Glossary

Question 0

Acciaccatura

Answer 0

A very short ornamental note played just before a principal melodic note

Question 1

Accent

Answer 1

Emphasis on a note or a chord (sometime indicated by the symbol >)

Question 2

Alto

Answer 2

A low female voice

Question 3

Appoggiatura

Answer 3

An ornamental note that falls on the beat as a dissonance and then resolves by step onto the main note

Question 4

Arpeggio

Answer 4

A chord in which the notes are played one after the other rather than at the same time

Question 5

Backbeat

Answer 5

In pop music this refers to accenting beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time

Question 6

Baritone

Answer 6

A male voice that lies between tenor and bass

Question 7

Bass

Answer 7

1= the lowest male voice 
2= the lowest-pitched line in a piece of music, on which the harmonies are based

Question 8

Beat

Answer 8

The beat in a piece of music is a regular pulse that we can clap along to. The number of beats in each bar is indicated by the time signature

Question 9

Binary Form

Answer 9

A musical structure of two sections with contrasting material in each (AB)

Question 10

Blue note

Answer 10

A note (usually the third , fifth or seventh degree of a major scale) performed at a slightly lower pitch than normal for expressive effect

Question 11

Bridge

Answer 11

In jazz and pop music, a contrasting passage that connects two longer sections.

Question 12

Broken chords

Answer 12

A chord in which the notes are played one after the other rather than at the same time

Question 13

Cadence

Answer 13

Formed by the last two chords of a phrase, a type of musical punctuation

Question 14

Call and response

Answer 14

A pair of phrases, performed by different musicians, in which the second phrase is heard as a reply to the first. This term normally refers to jazz, pop and world music

Question 15

Chimes

Answer 15

A percussion instrument consisting of a row of metal tubes, tuned to different notes, which are struck with a hammer

Question 16

Chorus

Answer 16

1) the repeated refrain in a verse-chorus structure
2) a movement for a whole choir in a large-scale choral work
3) a small choir
4) a digital effect that thicken the sound by superimposing similar versions of the same track

Question 17

Chromatic

Answer 17

Notes that don’t belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in

Question 18

Coda

Answer 18

A section of music that ends a piece

Question 19

Compound time

Answer 19

A metre in which the main beat is sub-divided into three equal portions. (E.g. A dotted-crotchet beat divided into three quavers.) Opposite of simple time

Question 20

Consonance

Answer 20

Notes that are consonant sound pleasing when played together. Opposites of dissonance

Question 21

Continuo

Answer 21

An accompanying part in instrumental music of the Baroque period. The continuo is played by a bass instrument (such as cello) and a harmony instrument (such as harpsichord)

Question 22

Contrapuntal

Answer 22

Adjective to describe music that uses counterpoint

Question 23

Countermelody

Answer 23

A second melody in a piece that is heard at the same time as the main melody, to provide contrast.

Question 24

Counterpoint

Answer 24

A texture in which two or more melodic lines, each one significant in itself, are played together at the same time

Question 25

Crescendo

Answer 25

A gradual increase in dynamic.

Question 26

Cross rhythm

Answer 26

The presence in a passage if music of conflicting rhythms (e.g. Groups of three notes played in one line while groups of two are played simultaneously in another)

Question 27

Dialogue

Answer 27

When two or more instruments or voices have a musical 'conversation', with the individual parts responding to one another with different ideas and phrases.

Question 28

Diatonic

Answer 28

Notes that belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in

Question 29

Disjunct

Answer 29

A disjunct melody moved by leaps, or intervals larger than a 2nd

Question 30

Dissonance

Answer 30

Notes that are dissonant produce a clashing sound when played together so that is becomes rougher and harsher

Question 31

Dominant

Answer 31

Image fifths note of a scale

Question 32

Dotted rhythm

Answer 32

A rhythm that contains pairs of notes in the pattern long-short. The first note is dotted and the second is a third of the dotted note's value (e.g. Dotted crotchet-quaver)

Question 33

Double stopping

Answer 33

Playing two notes at once on a bowed string instrument

Question 34

Doubling

Answer 34

A note or passage in one part is played by another part at the same time, either at the same pith if at a different octave.

Question 35

Drum machine

Answer 35

An electronic device that replicates the sound of various percussion instruments

Question 36

Dynamics

Answer 36

How loudly or softly the music is played; the volume of the music

Question 37

Ensemble

Answer 37

A group of musicians performing together

Question 38

Falsetto

Answer 38

A vocal technique used by men to sing notes higher than those within their normal voice range

Question 39

Fill

Answer 39

A short passage of music between two sections of a melody

Question 40

Free time

Answer 40

Describes music without a regular pulse

Question 41

Funk

Answer 41

A type of popular music that developed in the 1860's, combining soul, jazz and R n' B

Question 42

Glissando

Answer 42

A slide between two notes

Question 43

Hammond organ

Answer 43

An electronic organ invented in the 1930s

Question 44

Harpsichord

Answer 44

The most common keyboard instrument of the Baroque period . Similar to the piano, except that the strings re plucked rather than hit

Question 45

Hexatonic scale

Answer 45

A scale made up of 6 notes

Question 46

Homophony

Answer 46

A texture in which one part has the melody and the other parts accompany

Question 47

Horn section

Answer 47

In popular music, a group of wind and brass players (frequently made up trumpets, trombones and saxophones)

Question 48

Imitation

Answer 48

A melodic idea in one part is immediately copied by another part, often at a different pitch, while the first part continues with other music.

Question 49

Interval

Answer 49

The distance between two notes.

Question 50

Key

Answer 50

The key indicates the scale that a section or piece of music is based in.

Question 51

Layered

Answer 51

A texture made up of independent lines which are designed to be heard together.

Question 52

Loop

Answer 52

A short segment of music that is repeated a number of times in succession