Music Terms Flashcards
12 bar Blues
Style of blues with a 12-bar repeating chord pattern (I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V-IV-I-I).
12-tone system
Schoenberg’s composition system, which involves rearranging the 12 chromatic notes of an octave into a set order - also known as serialism.
Acapella
Singing with no instrumental backing.
Acciaccatura
An ornament that’s played as quickly as possible before the written note, sometimes called a ‘crushed’ note.
Action Song
A song in a musical that tells you what is going on - a bit like a recitative.
Alap
The first phrase of a rage performance.
Alto
Low female or high male voice. Signs roughly from the F below middle C to the F at the top of the treble clef stave.
Ambient
Slow, chilled club dance music.
Anacrusis
An upbeat
Antiphonal
A texture performed by two semi-independent groups in interaction, often singing alternate musical phrases. Like a Call and Response.
Appoggiatura
An ornament that clshed with the accompanying chord then resolves. This ornament takes half of the duration of the note it is attached to.
Arch-Shape form
A musical structure: a symmentrical structure based on a repeating A section. The most popular Arch-Shape is ABCBA.
Arpeggio
Chord that is played as a series of notes (also known as broken chord).
Articulation
The way notes/phrases are played.
Tenuto
Hold the note in question its full length (or longer, with slight rubato), or play the note slightly louder.
Marcato
Indicates a note, chord, or passage to be played louder or more forcefully that surrounding music.
Staccato
Signifies a note of shortened duration: a detached note.
Staccatissimo
Very detached note.
Legato
Indicates musical notes are to be played or sung smoothly and connected.
Augmentation
Making a note longer in duration.
Aria
Slo vocal piece in opera, oratorio or a cantata. Shows the characters’ emotions - also known as an air.
Art music
Music that’s written down (unlike folk music).
Atonal
Music that’s not written in any key.
Balafon
West African xylophone.
Ballad
A song that tells a story.
Bandish
A song that forms the final phrase of a raga performance. Known as ‘gat’ if it’s played only on instruments.
Bansuri
A bamboo flute used in Indian Classical Music.
Barbershop Quartet
A group of singers who sing in close harmony, often popular songs.
Baroque
Musical style of the 17th and early 18th centuries. It has lots of contrasts in dynamics and ornamentation.
Bass
Low male voice that can sing from about the F below the bass clef to the E above middle C.
Basso continuo
A continuous bass part in Baroque music, often played on the harpsichord with the cello.
Bebop
A type of jazz characterised by complex harmonies and fast syncopated rhythms.
Bi-rhythm
Two different rhythmic cycles played at the same time.
Big band
A band that plays jazz and swing music.
Binary form
A musical structure: music in two distinct sections (AB).
Block chord
Chord played by sounding all the notes at once.
Blue notes
Flattened 3rd, 7ths and sometimes 5ths, of the major scale.
Blues
Style of the 20th-century music from America with a distinctive scale and swung rhythms.
Blues scale
A major scale with flattened 3rd and 7th.
Bodhran
An Irish framed drum used in Celtic folk music.
Brass Band
An ensemble of brass instruments.
Breakbeats
Electronic music that has syncopation or polyrhythms.
Bridge section
A bit of music that bridges a gap between sections.
Brass
The family of Orchestra including Brass instruments: Trumpet, Cornet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba.
Broken chord
Chord that is played as a series of notes (also known as arpeggio).
Cadence
Pair of chords used to finish off a phrase (Perfect, Plagal, Interrupted and Imperfect).
Cadenza
Section of a piece where a soloist can really show off.
Call and Response
A short melody (the call) followed by an answering phrase (the response).
Canon/Canonic
Where the same tune is played by two or more parts, each starting before the previous part has finished. Also called a round.
Cantata
Vocal piece made up of 2 or 3 arias, separated by recitatives.
