terms and definitions Flashcards
monophonic texture
a single unaccompanied melody
dissonance
notes that ‘clash’ (opposite of consonance)
parallel motion
two melodies moving in sync
cadence
the sequence of chords that ends a musical phrase
antiphony
call and response but with an overlap (mainly in baroque)
polyrhythm
texture involving multiple independent melodies played together
acciaccatura
ornament - one little note before main note
turn
ornament - home note, goes up one note and back to home note
mordent
ornament - up, down repeated and back to home note
trill
ornamentation (imagine a squiggly line)
triad
a 3-note chord
tonic
home note
timbre
specific quality of a musical sounds and particularly the instrument playing it
walking bass
a note is played on every crotchet beat & pitches regularly ascend & descend
rubato
fluid tempo
diatonic
using notes inside the key
homophonic texture
instruments moving together in rhythm
consonance
flows ish (opposite of dissonance)
atonal
not in key, doesn’t have a home note (tonal centre)
leitmotif
recurring musical phrase - referring to a specific emotion or character
lick
short melody played on guitar
legato
smooth playing (opposite of staccato)
staccato
detached notes (opposite of legato)
collage
rich texture of sounds, rhythms & melodies played on different instruments
melisma
singing more than one note to one syllable of text
hook
short, catchy melody or riff
glissando
a slide up or down in pitch
modulation
a key change
microtones
intervals smaller than semitones
syllabic
each syllable sung to a different note
syncopation
rhythm emphasises off beats
stepwise
movement in short steps
