Music Literacy Flashcards
What does the time signature show?
It shows the number of beats per bar
What does the key signature show?
It shows the key note and what sharps and flats to play
What is the tempo?
The tempo shows how fast the music should be played
What are dynamics?
Dynamics shows what volume the music should be played at
What does notation show?
Notation shows the pitch and duration of the notes
What time signature is 2
4
2 beats per bar – simple time where each beat is split into two quavers
What time signature is 3
4
3 beats per bar – simple time where each beat is split into two quavers
What time signature is 4
4
4 beats per bar – simple time, 4 crochets
What time signature is 6
8
2 (dotted crotchet) beats per bar – compound time where each beat is split into three quavers
What does the key signature do?
The key signature tells you what the key note is and what sharps or flats are in a piece of music. It is written as sharps or flats after the clef at the beginning of the music. A piece can be in a major or minor key.
What is Major Key?
A major key has no sharps of flats notes and contains 8 notes. It also makes the music sound happy and bright
e.g
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
What is Minor Key?
In minor keys the 3,6,7 note of the major scale is lowered by a semitone. It also makes the music sound sad and depressing.
e.g
1 = (perfect) unison
2 = major second
♭3 = minor third
4 = perfect fourth
5 = perfect fifth
♭6 = minor sixth
♭7 = minor seventh
8 = (perfect) octave
How many sharps/flats does C major have?
None
How many shaprs/flats does G major have?
F sharp
How many sharps/flats does F major have?
B flat
How many sharps/flats does A minor have?
None
What is significant about C major and A minor?
The keys of C major and A minor have the same key signature.
What is a time signature?
A time signature tells you how many beats are in the bar. It is written as two numbers at the beginning of every piece of music.
What is tempo?
In music, speed is referred to as tempo. A tempo marking is usually given at the beginning of a piece.
What language are many musical terms in?
Italian (due to many composers being Italian)
Adagio
Slow
Andante
A walking pace
Moderato
Moderately
Allegro
Quick and lively
Rallentando
Slowing down, normally for emphasis
Accelerando
Getting faster
Ritardando
Slowing down, holding back
A tempo
Return to the original tempo after speeding up or slowing down
What are dynamics?
Dynamics describe how loud or soft the music is.
Pianissimo
pp
Very quiet
Piano
p
Quiet
Mezzo piano
mp
Moderately quiet
Diminuendo (Descrescendo)
> Slowly getting quieter
Fortissimo
ff
Very loud!
Forte
f
loud
Mezzo forte
mf
Moderately loud
Crescendo
<
Slowly getting louder
Sforzando
sfz
Accented forced
What does a tie do ?
A tie joins together two notes of the same pitch. It means the note is played once and held for the value of both notes, rather than the note being played twice
What does a repeat sign do?
A repeat sign, shown below, means a section of music is repeated
Sometimes the bars before and after repeat signs are only heard on one playing. How is this shown?
This is shown by putting brakcets above the bars with a number in order of playing.
What is pitch?
Pitch is how high or low a note is and what it is called – for example: C, F sharp, B flat.
What are the lines in treble clef ?
Football
Deserves
Boy
Good
Every
What are the spaces in the treble clef?
E
C
A
F
What is Rhythm?
Rhythm is how we describe the duration, or length, of a note or rest, eg how many beats it is worth.
Semibreve
4 beats
Dotted minim
3 beats
Minim
2 beats
Dotted Crochet
1 1/2 beats
Crochet
1 beat
Dotted quaver
3/4 beat
Quaver
1/2 beat
Semiquaver
1/4 beat
What is an accidental?
When a composer wants to include a one-off sharp or flat, or cancel one that is in the key signature, they use accidentals.
Accidentals only apply to one bar of the music, not the whole piece.
What is a pause?
A pause sign tells you to hold the note or rest for slightly longer than its written value.
What is an accent?
An accent tells you to play each note with a little extra force.
What is a staccato?
It signifies a note of shortened duration separated from the note that may follow by silence
What is legato?
A curved line above or below a group of notes tells you those notes should be played legato – smoothly, with no gaps between the notes.
A slur is a legato line over a few notes which means they should not be rearticulated. For example, all the notes are played with one bow movement on a string instrument or played without tonguing each note on a wind instrument.
What is an ornament?
Ornaments are extra notes which decorate the music.
What is a trill?
A trill is rapidly moving between the written note and the one above.
What is a grace note?
A grace note is played really quickly before the main note.
What is a perfect candence?
Perfect cadences sound as though the music has come to an end. A perfect cadence is formed by the chords V - I.
What is an imperfect candence?
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.
What is contrary motion?
Contrary motion is motion in opposite directions. That is, when one of the lines moves up, the other line moves down (that is, in inversion).
What is Atonal?
Atonal music is any musical composition that does not have a central tone or tonal center, and deviates from traditional Western expectations of harmony, key, or mode.
What is a Glissando?
Is a musical term that refers to a way of gliding or flowing from one note to the next. It occurs when you play a continuous slide upward or downward between at least two notes on an instrument.
What is a whole tone scale?
A whole tone scale contains six notes and is made up entirely of whole-steps. For example: C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A♯.
What is an Anacrusis?
An anacrusis is an unstressed pickup or lead-in note or group of notes that precedes the first accented note of a phrase.
What are Cross Rhythms?
Cross rhythm is the effect produced when two conflicting rhythms are heard together.
What is Flutter Tonguing?
Flutter-tonguing is a wind instrument tonguing technique in which performers flutter their tongue to make a characteristic “FrrrrrFrrrrr” sound.
What is Strophic Form?
Strophic form is the repetition of a musical unit, a stanza or verse.
What is Canon?
A musical texture in which a melody is played and then imitated (one or more times) after a short delay in another part.
What is modulation?
A change from one key or tonal center to another.
What is contrapuntal?
Two or more independent melodic lines performed at the same time.
What is a interval?
An interval is a difference in pitch between two notes e.g the interval from C (1) to D (2) is a “Second” because it includes two tones
What is a con sordino?
Con sordino is a musical instruction telling a musician to use a mute often on a trumpet.
What is word setting?
Whether it is syllabic or melismatic.
