitone.
For example, in A minor (where there are no sharps or flats in the key signature), the scale of A harmonic minor is: A, B, C, D, E, F, G#, A.
The harmonic minor scale uses the same notes when it ascends as when it descends (this is not the case with the melodic minor scale).
Harmonics
Very high notes (often played by string instruments).
For example, the high, eerie sounds produced on a bowed string instrument by lightly touching the string at certain points.
On a classical or acoustic guitar, harmonics can sound high, light and bell-like. On an electric guitar, they can be high, loud and squealy.
Harmony
The sound of two or more notes made at the same time.
Homophony
Texture where you hear the melody with accompaniment or where all the parts move rhythmically together.
Imitation
When the melody is immediately copied in another part. It doesn’t need to be an exact copy.
Imperfect Cadence
A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase. In an imperfect cadence, the second chord is the dominant chord of the key (chord V / chord 5) which creates an unfinished effect.
In the key of C major, the second chord of an imperfect cadence would be the chord if G.
Impressionist
A term borrowed from painting in which brief musical ideas merge and change to create a rather blurred and vague outline. Debussy was an important composer of this style.
Extended definition: Texture and timbral exploration were also important features, including the use of whole tone and pentatonic scales, parallel chords, and unresolved discords.
Improvisation
The performer makes the music up on the spot. There may be suggested chords as a guide. Improvisation is an important feature of jazz.
Indian
Music from India that uses instruments such as the sitar and tabla.
Interrupted Cadence
A cadence is formed by two chords at the end of a phrase. An interrupted cadence is usually formed by moving from chord V to chord VI (from chord 5 to chord 6). In the key of C major this would involve moving from the chord of G major to the chord of A minor). This is known also as the surprise cadence as the listener may be expecting a move from chord V to chord I (chord 5 to chord 1) which has more of a final sound.
Interval
The distance in pitch between two notes.
For example:
C to D is a 2nd
C to E is a 3rd
C to F is a 4th ….
Inverted Pedal
A sustained or repeated high note.
Irregular Metres
Often in modern or rhythmically based folk music (especially that of other countries), groupings of notes change, but the underlying pulse remains constant. Groupings of two and three produce irregular accents and metres.
Extended definition: Sometimes composers in the 20th century try to destroy the feeling of a regular down beat by the changing then time signature frequently. Stravinsky often used this technique, particularly in “The Rite of Spring.”
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Jazz Funk
A combination of jazz and funk music. There will usually be the element of improvisation from jazz with rhythmic elements of funk music, as well as a combination of the instruments used between the two styles.
Jig
A fast dance in compound time that usually have two or four beats in a bar.
Latin American
Music from South America. Percussion instruments provide lively off-beat dance rhythms.
Leaping
Moving between notes that are not next to each other. Compare this with Stepwise.
Legato
The notes are played or sung smoothly. Compare with Staccato.
Lied
Lied (the German word for song) refers specifically in the Romantic Period to works for solo voice and piano. The text is in German, the structure of the verses is either strophic or through composed. An important feature is that the voice and piano are equally important.
Major
The music is in a major key, therefore it has a bright, warm, and sometimes happy sound.
Major Scale
A stepwise series of notes built on an order of tones and semitones.
For example, the C major scale is: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.
March
Music, and one the Scottish dances, with a strong steady pulse with two or four beats in a bar. The music feels as if you could march to it. It is often played for social dances such as The Gay Gordons.
Mass
In the Renaissance Period the Mass was a scared (religious) choral work using the main sections of the Roman Catholic Church Liturgy. Features of the Mass include:
A Latin text (look out for words and phrases like “Gloria,” “Hallelujah,” “In excelsis deo,” etc.
Polyphonic texture.
Originally it was usually sung a cappella but this changed as time passed.
Originally use in church worship, but in later years the Mass became a large-scale work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra.
Melismatic / Melisma
Vocal music in which several notes are sung to one syllable.
Melodic Minor
A scale that shares the same key signature as its Relative Major, but raises the 6th and 7th notes by a semitone when ascending, but lowers the 6th and 7th back to their original pitch when descending.
For example, the melodic minor scale of A minor is:
Ascending: A, B, C, D, E, F#, G#, A.
Descending: A, G, F, E, D, C, B, A.
Mezzo Soprano
A female singers whose voice vocal range lies between that of a soprano and an alto.
Middle-8
In popular music, usually songs, a middle-8 is a section that provides a contrast to the other sections of the music. Therefore it has different musical material than the surrounding verses, choruses etc. It will often have a different chord progression and is often eight bars long (hence its name).
Minimalist
A development in the second half of the 20th century based on simple rhythmic and melodic ideas which are constantly repeated with very slight changes each time.
Minor
The music sounds in a minor key, therefore it has a cold, dark, and sometimes sad sound.
Minor Scale
A stepwise series of notes built on an order of tones and semitones. There are two types of minor scale:
- harmonic minor scale
- melodic minor scale
Modal
Term used to describe music based on a mode (a type of early scale used before major and minor keys were developed). Modes are used in jazz and folk music amongst other styles. Modes are sometimes used in popular music for improvising.
Mode
Any of the early scales called modes.
For example:
The Dorian mode: D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D.
You can play a mode by going to a keyboard and playing a scale using only the white keys.
Moderato
Moderate speed
Modulation
Changing key.
Modulation to Relative Major
A change from a minor to major key with the same key signature. For example, A minor to C major - both have no sharps or flats in the key signature.
Modulation to Relative Minor
A change from a major to minor key with the same key signature. For example, C major to A minor - both have no sharps or flats in the key signature.
Mordent
An ornament that sounds the main note, the above, and then the main note again.
An inverted mordent sounds the main note, the note below, and then the main note again.
Mouth Music
Mouth music is a traditional form of Scottish song that sets Gaelic lyrics, with the occasional nonsense word, to instrumental tune melodies. Traditionally it was performed a cappella.
Musical
A musical play that has speaking, singing, and dancing. It is performed on a stage.
Musique Concrete
Recorded natural sounds that are transformed using simple editing techniques such as cutting and re-assembling, playing backwards, slowing down, and speeding up.
Muted
Using a device that reduces the volume or alters the sound of an instrument. Commonly used by brass instruments, especially the trumpet.
Obbligato
A prominent solo instrument part in a piece of vocal music.
Octave
The distance between a note and the nearest note with the same name (but 8 notes higher or lower). For example, C - C’.
Off the Beat
The main accents are against the beat. Compare with On the Beat.
On the Beat
The main accents fall on the beat. Compare with Off the Beat.
Opera
A drama set to music with soloists, chorus, acting and orchestral accompaniment.
Oratorio
A story from the Bible set to music for soloists, chorus, and orchestra - essentially a religious opera. It may include recitatives, arias, duets, and chorus. It is performed without acting or stage design.
Orchestra
A large group of strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.
Organ
A keyboard instrument usually found in churches. It usually has more than one keyboard.
Ornament
An ornament decorates a melody by adding short, extra notes.
Ostinato
A short musical pattern repeated many times.
Pan Pipes
Pipes that are graded in size and are bound together. The sound is made by blowing across the top of the pipes. One of the oldest wind instruments from South America.
Passacaglia
Variations over a ground bass.
Pause
The musical flow is held up by a long note or silence.
Pedal
Short for pedal point. A note that is held on or is repeated continuously in the bass beneath changing harmonies.
Pentatonic Scale
Any five-note scale. In practice, one of the most common is that on which folk music is based such as that of Scotland. “Auld Lang Syne” is composed on a pentatonic scale. The five notes could be: C, D, E, G, A.
Percussion
Instruments that are hit, shaken, or scraped. Pitched (or tuned) percussion can produce different notes, e.g. glockenspiel and xylophone. Timpani are also pitched percussion.
Unpitched (or untuned) percussion has no fixed pitch e.g. cymbals, hi-hat, castanet, triangle, tambourine, guiro, bongo drum, bass drum, and side drum.
Perfect Cadence
A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase. If the music stopped at that point a perfect cadence would make the music sound finished. A perfect cadence is the dominant to tonic chords (V - I / 5 -1). In the key of C major, chords G - C.
Pitch Bend
Changing the pitch of a note. For example, pushing a guitar string upwards.
Phrase
A short musical idea that is part of a melody.
Piano
A keyboard instrument that produces sounds by hammers striking strings.
Pibroch
The classical music of the Highland bagpipes, always in Theme and Variation form.
Pizzicato
An instruction given to string players to pluck the strings instead of using the bow.
Plagal Cadence
A cadence is formed by two chords at the end of a phrase. A plagal cadence is the subdominant to tonic chords (IV - I / 4 -1). In the key of C major, chords F - C. If the music stopped after a plagal cadence it would sound finished, but in a “calmer” or “gentler” way in comparison with a perfect cadence. A plagal cadence is sometimes referred to as an “amen cadence” as it is often found at the end of hymns.
Plainchant
Also known as Plain Song and Gregorian Chant. Unaccompanied melody set to words of the Roman Catholic Liturgy. Plainchants are modal, have no regular metre, and are monophonic (all voices singing the same notes - there is no harmony).
Plucking
Sound made when you pluck the strings of a stringed instrument with a finger or fingers.
Polyphonic
Texture that consists of two or more melodic lines or parts, possibly of equal importance, which move independently of each other.
Pop
A style of popular music.
Pulse
The basic beat in music. The pulse may be in groups of 2, 3, or 4 with a stress on the first in each group.
Question
An opening phrase. It may be followed by an answer.
Ragtime
It features a strongly syncopated melody against a steady vamped accompaniment. Often played on piano. For example, Scott Joplin rags.
Rallentando
Getting gradually slower.
Rapping
Rhyming lyrics that are spoken and performed to a beat. Rapping is popular in hip-hop music.
Recitative
A type of vocal writing where the music follows the rhythm of speech. It is used in operas and oratorios to move the story or plot on. There is less repetition (or no repetition) of melody and less melisma than in an aria.
Recorder
There are four main types of this woodwind instrument: descant, treble, tenor, and bass.
Reel
A Scottish dance in simple time with two or four beats in a bar. The tempo is fast and the music features lots of flowing rhythms made up of running quavers and crotchets. Each beat divides equally into groups of two.
Reggae
A style developed in the late 1960s in Jamaica and performed by musicians like Bob Marley. It has a distinctive sound has strong accent on the 2nd and 4th beats of the bar.
Relative Major
A change of minor to major with the same key signature found 3 semitones higher e.g. D minor to F major.
Relative Minor
A change from major to minor key with the same key signature found 3 semitones lower, e.g. C major to A minor.
Repetition
A musical idea is heard more than once.
Reverb
An electronic effect that can give the impression of different hall acoustics e.g. as if the performance is in a cathedral.
Riff
A repeated phrase usually found in jazz and popular music.
Ripieno
In Baroque music, the term means the main group of instrumentalists in a Concerto Grosso as opposed to the small group of soloists known as the concertino.
Ritardando
The music slows down.
Ritornello
A “little return.”
In a Concerto Grosso, the ritornello is the main theme played by the Ripieno group (the orchestra) and sometimes by the Concertino (the group of soloists). The ritornello may return frequently throughout the movement, similar to a Rondo.
It can also mean: a 17th-century term for a brief introduction or interlude in a vocal composition, or for a brief instrumental passage between scenes in a 17th-century opera.
Rock
A style of popular music often making heavy use of instruments such as electric guitar, bass guitar, and drum kit. Distortion is also a prominent feature.
Rock Band
A group playing a type of popular music. Instruments might include electric guitars, maybe with distortion, bass guitar, and drum kit.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
1950s American music that grew from the combined styles of Gospel, Jazz, Blues and Country.
Rolls
A very fast repetition of a note on a percussion instrument, e.g. on a snare drum or timpani.
Romantic
Music written between 1810-1900. The music is very expressive, may feature rubato. The orchestra is bigger than in previous periods. Compositions from the era include vocal music such as Lied.
Rondo
A B A C A. A form where the first section (A) comes back between contrasting sections.
Round
Each part sings or plays the same melody entering one after the other. When they reach the end they start again, e.g. Frere Jacques.
Rubato
The tempo gets pulled about (a little faster, a little slower, and back and forth) so as to effectively convey the expression in the music. Literally “robbed time.”
Scale
A series of notes ascending and descending in a certain order. E.g. major scale, minor scale, pentatonic scale, chromatic scale, and whole time scale.
Scat Singing
Nonsense words and sounds are improvised by the singer. Sometimes the singer is imitating the sounds of instruments. Used mainly in Jazz singing.
Scotch Snap
A very short accented note before a longer note. Often found in a Strathspey.
Scots Ballad
A Scottish song that tells a story. The song can be about, for example, love or a historical event.
Scottish
Music that represents the various elements of Scottish music.
Scottish Country Dance Band
A band that plays traditional Scottish music for people to dance to. The instruments may include fiddle, accordion, piano, bass, and drums.
Semitone
Half a tone, e.g. C to C#, or the distance from one fret to another on a guitar.
Sequence
A melodic phrase that is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch.
Simple Time
The beat divides into groups of 2.
Simple Time Groupings
The beat can be divides into multiples of two.
For example, 3/4 = three crotchet beats in a bar and each beat can be divided into two quavers.
Sitar
A plucked, stringed instrument from India. In addition to melody strings, it has a drone and strings that vibrate in sympathy with each other.
Slower
The speed decreases.
Solo
One instrument or voice.
Extended definition: a prominent instrument or voice can be solo even when part of a larger ensemble.
Sonata
A work for solo piano, or a solo instrument accompanied by piano, in three or four movements.
Sonata Form
Sometimes known as first movement form. This term is used to describe the structure of the first movement of many sonatas, symphonies, and sometimes overtures. It falls into three sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation.
The exposition introduces two contrasting themes in related keys. These are developed and heard again in the recapitulation, this time in the same key.
Soprano
The highest female voice.
Soul
A style of popular music, especially in America, including elements of blues, gospel, and conveying strong emotions. Think of performers such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Otis Redding.
Staccato
The notes are short and detached.
Steel Band
A West Indian band (and particularly Trinidad and Tabago) whose instruments are made out of oil drums called pans. The top of each drum is hammered into panels to make different pitches.
Stepwise
Moving up or down between notes that are next to each other. E.g. C, D, E…
Strathspey
A Scottish dance in simple time with four beats in a bar, played at a moderate speed, and usually featuring the Scotch Snap.
Striking
The sound is produced by hitting the instrument.
String Instruments
Instruments whose sounds are produced by making the strings vibrate. Instruments such as the violin, viola ‘cello, double bass, guitar, harp, harpsichord etc.
Strings
The orchestral family of instruments that has strings e.g. violin, viola, ‘cello, double bass, and harp. The sound is produced by dragging a bow across the strings or by plucking them with the fingers.
String Quartet
Chamber music written for 4 string instruments: 2 violins, viola, and ‘cello.
Strophic
A piece of vocal music / song where each verse has the same music. The structure is: verse, verse, verse…
Be aware, the SQA often regard pop songs with verses, choruses etc as being in strophic form (even though this is incorrect).
Strumming
A finger, fingers or plectrum are drawn across the strings of an instrument, usually guitar.
Subject
The main theme in a composition. For example, the main themes in sonata form.
Swing
A Jazz style that started in the 1930s. The rhythms in the music are “swung.” The numbers and types of instruments in the big bands increased during this period through the influence of swing.
Syllabic Word Setting
Vocal music where each syllable in a word is given one note only.
Symphony
A large work for orchestra usually in four movements.
Extended definition: in the Classical period, the movements were normally fast, slow, minuet and trio, fast.
Syncopation
Strongly accented notes playing off or against the beat.
Tabla
Two Indian drums tuned to different pitches and often used to accompany the sitar.
Tenor
A high adult male voice.
Ternary
A B A. A form where the first section is always repeated at the end.
Theme and Variation
A theme is heard and then repeated many times with some kind of variation each time.
Three Against Two
One line of music may be playing quavers in groups of two whilst at the same time another line of music will be playing triplets.
Through-composed
A vocal / choral composition in which there is little or no repetition of the music.
Tierce de Picardie
The final chord of a piece of music in a minor key is changed to major.
Tone
Two semitones, e.g. C to D, or the distance between two frets on a guitar.
Tremolando / tremolo
Trembling, quivering
Tremolando / tremolo - term for the rapid up-and-down movement of a bow on a stringed instrument creating an agitated, restless effect.
The term also describes the rapid alternation of two different notes at least a 3rd apart played (like a trill but the notes a further apart).
Trill
Rapid and repeated movement / going back and forth between two adjacent notes.
Unaccompanied
No other instrument(s) or voice(s) sounding.
Unison
Two or more parts or voices sounding at the same pitch / playing the same notes at the same time.
Vamp
A rhythmic accompaniment with a bass note played on the beat and a chord off the beat. Usually played on piano or guitar. The pattern is: bass note, chord, bass note, chord, and so on.
Voice
The human instruments used to speak or sing.
Verse and Chorus
A structure / form popular in many songs. The music of the verse will repeat. In between the verses there will usually be a chorus that uses different music from the verses.
Walking Bass
A moving bass line with notes usually of the same value (although not always). The constant movement is like it is “walking.” Often found in jazz and rock ‘n’ roll etc.
Waltz
A dance with three beats in a bar, usually in simple time.
Waulking Song
A rhythmic song sung in Gaelic by women in the Western Isles of Scotland while they “waulked” the tweed to soften and shrink it. The song is performed in a question and answer structure. A prominent feature is the thumping of the cloth as the women sing.
Whole-tone Scale
A scale containing no semitones but built entirely on whole tones. Debussy used the whole-tone scale in some of his Impressionist pieces. An example of a whole-tone scale is: C, D, E, F#, G#, A#, C.
Wind Band
A band with woodwind, brass and percussion instruments playing music composed for the concert hall rather than for marching.
Woodwind
Instruments that produce sounds by blowing across a hole against an edge or through a single or double reed e.g. flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, or bassoon. They need not be made of wood.
Glockenspiel
A tuned percussion instrument made of metal.
Xylophone
A tuned percussion instrument made of wood.
