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GCSE Music > Timbre > Flashcards

Timbre Flashcards

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1
Q

Name two composers well known for choosing instruments for the quality of their sound.

A

Debussy and Ravel

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2
Q

instrumentation

A

the instruments or voices used in a composition

specific instrumental techniques

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3
Q

orchestration

A

how the instruments are arranged together/scored - which instruments play the melody & which play the accompaniment

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4
Q

techniques

A

ways in which an instrument can be played

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5
Q

glissando

A

sliding from one note to another

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6
Q

pizzicato

A

plucking the strings

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7
Q

tremolando

A

a very quick playing of a single note

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8
Q

distortion

A

a special sound on the electric guitar

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9
Q

mute/con sord

A

a device which is put in the bell of a brass instrument to make a specific sound

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10
Q

arco

A

bowed

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11
Q

vibrato

A

subtle change in pitch

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12
Q

sitar

A

a long-necked plucked string instrument with movable frets and a gourd resonator
6/7 main strings and 12+ sympathetic strings with resonate in sympathy
characteristic shimmering sound

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13
Q

sarod

A

a plucked string instrument, shorter than the sitar and without frets
played by plucking with a large wooden plectrum
has main and sympathetic strings
slides are much easier on the sarod than on the sitar

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14
Q

sarangi

A

a fret less bowed instrument, held in the lap

3 main strings & 36 sympathetic strings

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15
Q

esraj

A

a bowed string instrument played sitting on the floor
has frets, like the sitar
has a number of sympathetic and drone strings

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16
Q

How is the ‘wah wah’ effect produced on a brass instrument?

A

by moving a hand or plunger mute in and out of the bell

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17
Q

Name 3 drums used in African drumming.

A

hand drum, don-don & djembe

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18
Q

talking drums

A

drums that imitate the rhythms and intonations of speech

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19
Q

tabla

A

a pair of small drums (dayan & bayan) mainly used to keep time in Indian classical music

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20
Q

dhol

A

a large traditional North Indian drum played with cane sticks in Bhangra music

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21
Q

dholak

A

a double-headed hand drum in Bhangra music

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22
Q

four-to-the-floor

A

four crotchets in 4/4 on the bass drum

23
Q

back beat

A

when the snare drum plays on beats 2 and 4 of 4/4

24
Q

drum roll

A

a rapid succession of beats sounded on a drum

25
Q

rim shot

A

a drum stroke where the stick hits the rim and the head (usually of a snare drum) at the same time

26
Q

bottleneck

A

sliding a tube of metal or glass along the guitar strings to alter the pitch

27
Q

natural harmonic

A

reducing or amplifying overtones on a guitar string, producing a higher pitched overtone

28
Q

pinch harmonic

A

when the player’s thumb or index finger cancels the fundamental tone of the string, but not the overtones, producing a high pitch squeal

29
Q

pull off

A

picking one note and then quickly using a finger on the left hand to pull off the next note

30
Q

palm mute

A

when a player places the side of the picking hand across the strings to be plucked, very close to the bridge, muting the sound by dampening the strings

31
Q

synthesiser

A

an electronic musical instrument which produces a wide variety of sounds by combining signals of different frequencies

32
Q

drum machine

A

a synthesiser designed to reproduce the sounds of a drum kit

33
Q

vocoder

A

a machine that synthesises the human voice

34
Q

turntable

A

a circular revolving plate on which records are played

35
Q

treble

A

a boy’s high unbroken voice

36
Q

soprano

A

a high female voice

37
Q

mezzo-soprano

A

a medium high female voice

38
Q

counter-tenor

A

male alto or soprano, sometimes falsetto

39
Q

alto

A

a high male or low female voice

40
Q

tenor

A

a high male voice

41
Q

baritone

A

a medium male voice

42
Q

bass

A

the lowest male voice

43
Q

a cappella ensembles

A

unaccompanied choruses

44
Q

lieder

A

german art songs from the Romantic period

45
Q

aria

A

a solo song found in operas and oratorio

46
Q

ballads

A

slow, often sentimental, love songs

47
Q

folk songs

A

often simple strummed guitar accompaniment
usually in verse form (strophic)
sometimes have choruses
emphasise lyrics that tell a story/have a political message

48
Q

falsetto

A

when a male singer sings in the soprano or alto range

49
Q

belting

A

when a singer uses their chest voice and pushes out the sound

50
Q

scat

A

a type of vocal improvisation using wordless or nonsense syllables

51
Q

rap

A

when an artist speaks words rhythmically and quickly

52
Q

beatboxing

A

when a voice imitates the sounds of a drum machine

53
Q

sonority

A

another word for timbre

GCSE Music (12 decks)

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