chorus vocab

Question 1

Singing

Answer 1

Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice.

Question 2

Sight-singing

Answer 2

Sing (music) at sight, without having never before heard or seen what you are singing.

Question 3

Choir

Answer 3

A musical ensemble of singers; choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform

Question 4

Head Voice

Answer 4

Higher, softer, lighter quality of sound (falsetto in men), resonates in the head and face.

Question 5

Chest Voice

Answer 5

Lower, louder, heavier quality of sound, resonates in the upper chest and throat.

Question 6

Passagio

Answer 6

The transitional passage or bridge between vocal registers

Question 7

Tessitura

Answer 7

The most comfortable part of a singer’s vocal range

Question 8

Vocal Tract

Answer 8

The area between the vocal folds and the lips, including the throat and the mouth

Question 9

Diction

Answer 9

can be simply defined as the pronunciation or enunciation of your vocal expression. In regards to your singing, it is the clarity or particular way words are pronounced in a song

Question 10

Articulators

Answer 10

the parts of the mouth involved in the creation of sounds for speech and singing; the tongue, the teeth, the lips

Question 11

Vocal Folds (Vocal Cords)

Answer 11

The vocal folds are multilayered structures, consisting of a muscle covered by a mucosal covering that vibrate to produce sound

Question 12

Diaphragm

Answer 12

a dome-shaped, muscular partition separating the thorax from the abdomen in mammals. It plays a major role in breathing

Question 13

Intercostal breathing

Answer 13

Breathing that involves the expansion and contraction of the rib cage

Question 14

Major

Answer 14

Term referring to a sequence of notes that define the tonality of the major scale.
Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do.

Question 15

Minor

Answer 15

A series of tones that defines a minor tonality of the minor scale.
La, ti, do, re, mi, fa, so, la

Question 16

Flat (b)

Answer 16

lowers a pitch a half step.
Connection: “le” and “te” are a half step lower than “la” and “ti.”

Question 17

Sharp (#)

Answer 17

raises a pitch a half step
Connection – “fi” is considered a sharp pitch in solfege

Question 18

Natural

Answer 18

A symbol placed by a note signifying that the note should be sung unaltered as opposed to the sharp or flat of the note

Question 19

Key

Answer 19

A specific scale or series of notes defining a particular tonality. Keys may be defined as major or minor, and are named after their tonic or keynote known to singers as “Do.”

Question 20

Key signature

Answer 20

The sharp, flat, or natural signs placed at the beginning of a staff indicating the tonality of the composition