Music Flashcards
Clef note
A symbol indicating the pitch to be played. Usually a G clef or a Bass clef, those scrolling shapes at the front of the staff.
Harmony
Pleasing combination of two or three tones played together in the background while a melody is being played. Harmony also refers to the study of chord progressions.
Key
System of notes or tones based on and named after the key note.
Measure
The unit of measure where the beats on the lines of the staff are divided up into two, three, four beats to a measure.
Melody
the sequence of single tones in a song, as opposed to Harmony or rhythm.
Movement
A separate section of a larger composition.
Pitch
The frequency of a note determining how high or low it sounds.
Refrain
A repeating phrase that is played at the end of each verse in the song.
Rhythm
The element of music pertaining to time, played as a grouping of notes into accented and unaccented beats.
Scale
Successive notes of a key or mode either ascending or descending the song.
Staff
Made up of five horizontal parallel lines and the spaces between them on which musical notation is written.
Tempo
Indicating speed.
Tune
A rhythmic succession of musical tones, a melody for instruments and voices.
Time Signature
A numeric symbol in sheet music determining the number of beats to a measure.
Whole note
A whole note is equal to 2 half notes, 4 quarter notes, 8 eighth notes, etc.
String Instruments
Stringed instruments are characterized by having (you guessed it!) strings.
Ways to make strings vibrate (to make music!)
Plucking, as with the harp, guitar, and mandolin
Bowing, as with the violin family. Note: instruments in the violin family can be played two ways: bowing and plucking.
Hitting, as with the hammered dulcimer and piano.
Violin family:
violin, viola cello, bass, Guitar, lyre, koto, harp, lute banjo.
Woodwinds Instruments
At one time, most woodwinds were made of wood; hence the name. The easiest way to characterize them now is as wind instruments (that is, you blow into them) which aren’t played by buzzing your lips together.
Flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon.
How are woodwinds sounds made?
Most woodwind instruments are tubes. The sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube. The player makes this column of air vibrate in one of several ways:
By blowing across an edge, as in the flute, recorder, whistle, and root beer bottle
By blowing between a reed and a fixed surface, as in the clarinet and saxophone
By blowing between two reeds, as in the oboe, bassoon, and bagpipes
What is a reed?
A REED is the mouthpiece used on a Woodwind.
Brass Instruments
Most brass instruments from the Western European tradition really are made of brass, but there are large numbers of brass-type instruments which are made of wood, horn, shell, or other materials.
How are brass instrument sounds made?
As with woodwinds, the sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube of the instrument. The air column vibrates in resonance with the vibrating lips of the
player, who presses her or his lips together in the mouthpiece and forces air out between them, making a “raspberry” or “Bronx cheer” sound.
Examples of Brass Instruments
Trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, bugle.
What is the shape of the brass instruments’ mouthpiece?
Brass instruments use a specific type of mouthpiece shaped like a cup.
Percussion Instruments
Percussion instruments include just about anything you can whack with a stick.
How are percussion instruments’ sounds made?
In percussion instruments the sound source is a vibrating membrane (these instruments are called membranophones) or vibrating piece of solid material (these are ideophones). The percussionist normally causes these materials to vibrate by hitting them (hence the name percussion), but many percussion instruments are played by shaking, rubbing, or any other way of causing vibrations.
Example of percussion instruments
Drums, xylophone, maracas, cymbals, gong.
