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Key Words Flashcards

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0
Q

Acciaccatura

A

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

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1
Q

Accent

A

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

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2
Q

Added-note chord

A

A chord which includes one or more non-standard notes, such as a 2nd or 6th above the root

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3
Q

Alto

A

A low female or high male voice

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4
Q

Anacrusis

A

An upbeat. An accented note or group of notes that come before the first strong beat of a phrase

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5
Q

Atonal

A

Music that avoids keys or modes. ie. no one pitch stands out consistently in the way that the tonic does in tonal music

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6
Q

Balafon

A

An instrument from west Africa similar to a xylophone

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7
Q

Balanced phrases

A

Phrases of the same length paired together, so that the first sounds like a question that is answered by the second phrase

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8
Q

Bass

A

1) The lowest male voice

2) the lowest pitched line in a peice of music, JN which the harmonies are based

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9
Q

Beat

A

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

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10
Q

Blue note

A

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

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11
Q

Blues

A

A style of music created by the rural African-American population of the southern states of America during the early 20th century

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12
Q

Break

A

In jazz and pop music, a short instrumental solo

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13
Q

Bridge

A

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

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14
Q

Broken chord

A

A chord in which the notes are played one after the other instead of at the same time

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15
Q

Cadence

A

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

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16
Q

Call and response

A

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

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17
Q

Canon

A

A musical structure in which the melody in one part is repeated exactly by other part, while the original part continues with different music

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18
Q

Chorus

A

1) the repeated refrain in a verse-chorus structure
2) a movement de the whole choir in a large scale choral work
3) one statement of the 12 bar blues progression

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19
Q

Chromatic notes

A

Notes that don’t belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in. Opposite of diatonic notes

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20
Q

Circle of 5ths

A

A harmonic progression in which the root of each succeeding chord is a fifth lower (or a fourth higher) than the pervious one

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21
Q

Clef

A

A symbol placed at the beginning of a line of music that determines at what the pitches if the notes are

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22
Q

Coda

A

A section of music that ends a peice

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23
Q

Compound time

A

A metre in which the main beat is sub divided into three equal portions. Opposite of simple time

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24
Q

Conjunct

A

A conjunction melody moves by step (eg in minor or major 2nds) rather than by larger intervals. Opposite of disjunct

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25
Q

Consonance

A

Notes that are consonant sound pleasing when played together. Opposite of dissonant

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26
Q

Continuo

A

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

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27
Q

Contrapuntal

A

An adjective to describe a texture that uses counterpoint

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28
Q

Counter melody

A

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

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29
Q

Counterpoint

A

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

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30
Q

Crescendo

A

A gradual increase in dynamics. Opposite of diminuendo

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31
Q

Cross rhythm

A

The presence in a passage of music of conflicting rhythms (eg groups of three notes in one line while groups of two notes are played simultaneously in another)

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32
Q

Delay

A

An audio effect that can be electronically added to music to give the effect of an echo

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33
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

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34
Q

Diminuendo

A

A gradual decrease in dynamics. Opposite of crescendo

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35
Q

Disjunct

A

A disjunct melody moves by leaps, or intervals larger than a second. Opposite of conjunct

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36
Q

Dissonance

A

Notes that are dissonant produce a clashing sound when played together. Opposite of consonance

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37
Q

Distortion

A

A digital effect that alters the sound of an instrument so that it becomes rougher or harsher

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38
Q

Dominant

A

The fifth note of a scale. For example C is the dominant of F

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39
Q

Dorian mode

A

A scale that uses the following pattern of tones (T) and semitones (s):
T-s-T-T-T-s-T
Starting on D it consists of all the white notes on a keyboard

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40
Q

Dotted rhythm

A

A rhythm that contains pairs of notes in the pattern long-short. The fist note is dotted and the second is a third of the dotted notes value (eg dotted crotchet-quaver)

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41
Q

Doubling

A

A note or passage in ken part is played by another part at the same time, either at the same pitch or at a different octave

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42
Q

Drone

A

A sustained note that is held in one part while other parts play or sing melodies against it

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43
Q

Drum machine

A

An electronic device that replicates the sounds of various percussive instruments

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44
Q

Dynamics

A

How loudly or softly the music is played. The volume of the music.

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45
Q

Enharmonic

A

The same pitch notated in different ways. Eg F and E#

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46
Q

EQ

A

Short for equalisation . Process of adjusting the relative level of frequencies in an audio signal

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47
Q

Falsetto

A

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

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48
Q

Fill

A

A short passage of music between two sections of a melody

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49
Q

Flanging

A

A digital effect that combines two copies of the same signal, with the second delayed slightly to produce a swirling, sweeping effect

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50
Q

Free tempo

A

Describes music without a regular pulse

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51
Q

Genre

A

A type of music or musical form, such as the symphony or sacred choral music

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52
Q

Gospel

A

A type of vocal music that expresses Christian beliefs

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53
Q

Harmonic rhythm

A

How often the harmony changes within a passage of music

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54
Q

Harpsichord

A

The most common keyboard instrument of the baroque period, similar to piano but the strings are plunked rather than hit

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55
Q

Hemiola

A

A rhythmic device in which two bars of 3/4 sound like three bars of 2/4

56
Q

Heterophonic

A

A texture in which different versions of the same melody are heard simultaneously

57
Q

Hexachord

A

A chord made up of six notes

58
Q

Hexatonic scale

A

A scale made up of six notes

59
Q

Homophonic

A

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

60
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

61
Q

Imperfect cadence

A

A cadence consisting of any chord- usually I, II or IV- followed by the dominant (V)

62
Q

Improvisation

A

The process, most common in jazz, of spontaneously creating new music as you perform

63
Q

Instrumentation

A

The choice of instruments for a piece of music

64
Q

Interval

A

The distance between two notes. For example, the interval between F and A is a 3rd (A is the third note of the F major scale)

65
Q

Inversion

A

When a melody is inverted the intervals are turned upside down. Eg a rising fifth (D to A) turns into a falling fifth (D to G)

66
Q

Key

A

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

67
Q

Lament

A

A poem or peice of music that expresses grief

68
Q

Layered

A

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

69
Q

Legato

A

Smooth playing, without gaps between the notes. May be indicated by slurs or phrase marks

70
Q

Loop

A

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

71
Q

Melisma

A

One syllable sung to several notes

72
Q

Metre

A

The metre refers to the pulse of the music and is indicated by the time signature

73
Q

Metronome mark

A

An indication of how fast to play a piece by specifying the number of beats per minute there should be

74
Q

Mixolydian mode

A

A scale that uses the following pattern of tones (T) and semitones (s):
T-T-s-T-T-s-T
Starting on G it consists of all the white notes on a keyboard

75
Q

Mode

A

Different types of seven-note scales, other than major or minor

76
Q

Modulation

A

1) the process of changing key in a passage of music

2) a digital effect that makes the music fluctuate in pitch slightly

77
Q

Monophonic

A

A texture that consists if only one melodic line

78
Q

Motif

A

A short but distinctive musical idea that can be changed in various ways in order to create a longer passage of music

79
Q

Mute

A

A device that can be fitted to an instrument to quieter the sound

80
Q

Octave

A

An interval that is formed from two notes that are 12 semitones apart. Bother have the same name

81
Q

Ornaments

A

Small musical additions that create a melody

82
Q

Ostinato

A

A repeating melodic, harmonic or rhythmic motif, heard continuously throughout part or the whole of a peice

83
Q

Overdubbing

A

Recording a new part over the top of existing material

84
Q

Panning

A

used in stereo recordings to control where the sound is coming from. Sounds can be panned to the left or right, or placed in the centre

85
Q

Parallel motion

A

Movement of two or more parts in the same direction, with the interval between them remaining essentially the same

86
Q

Pedal note

A

A sustained or continuously repeating pitch, often in the bass, that is heard against the changing harmonies. When a pedal is inverted, it is heard in the middle it top of the texture

87
Q

Perfect cadence

A

A cadence consisting of the dominant chord followed by the tonic (V- I)

88
Q

Pentatonic scale

A

A scale made of 5 notes

89
Q

Pitch

A

How high or low a note sounds

90
Q

Pitch bend

A

A short slide up or down to a main note

91
Q

Pizzicato

A

A direction to pluck notes on a strong instrument

92
Q

Plagal cadence

A

A cadence consisting of the sub dominant chord followed by the tonic (IV - I)

93
Q

Polyphonic

A

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

94
Q

Prelude

A

A short piece of music that often acts as an introduction to a longer work, although it can also stand by itself

95
Q

Pulse

A

A regular recurring sense if beat common to most styles of music

96
Q

Question and answer

A

A pair of phrases in which the second one is heard in reply to the first

97
Q

Range

A

The notes that a singer or instrumentalist is able to play

98
Q

Register

A

A part of the range of an instrument or voice

99
Q

Relative major/minor

A

Keys that have the same key signature but a different tonic. The tonic of the relative minor is 3 semitones below the tonic of the relative major. Eg C major and A minor

100
Q

Reverb

A

An effect used to alter music so that it sounds as if it were recorded in a reverberant or echoey space

101
Q

Riff.

A

A short, catchy melodic or rhythmic idea that is repeated throughout a jazz or pop song

102
Q

Rondo

A

A musical structure in which a main melody alternates with contrasting sections. ABACADA

103
Q

Sample

A

A short section from a recorded audio track that can be digitally manipulated and altered for insertion into a new track

104
Q

Sampler

A

An electronic device, like a synthesiser, that allows the user to alter and manipulate musical samples

105
Q

Scale

A

A sequence of notes that move by step either upwards or downwards. Different types if scales have different patterns if intervals

106
Q

Semitone

A

Half of a tone. The smallest interval in western music in general use

107
Q

Sequence

A

Immediate repetition of a melodic or harmonic idea at a different pitch, or a succession of different pitches.

108
Q

Sequencer

A

An electronic device or piece or computer software that allows the user to create and edit MIDI and audio files

109
Q

Serial

A

Atonal music that uses a predetermined series of the 12 chromatic notes to guarantee equality of all pitches

110
Q

Seventh chord

A

A chord made if the triad and a note a seventh above the root

111
Q

Simple time

A

A metre in which the main beat is sub divided into to equal portions. Opposite of compound time

112
Q

Soprano

A

The highest female voice

113
Q

Supertonic

A

The second degree of a diatonic scale

114
Q

Sustaining pedal

A

The right-hand pedal on a piano, which when pressed causes the notes to still sound even after the keys have been released

115
Q

Swung rhythm

A

In jazz and the blues, a relaxing of strict quaver rhythm, so that two quavers are played as [triplet] crotchet quaver or even dotted-quaver semi-quaver, depending on the speed and mood of the piece.

116
Q

Syllabic

A

Vocal music that has one note to each syllable

117
Q

Symphony

A

A type of composition for orchestra, usually in four movements

118
Q

Syncopation

A

Placing the accents in a part if the bar that isn’t usually emphasised, such as on weak beats or between beats

119
Q

Synthesiser

A

An electric device with a keyboard that allows the player to add digital effects and to manipulate the sounds produced

120
Q

Tab

A

A method of notation for plucked instruments such as the lute and guitar, in which the pitches of notes are indicated by their fingering

121
Q

Tempo

A

The speed of the music

122
Q

Tenor

A

A high male voice

123
Q

Ternary form

A

A musical structure of three sections. The outer sections are similar and the central one contrasting (ABA)

124
Q

Texture

A

The relationship between the various simultaneous lines in a passage of music, dependant on such feature as the number and function of the parts and the spacing between them

125
Q

Timbre

A

The element of music concerned eight the actual sound colour, or tone quality, of the music

126
Q

Time signature

A

Two numbers at the start of the stave that indicate the metre of the music. The bottom number indicates the type if beats and the top number shows how many of those beats are in each bar.

127
Q

Tonality

A

The use of major and minor keys in music and the way in which these keys are related

128
Q

Tonic

A

The starting note of a major or minor scale and the note from which a key takes it’s name

129
Q

Tremolo

A

A musical effect that refers to a very quick and continuous repetition of a single note (on bowed or plucked instruments) or of two alternating notes (on keyboard instruments)

130
Q

Triad

A

A chord of three notes: a bass note and a 3rd and 5th above it

131
Q

Trill

A

An ornament consisting of a rapid alternation of two adjacent pitches

132
Q

Triplet

A

A group of three equal notes played in the time normally taken by two of the same type

133
Q

Turn

A

A four note ornament the “turns” around a main note. It goes:
Note above, main, note below, main

134
Q

Unison

A

Simultaneous performance of the same pitch or pitches by more than one person

135
Q

Verse

A

Section in a song that usually has lyrics unique to that section (they tend to change for each verse)

136
Q

Verse-chorus form

A

A type of popular song in which, in it’s most basic structure, the verses are interspersed with a repeated chorus

137
Q

Virtuoso

A

A highly-skilled singer or instrumentalist, capable of performing technically difficult music

138
Q

Word painting

A

The use of musical devices and feature to illustrate and highlight specific words in the lyrics

Music (4 decks)

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