T Flashcards
What is tempo?
The speed of the underlying beat in the music
Adagio
Moderately slow
Largo
Slow
Andante
Walking Pace
Moderato
Moderate Pace
Allegro
Fast
Presto
Extremely fast
Accelerando
Speeding up of tempo
Rallentando
Slowing down of tempo
Rubato
Free tempo
Ritenudo
Immediately slowing down
What is texture?
Texture describes how the different layers of sound in a song interact
What is unison?
Unison is where all of the instruments are playing the exact same melody with all the notes at the same pitches.
An example of unison is a room of people, young and old all singing Happy Birthday
What is Monophonic texture?
Monophonic texture is when there is only one line of music with no accompaniment. This can include a solo instrument or multiple instruments in unison.
What is Polyphonic (contrapuntal) texture?
Polyphonic texture is where the different layers of sound all weave in and out of each other, similar to spaghetti.
Imitation is an example of polyphony, as the parts are delayed and so overlap. A common use of imitation is in Fugues.
What is homophonic texture?
Homophonic texture is when all of the layers move in blocks around the chords used. It can also be called chordal texture
What is antiphony?
Similar to call and response, when the musical ideas are passed between different instruments
What is melody and accompaniment?
When there is a clear melodic line and this can be differentiated between the accompaniment. Encompasses homophonic texture I think.
What is a counter melody?
A secondary melody that counters the original melody e.g. the original melody moves up and the countermeoldy moves down
What is a descant
Another melody higher in pitched played over the existing texture
Glissando
Sliding from one note to the other. Kniwn as portamento in singing
Pizzicato
Used when refering to string instruments, it means plucking the strings
Con Sord
Mute put on the end of brass instruments to create a raspy or a “wah-wah” sound
Arco
Used when refering to string instruments, it means bowed
Drum fill
Chance for the drummer to show off and to fill in the gap with a drum pattern when no other instruments are playing
Falsetto
Where a male singer sings in the alto or soprano range
Rim shot
Drum stroke where the stick hits the rim and the head at the same time
Drum roll
Rapid succession of beats on a drum
Distortion
When an amplified sound is changed to sound more fuzzy or growly
Pitch bend
Where a guitarist makes the string get tighter to make the pitch of the sound get higher
Pull off
Used by guitarists to create a legato sound so the guitarist plays a second note in quick succession
Palm mute
Where the guitraist puts the side of their hand on the strings to be plucked so they sound dampened
A cappella
Unaccompanied voices
Scat
Vocal improvisation - using wordless syllables that don’t have a meaning
Beatboxing
Where a voice imitates the sounds made by a drum machine
Vibrato
Whre the pitch of the voice changes rapidly up and down to give a warm and rich feel
Rap
Where an artist speaks words rhythmically, often accompanied by an instrumental and/or drum beat
Tremolo
Trembling effect
