Music terms Flashcards
Theme
The main tune/melody
Motiff
A short musical idea
Leitmotif
A recurring musical idea linked to a character/object or place
Underscoring
Music playing underneath the dialogue
Scalic
Melody follows the notes of a scale
Triadic
Melody moves around the notes of a triad
Fanfare
Short tune often played by brass instruments to announce someone/something important based on the pitches of a chord
Pedal note
A long sustained note usually in the bass/lower notes
Ostianito/ riff
A short repeated pattern
Conjunct
The melody moves by step
Disjunct
The melody moves with leaps/intervals
Consonant melody
Sounds “good” together
Dissonant harmony
Sounds “clashy”
Chromatic harmony
Uses lots of semitones/accidentals that’s not in the home key
Minimalism
A style of music using repetition of short phrases which change gradually over time
