Terminology Flashcards
disjunct
angular musical movement that moves in leaps or contains intervals
arco
the instruction for string players to play their instrument using the bow
riff
a short, ‘catchy’ memorable idea or pattern found in jazz, rock or pop; the idea is repeated often in the music
tremolo
rapid bowing on a string instrument to produce a dramatic effect
what is A♭ major’s relative minor? (4 flats)
F minor
motif
a short music idea, melodic or rhythmic
high pitch
the higher sounding notes, eg treble clef
what does the time signature 6/8 mean
2 dotted crotchet beats in a bar
unison
when voices/instruments are playing at the same pitch eg all parts sounding the same note
sampler
an electronic device for storing and altering sounds
outro
the concluding section of a song or piece, eg the ‘last’ part (same as coda). only used in popular music
phasing
a delay effect in music technology
vibrato
a rapid, slight variation in pitch when singing or playing some musical instruments which produces a stronger or richer tone
repetition
when sounds, sequences, melodies, rhythms or sections are repeated
chaal
the dotted rhythm found in bhangra; it is an eight-note rhythmic pattern
crescendo
getting louder
acoustic
a musical instrument whose sound is not electronically generated through an amplifier
what does the time signature 3/4 mean
3 crotchet beats in a bar
romantic
music typical of the period between about 1810-1910
scat
a style of singing in jazz music that is improvised, and where the voice is used in imitation of an instrument (eg no words or nonsense words)
bhangra
fusion of traditional Indian/Pakistani music with modern club dance music
chamber music
music intended for a small group of performers, regarded as soloists on equal terms; music intended for domestic performance with one instrument per part
rock rhythms
typical riffs/rhythms and rhythmic patterns associated with ‘rock’ music
double stopping
when a string instrument plays two notes at the same time
chordal
when the style of the music is delivered through the harmony eg the interest is vertical, and in the chords more that the melody
relative minor key
every major key has a relative minor key, with which it shares the same key signature
rhythm section
part of a pop or jazz group that supplies the rhythm, eg bass, drums and guitar/keyboard (playing the chords)
minuet and trio
often is movement 3 of a symphony or sonata. both the minuet and the trio are in binary form, each repeated before the minuet returns for a final time, giving an overall ternary form, eg A A B B A A
reggae
a style of music originating from the West Indies, popular in the 1970s
theme and variation
the theme is a melody (either original or borrowed) and a number of variations are created - sometimes simply decorated, sometimes more complex
rondo form
a recurring section (A) with alternating ‘episodes’ eg A B A C A
groupings
solo, duet, trio, quartet
stave
the name given to the five lines and four spaces that music is written on
modal
refers to the ‘modes’ that evolved from ancient times. a mode is a type of scale, a set of notes. there are major modes, minor modes and modes which are more ambiguous. were often used in church music, folk, blues and jazz. are often used by guitarists too.
FOR GCSE YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MODES BUT YOU MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO RECOGNISE THAT A PIECE OF MUSIC IS MODAL
what is A major’s relative minor? (3 sharps)
F# minor
minim
2 beats
strings
violin, viola, cello, double bass (and harp)
backing vocals
singers who provide vocal harmony or countermelodies for the lead vocalist
interval: semitone
notes that are a semitone apart, eg a half step (the next note on the piano - white OR black)
leger lines
short lines which are added when the music moves beyond the range of the stave
belt
the lower, more powerful part of the voice range
polyphonic
more than one part delivering the melody (or melodies) in imitation or in counterpoint
regular metre
a regular pattern of beats as indicated by the time signature
echo
the repetition of a musical phrase (or sound) that has less impact and volume than the original phrase or sound
chord sequence
a series of chords following each other, also known as harmonic progression
harmonic rhythm
the rate at which the harmony changes (eg every beat, every two beats, every bar)
drone
this is a simple harmonic device when one or more notes are held or repeated throughout an extended passage of music. a drone with two notes usually consists of the tonic and the dominant notes
male voices
tenor, bass (baritone)
secondary chords
chords ii, iii and vi are minor triads and known as the secondary chords. these sound sad
glissando
a slide from one pitch to another
synthesised/electronic
a type of music that uses electronic devices to produce and alter sounds
monophonic
a single melodic line with no harmonies or other melodies
semiquaver
1/4 beat
accidentals
signs in music which show that the pitch of notes is to be altered. eg sharp, flat, natural
power chords
a chord which uses the root and the 5th (ie no 3rd). used by rock guitarists
tempo
the speed of the beat
break
an instrumental or percussion section that provides a ‘break’ from the rest of the song or piece
acoustics
to do with the sound quality in a room or building as it is heard
dynamic markings
dynamic markings in a piece of music instruct the performers how loud or quiet to play
alberti bass
a type of accompaniment figure that uses broken chords
moderato/andante
at a moderate speed/ a ‘walking speed’ - not too slow
round
a short vocal canon for unaccompanied singing
dotted rhythms
a dot placed after the note adds half the value of the note again
pizzicato
‘plucked’ (way of playing string instruments)
detached
a type of musical articulation which describes notes that have been shortened (eg staccato)
sharp
tells you that the note must be raised by a semitone. the note sounds one step higher
improvisation
music that’s made up on the spot by the performer
alto clef/viola clef
used by the viola in string music. the middle point of the clef shows the position of middle C
treble clef
used for higher pitched voices and instruments
12-bar blues
a style of blues music with a repeating chord pattern that is 12 bars long
diminuendo
getting quieter; gradually decreasing in loudness
syncopation/off-beat
occurs when the strong accents in a bar are shifted. eg when the accent is placed on a normally weak beat or a weak beat is ‘held’ or ‘tied’ over a strong beat. the ‘off beat’ is a rhythmic effect where the weak beats are accented
pause
a pause sign is a symbol which means that the note should be held longer than the original value
verse
a section of a song that has the same music when repeated but different lyrics each time
interrupted cadence
uses chords V - vi (dominant - submediant / C - Dm). this cadence sounds incomplete and unfinished. in a major key it involves a major chord moving to a minor chord. it is sometimes known as a ‘surprise’ cadence, because the listener thinks that the dominant chord will resolve to the tonic chord, but it does not, stopping instead on the submediant chord of the key
divisi
the instruction in music for orchestral players reading the same musical staff to divide into two or more parts
simple time
where the main beat is a crotchet beat. eg 2/4, 3/4, 4/4.
dance rhythms
characteristic rhythmic patterns linked with any dance (eg waltz, tango, swing, etc) or the repetitive rhythms and pre-set percussion patterns associated with electronic dance music styles (eg house, acid, techno, drum’n’bass)
slurred
a style of playing two or more notes smoothly: joined with a ‘slur’ (legato)
microtone
an interval smaller than a semitone
coda
the final section of a movement or piece of music
a cappella
singing without any instrumental backing or accompaniment
harmony
a combination of notes played at the same time - created through chords in music. the harmony in the music supports the melody, reinforces the rhythmic movement and also provides interest in its own right.
primary chords
chords I, IV and V are major triads and known as the primary chords. these sound bright and happy
panning
the distribution of a sound signal into a multi-channel sound field. the panning control adjusts the sound through the left and right speakers
musical theatre/musical
a musical play or drama in which singing, acting and dance play an important part
natural
cancels out a sharp or flat previously used in the music
fanfare
usually played on brass instruments, this is a loud call to attention, like an announcement. uses only a few pitches of one or two simple chords
blue notes
the flattened notes in a blues scale
order of sharps
Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
hammer on
a performance technique for a string instrument with frets, such as the guitar. it occurs when the guitarist brings his finger down sharply on the fretboard (behind a fret), causing a note to sound. (this technique is the opposite of the ‘pull-off’, where the finger on the fret is released after the note has been struck)
canon
a compositional device where a melody in one part is repeated exactly after the other, usually with some overlapping
relative key
the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures, meaning that they share all the same notes but are arranged in a different order of whole steps and half steps
scalic
when the musical line moves in steps, just like a scale (eg conjunct movement)
soul
a form of black music originating from the 1970s, influenced by gospel music
call and response
a short musical idea (the call) followed by an answering phrase (the response)
interval: perfect 5th
notes that are 4 tones apart. SONG: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
allegretto
moderately fast, slower than allegro
strophic
the structure has verses that are musically the same each time. only the lyrics may change
ballad
a type of song which tells a story (in rock or pop music this is usually a love story)
structure
what gives the content shape and balance. may depend on stepwise or scalic patterns, more angular ideas or patterns using the notes of a triad. may be a mix of all three - depends on how the musical ideas and patterns have been organised into motifs, melodies and themes, and how they are used and presented