RELEVANT MUSICAL TERMINOLOGY

Question 1

Accompaniment

Answer 1

The playing of an instrument or instruments along with a singer (i.e. a guitarist, a pianist, a band, other singers)

Question 2

Accompanist

Answer 2

An individual performing music alongside a singer

Question 3

Beat

Answer 3

The steady rhythmic unit of a song (1, 2, 3, 4)

Question 4

Break (Passagio)

Answer 4

The area of the voice between chest voice resonance

and head voice resonance

Question 5

Breath Support

Answer 5

The use of the entire body (especially muscles
surrounding the abdomen and mid-lower back to help
ensure proper air-flow while singing.

Question 6

Crescendo

Answer 6

A gradual increase in volume within a piece of music

Question 7

Diminuendo

Answer 7

A gradual decrease in volume within a piece of music

Question 8

Dynamics

Answer 8

The variations between soft and loud in a song

Question 9

Glottal Stop

Answer 9

The act of obstructing air-flow in the vocal tract or
glottis – this is how glottal onsets and offsets are
achieved. It feels like a very small grunt.

Question 10

Mix Voice

Answer 10

Often considered a safe alternative to belting: the
blended part of the singing voice that combines the
best qualities of chest and head voice = the high range
of head voice, with the loud volume or chest voice.

Question 11

Note

Answer 11

A symbol on a stave used to define pitch and duration

Question 12

Range

Answer 12

The span of notes that can be comfortably sung by a
vocalist, can also describe the span of notes that are
within a specific song

Question 13

Rhythm

Answer 13

How a beat is divided to create different patterns. Not

to be confused with tempo, which describes it’s speed

Question 14

Stave

Answer 14

The five lines that musical notation is written upon

Question 15

Tempo

Answer 15

How fast or slow a song is performed

Question 16

Transpose

Answer 16

To change the key of a song, whether up or down, to

better suit a vocalist.