FINAL Review Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is rhythm in music?
The aspect of music having to do with the duration of the notes in time.
Rhythm involves the arrangement of long and short notes in a melody.
Define meter in music.
A background of stressed and unstressed beats in a regular, repeating pattern.
It represents a strong/weak pattern repeated in music.
What is an octave?
The interval between a pair of ‘duplicating’ notes, eight notes apart in the diatonic scale.
Define interval in music.
The difference or distance between two pitches, measured by the number of diatonic scale notes between them.
What is a diatonic scale?
The set of seven pitches represented by the white notes of the piano.
It includes the notes Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do.
Define chromatic scale.
The set of twelve pitches represented by all the white and black notes on the piano, within one octave.
What is a half step?
The interval between any two successive notes of the chromatic scale.
Also known as a semitone.
Define whole step.
The interval equal to two half steps.
What is harmony in music?
The simultaneous sounding of different pitches, or chords.
What does it mean to harmonize?
To provide each note of a melody with a chord.
Define chords.
A grouping of pitches played and heard simultaneously.
What is consonance?
Intervals or chords that sound relatively stable and free of tension.
Define dissonance.
Intervals or chords that sound relatively tense and unstable.
What is texture in music?
The blend of the various sounds and melodic lines occurring simultaneously in a piece of music.
What is monophony?
A musical texture involving a single melodic line, as in Gregorian chant.
Define homophony.
A musical texture that involves only one melody of real interest, combined with chords or other subsidiary sounds.
What is polyphony?
A musical texture in which two or more melodic lines are played or sung simultaneously.
What characterizes string instruments?
All produce sound through vibrating strings, either by bowing or plucking.
List examples of string instruments.
- Violin
- Viola
- Violoncello (Cello)
- Double Bass
What is the primary sound production method for woodwind instruments?
Most create sound with a vibrating wooden reed.
What is an exception among woodwind instruments?
Flute/Piccolo, which create sound by blowing across an aperture.
How do brass instruments produce sound?
Through the vibration of the player’s lips amplified by the air inside the instrument.
What defines percussion instruments?
They are a very large and varied section that produce sound by being struck or shaken.
What is the Timpani?
A drum tuned to a specific pitch by means of a foot pedal that tightens or loosens the drum head.
