The Elements of Music Flashcards
What does the term ‘Tempo’ mean in music?
Tempo is a word that describes how fast or slow a piece of music is. There are lots of different tempos in music such as:
- Andante (walking pace)
- Largo (slow and stately)
- Allegro (fast)
- Presto (very quickly!)
What does the term ‘Pitch’ mean in music?
Pitch means how high or low notes sound. Some instruments may naturally sound higher than others, whilst some instruments may naturally sound much lower.
Each instrument and voice has its own unique range.
What does the term ‘Texture’ mean in music?
Texture describes how many layers or parts there are in a piece of music. People may refer to texture as ‘thick’ or ‘thin’. Some of the typical textures you could have are:
- Monophonic textrue, meaning 1 melody or voice part only.
- Polyphonic texture, meaning 2 or more melodies or voices playing at the same time.
- Homophonic texture, meaning all parts move together at the same time (like chords).
What does the term ‘Harmony’ mean in music?
Harmony is the relationship between 2 or more simultaneously sounding notes. Some harmonies sound pleasant when combining notes, some sound harsh or even clash when particular notes are played together.
What does the term ‘Rhythm’ mean in music?
Rhythm can also be referred to as ‘duration’. It is a musical term that describes how long or short notes are in music. Some notes can be longer or shorter than others to contribute to the overall affect of a piece of music.
What does the term ‘Timbre’ mean in music?
Timbre describes the particular sound quality of an instrument or voice. Different combinations of instruments provide different timbres. For example, a flute and piano playing together will have a different timbre compared to that of a flute and trumpet.
What does the term ‘Tonality’ mean in music?
Tonality is the key in which a piece is written (this can change as piece progresses). This could be described as Major or Minor (happy/sad).
What does the term ‘Structure’ mean in music?
Structure (also refered to as stucture and form), is how an overall piece of music is put together, a plan or outline of the music. There are many different structures and forms in music. For example, a song uses a verse/chorus structure, whereas a classical piece of music may use a ternary form (ABA) or rondo form (ABACAD) structure.
What does the term ‘Dynamics’ mean in music?
Dynamics is term used in music to describe how loud or quiet a piece of music should be. This could also be described as ‘balance’.
If you wanted to have really quiet dynamics, you could use the symbol pp - meaning pianissimo or if you wanted louder dynamics, you could use the symbol ff - meaning fortissimo.
What does the term ‘Instrument’ mean in music?
An instrument is an object or device that is made for producing musical sounds. There are hundreds of different musical instruments from all over the world.
In an orchestra, instruments are grouped into families; Strings, Percussion, Woodwind and Brass.
What does the term ‘Pulse’ mean in music?
Pulse is a steady ‘beat’. It can be measured in time by counting the number of beats per minute (BPM).
The metronome is a steady beat that helps keep you in time.
