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Music > Music Literacy > Flashcards

Music Literacy Flashcards

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1
Q

What does the time signature show?

A

It shows the number of beats per bar

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2
Q

What does the key signature show?

A

It shows the key note and what sharps and flats to play

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3
Q

What is the tempo?

A

The tempo shows how fast the music should be played

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4
Q

What are dynamics?

A

Dynamics shows what volume the music should be played at

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5
Q

What does notation show?

A

Notation shows the pitch and duration of the notes

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6
Q

What time signature is 2
4

A

2 beats per bar – simple time where each beat is split into two quavers

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7
Q

What time signature is 3
4

A

3 beats per bar – simple time where each beat is split into two quavers

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8
Q

What time signature is 4
4

A

4 beats per bar – simple time, 4 crochets

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9
Q

What time signature is 6
8

A

2 (dotted crotchet) beats per bar – compound time where each beat is split into three quavers

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10
Q

What does the key signature do?

A

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.

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11
Q

What is Major Key?

A

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

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12
Q

What is Minor Key?

A

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

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13
Q

How many sharps/flats does C major have?

A

None

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14
Q

How many shaprs/flats does G major have?

A

F sharp

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15
Q

How many sharps/flats does F major have?

A

B flat

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16
Q

How many sharps/flats does A minor have?

A

None

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17
Q

What is significant about C major and A minor?

A

The keys of C major and A minor have the same key signature.

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18
Q

What is a time signature?

A

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.

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19
Q

What is tempo?

A

In music, speed is referred to as tempo. A tempo marking is usually given at the beginning of a piece.

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20
Q

What language are many musical terms in?

A

Italian (due to many composers being Italian)

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21
Q

Adagio

A

Slow

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22
Q

Andante

A

A walking pace

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23
Q

Moderato

A

Moderately

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24
Q

Allegro

A

Quick and lively

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25
Q

Rallentando

A

Slowing down, normally for emphasis

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26
Q

Accelerando

A

Getting faster

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27
Q

Ritardando

A

Slowing down, holding back

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28
Q

A tempo

A

Return to the original tempo after speeding up or slowing down

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29
Q

What are dynamics?

A

Dynamics describe how loud or soft the music is.

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30
Q

Pianissimo

A

pp
Very quiet

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31
Q

Piano

A

p
Quiet

32
Q

Mezzo piano

A

mp
Moderately quiet

33
Q

Diminuendo (Descrescendo)

A

> Slowly getting quieter

34
Q

Fortissimo
ff

A

Very loud!

35
Q

Forte

A

f
loud

36
Q

Mezzo forte

A

mf
Moderately loud

37
Q

Crescendo

A

<
Slowly getting louder

38
Q

Sforzando

A

sfz
Accented forced

39
Q

What does a tie do ?

A

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

40
Q

What does a repeat sign do?

A

A repeat sign, shown below, means a section of music is repeated

41
Q

Sometimes the bars before and after repeat signs are only heard on one playing. How is this shown?

A

This is shown by putting brakcets above the bars with a number in order of playing.

42
Q

What is pitch?

A

Pitch is how high or low a note is and what it is called – for example: C, F sharp, B flat.

43
Q

What are the lines in treble clef ?

A

Football
Deserves
Boy
Good
Every

44
Q

What are the spaces in the treble clef?

A

E
C
A
F

45
Q

What is Rhythm?

A

Rhythm is how we describe the duration, or length, of a note or rest, eg how many beats it is worth.

46
Q

Semibreve

A

4 beats

47
Q

Dotted minim

A

3 beats

48
Q

Minim

A

2 beats

49
Q

Dotted Crochet

A

1 1/2 beats

50
Q

Crochet

A

1 beat

51
Q

Dotted quaver

A

3/4 beat

52
Q

Quaver

A

1/2 beat

53
Q

Semiquaver

A

1/4 beat

54
Q

What is an accidental?

A

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.

55
Q

What is a pause?

A

A pause sign tells you to hold the note or rest for slightly longer than its written value.

56
Q

What is an accent?

A

An accent tells you to play each note with a little extra force.

57
Q

What is a staccato?

A

It signifies a note of shortened duration separated from the note that may follow by silence

58
Q

What is legato?

A

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.

59
Q

What is an ornament?

A

Ornaments are extra notes which decorate the music.

60
Q

What is a trill?

A

A trill is rapidly moving between the written note and the one above.

61
Q

What is a grace note?

A

A grace note is played really quickly before the main note.

62
Q

What is a perfect candence?

A

Perfect cadences sound as though the music has come to an end. A perfect cadence is formed by the chords V - I.

63
Q

What is an imperfect candence?

A

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.

64
Q

What is contrary motion?

A

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).

65
Q

What is Atonal?

A

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.

66
Q

What is a Glissando?

A

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.

67
Q

What is a whole tone scale?

A

A whole tone scale contains six notes and is made up entirely of whole-steps. For example: C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A♯.

68
Q

What is an Anacrusis?

A

An anacrusis is an unstressed pickup or lead-in note or group of notes that precedes the first accented note of a phrase.

69
Q

What are Cross Rhythms?

A

Cross rhythm is the effect produced when two conflicting rhythms are heard together.

70
Q

What is Flutter Tonguing?

A

Flutter-tonguing is a wind instrument tonguing technique in which performers flutter their tongue to make a characteristic “FrrrrrFrrrrr” sound.

71
Q

What is Strophic Form?

A

Strophic form is the repetition of a musical unit, a stanza or verse.

72
Q

What is Canon?

A

A musical texture in which a melody is played and then imitated (one or more times) after a short delay in another part.

73
Q

What is modulation?

A

A change from one key or tonal center to another.

74
Q

What is contrapuntal?

A

Two or more independent melodic lines performed at the same time.

75
Q

What is a interval?

A

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

76
Q

What is a con sordino?

A

Con sordino is a musical instruction telling a musician to use a mute often on a trumpet.

77
Q

What is word setting?

A

Whether it is syllabic or melismatic.

Music (6 decks)

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