Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Musical Concepts > Pitch > Flashcards

Pitch Flashcards

1
Q

Pitch

A

Refers to the highness and lowness of sounds in music.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Three main aspects of pitch

A

Melody, harmony and tonality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Melody

A

A horizontal succession of pitches and notes. In simpler terms, when notes are played one after the other.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Harmony

A

Means to sound two or more notes or pitches at the same time together.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Tonality

A

Refers to the pitch arrangement used by the composer, often to convey a specific genre of music.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Home/root note

A

Specific pitch or note that a piece of music is based off. All notes used in the piece have different relationships with the home note depending on how far or near they are to the home note.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Diatonic scale system

A

Refers to the major and minor scales used in music. These scales are comprised of seven distinct pitch classes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does ‘diatonic’ mean in Greek?

A

Diatonic in Greek means “progressing through tones”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Blues scale

A

The same as the minor pentatonic scale with the addition of one note, the raised 4th. It is common scale for improvisation.

1 - 2 - b3 - 4 - #4 - 5 - b7

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Pentatonic scale

A

A scale that consists of five notes. Popular for improvisation.

Major Pentatonic: 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 6

Minor Pentatonic: 1 - b3 - 4 - 5 - b7

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Chromatic scale

A

A scale that consists of all semitones. Starts at one note and features every note in the musical alphabet up to or down to the starting notes next octave.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Microtones

A

A musical interval that is smaller than a semitone. Instruments that are able to slide from one note to another are able to create microtones.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Whole tone scale

A

A scale where notes follow each other in whole steps of equal intervals. Music that uses a whole tone scale can seem to lose the sense of a tonal centre and lack resolution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Atonality

A

Music that has no identifiable tonal centre or home key.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Gypsy scale

A

Refers to one of several musical scales named after their association with Romani or stereotyped ‘gypsy’ music.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Indian Raga

A

Forms the basis of Indian music and contains microtones, and characteristic ascending and descending passages, as well as much ornamentation and embellishment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Gamelan

A

Refers to an Indonesian orchestra made up of many traditional percussion instruments.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Two main systems in Javanese gamelan music

A

Slendro: Five notes to the octave with varying intervals.

Pelog: Seven notes to the octave, with varying intervals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Counter melody

A

A second contrasting melody that is played at the same time as the main melody.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Call and response

A

Type of melodic construction where there are two sections of a melody where the first section ‘calls’ while the second section ‘responds’ to the first particular phrase or section.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Question and answer

A

Another melodic construction with two sections where the first section sounds resolved and normally ends with an interrupted or non-resolving tone. The second section then ‘answers’ with that section normally ending with resolution.

22
Q

Phrasing

A

A section of an instrumental or vocal line, similar to a musical sentence that contains part or all of a melody.

23
Q

Symmetrical phrasing

A

Where a phrase has an equal number of parts.

24
Q

Asymmetrical phrasing

A

Where a phrase has an uneven number of bars.

25
Q

Definite pitch

A

Tuned sound and distinct sound e.g. Singing voice

26
Q

Indefinite pitch

A

Un-tuned sounds e.g. speaking voice

27
Q

Instruments with definite pitch

A

Singing voice, trumpet, violin, clarinet, bass guitar.

28
Q

Instruments with indefinite pitch

A

Speaking voice, birds, trees, trains, snare drum.

29
Q

Melodic arrangement

A

Refers to how melodies are placed in a piece of music.

30
Q

Melodic movement

A

Refers to the specific pitch direction in a melody and how it moves.

31
Q

Melodic contour

A

Refers to the shape of a melody in a piece of music.

32
Q

Register

A

Refers to the ‘height of sound’. Generally described as high, middle and low.

33
Q

Chalumeau

A

The lower register of the clarinet.

34
Q

Tessitura

A

Refers to the register of the singing voice.

35
Q

Sounding range

A

Refers to the pitches (produced by an instrument)

36
Q

Written range

A

Refers to the span of notes written in the sheet music.

37
Q

Designated range

A

Refers to the set of notes the player should or can achieved while playing.

38
Q

Duration range

A

Refers to the difference between the shortest and longest rhythm used.

39
Q

Dynamic range

A

Refers to the difference between the quietest and loudest volume of an instrument, part of piece of music.

40
Q

Melodic features

A

Features added to a melody that adds interest

41
Q

Ornamentation

A

Refers to the decoration of a melody with special features to add interest.

42
Q

Mordent

A

Upper: where a note is played, then the one above it, then the first note.
Lower: Where a note is played, then the one below it, then the first note.

43
Q

Turn

A

A short figure consisting of the note above the one indicated, the note itself, the note below the one indicated, and the note itself again.

44
Q

Appoggiatura

A

Refers to a leaning note. A note that leans into the following note. The leaning note usually takes up half the time of the note value.

45
Q

Acciaccatura

A

A crushed note, played at the same time as, and crushed into, the following note, where the value does not change.

46
Q

Melodic ostinato

A

A repeated melodic pattern.

47
Q

Riff

A

A repeated pattern heard throughout a piece of music and has the effect of unifying it.

48
Q

Motif

A

A melodic fragment that is repeated immediately at a different pitch.

49
Q

Sequence

A

A melodic fragment that is repeated immediately at a different pitch.

50
Q

Repetition

A

Refers to a melody or melodies heard repeatedly.

51
Q

Melisma

A

Refers to the singing of several notes to one syllable of text.

Musical Concepts (7 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions