Vocab Flashcards
Accidental
A symbol that raises or lowers a pitch by a half or whole step
Atonal
Music that avoids reference to tonal center or center
Beat
The basic pulse of a musical passage
Cadence
The harmonic goal: specifically, a harmonic progression that provides complete or partial resolution of a larger passage
Counterpoint
The combining of relatively independent musical lines
Diatonic Chords
Chords made up of only notes from a scale on which the passage is based
Dot
A symbol that adds half the duration value of the note, rest, or dot that precedes it
Dotted Bar Line
Symbol used to show how long measures subdivided into shorter segments
Elision
A procedure by which the last note of one phrase also serves as the first note of the next phrase
Enharmonic
Notes that have the same pitch but are spelled differently. Keys can also be enharmonics
Focal Point
The highest note of a melody
Form
The way a composition is structured to create a meaningful musical experience
Grand Staff
A combination of two staves joined by a brace
Imitation
A repetition of a pattern that occurs between two or more voices
Interval
The measurement of the distance in pitch between two notes
Key
The scale used in a piece (identified by the scale’s first scale degree)
Key Signature
A pattern of sharps or flats corresponding to a key, indicating which notes are to be consistently raised or lowered
Meter
The pattern or strong or weak beats that underlies the rhythmic activity of a musical passage
Ostinato
A musical pattern that is repeated many times in succession
Phrase
A relatively independent musical idea terminated by a cadence
Polychord
Consists of two or more chords sounded simultaneously
Prepared Piano
A piano that has had various objects and materials placed on or between its strings in order to change the instrument’s timbre
Reduced Score
A score notated at concert pitch, on as few staves as possible
Relative Keys
Major and minor keys that share the same key signature
Score Order
The typical order in which instruments are listed in a full score order
Sequence
A pattern that is repeated immediately in the same voice but begins on a different pitch
Tempo
The rate at which the beat occurs
Transpose
To write or play music in a key other than the original
Unison
The interval formed between pitches with the same note name in the same octave register
Voicing
The distribution or spacing of the notes in a chord
