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.