Key Words Flashcards
(139 cards)
0
Q
Acciaccatura
A
A very short ornamental note played just before a principle melodic note
1
Q
Accent
A
Emphasis on a note or chord (sometimes indicated by the symbol >)
2
Q
Added-note chord
A
A chord which includes one or more non-standard notes, such as a 2nd or 6th above the root
3
Q
Alto
A
A low female or high male voice
4
Q
Anacrusis
A
An upbeat. An accented note or group of notes that come before the first strong beat of a phrase
5
Q
Atonal
A
Music that avoids keys or modes. ie. no one pitch stands out consistently in the way that the tonic does in tonal music
6
Q
Balafon
A
An instrument from west Africa similar to a xylophone
7
Q
Balanced phrases
A
Phrases of the same length paired together, so that the first sounds like a question that is answered by the second phrase
8
Q
Bass
A
1) The lowest male voice
2) the lowest pitched line in a peice of music, JN which the harmonies are based
9
Q
Beat
A
The beat in a piece of music is the regular pulse that we can clap along to. The number of beats in each bat is indicated by the time signature
10
Q
Blue note
A
A note (usually the third, fifth or seventh degree of a major scale) performed slightly lower than usual for expressive effect
11
Q
Blues
A
A style of music created by the rural African-American population of the southern states of America during the early 20th century
12
Q
Break
A
In jazz and pop music, a short instrumental solo
13
Q
Bridge
A
In jazz and pop music, a contrasting passage that connects two longer sections
14
Q
Broken chord
A
A chord in which the notes are played one after the other instead of at the same time
15
Q
Cadence
A
Formed by the last two chords of a phrase. A type of musical punctuation.
16
Q
Call and response
A
A pair of phrases performed by different musicians, in which the second is heard as a reply to the first. This term normally refers to jazz pop and world music
17
Q
Canon
A
A musical structure in which the melody in one part is repeated exactly by other part, while the original part continues with different music
18
Q
Chorus
A
1) the repeated refrain in a verse-chorus structure
2) a movement de the whole choir in a large scale choral work
3) one statement of the 12 bar blues progression
19
Q
Chromatic notes
A
Notes that don’t belong to the scale of the key the music is currently in. Opposite of diatonic notes
20
Q
Circle of 5ths
A
A harmonic progression in which the root of each succeeding chord is a fifth lower (or a fourth higher) than the pervious one
21
Q
Clef
A
A symbol placed at the beginning of a line of music that determines at what the pitches if the notes are
22
Q
Coda
A
A section of music that ends a peice
23
Q
Compound time
A
A metre in which the main beat is sub divided into three equal portions. Opposite of simple time
24
Conjunct
A conjunction melody moves by step (eg in minor or major 2nds) rather than by larger intervals. Opposite of disjunct
25
Consonance
Notes that are consonant sound pleasing when played together. Opposite of dissonant
26
Continuo
An accompanying part in instrumental music of the baroque period. The continuo is played by a bass instrument (eg cello) and a harmony instrument (eg harpsichord)
27
Contrapuntal
An adjective to describe a texture that uses counterpoint
28
Counter melody
A second melody in a peice that is heard at the same time as the main melody to provide contrast
29
Counterpoint
A texture in which two or more melodic lines, each one significant in itself, are played together at the same time
30
Crescendo
A gradual increase in dynamics. Opposite of diminuendo
31
Cross rhythm
The presence in a passage of music of conflicting rhythms (eg groups of three notes in one line while groups of two notes are played simultaneously in another)
32
Delay
An audio effect that can be electronically added to music to give the effect of an echo
33
Dialogue
When two or more instruments or voices have a musical "conversation", with the individual parts responding to one another with different ideas and phrases
34
Diminuendo
A gradual decrease in dynamics. Opposite of crescendo
35
Disjunct
A disjunct melody moves by leaps, or intervals larger than a second. Opposite of conjunct
36
Dissonance
Notes that are dissonant produce a clashing sound when played together. Opposite of consonance
37
Distortion
A digital effect that alters the sound of an instrument so that it becomes rougher or harsher
38
Dominant
The fifth note of a scale. For example C is the dominant of F
39
Dorian mode
A scale that uses the following pattern of tones (T) and semitones (s):
T-s-T-T-T-s-T
Starting on D it consists of all the white notes on a keyboard
40
Dotted rhythm
A rhythm that contains pairs of notes in the pattern long-short. The fist note is dotted and the second is a third of the dotted notes value (eg dotted crotchet-quaver)
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Doubling
A note or passage in ken part is played by another part at the same time, either at the same pitch or at a different octave
42
Drone
A sustained note that is held in one part while other parts play or sing melodies against it
43
Drum machine
An electronic device that replicates the sounds of various percussive instruments
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Dynamics
How loudly or softly the music is played. The volume of the music.
45
Enharmonic
The same pitch notated in different ways. Eg F and E#
46
EQ
Short for equalisation . Process of adjusting the relative level of frequencies in an audio signal
47
Falsetto
A vocal technique used by men to sing notes higher than those within their normal voice range
48
Fill
A short passage of music between two sections of a melody
49
Flanging
A digital effect that combines two copies of the same signal, with the second delayed slightly to produce a swirling, sweeping effect
50
Free tempo
Describes music without a regular pulse
51
Genre
A type of music or musical form, such as the symphony or sacred choral music
52
Gospel
A type of vocal music that expresses Christian beliefs
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Harmonic rhythm
How often the harmony changes within a passage of music
54
Harpsichord
The most common keyboard instrument of the baroque period, similar to piano but the strings are plunked rather than hit
55
Hemiola
A rhythmic device in which two bars of 3/4 sound like three bars of 2/4
56
Heterophonic
A texture in which different versions of the same melody are heard simultaneously
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Hexachord
A chord made up of six notes
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Hexatonic scale
A scale made up of six notes
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Homophonic
A texture in which one part has the melody and the other parts accompany
60
Imitation
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
61
Imperfect cadence
A cadence consisting of any chord- usually I, II or IV- followed by the dominant (V)
62
Improvisation
The process, most common in jazz, of spontaneously creating new music as you perform
63
Instrumentation
The choice of instruments for a piece of music
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Interval
The distance between two notes. For example, the interval between F and A is a 3rd (A is the third note of the F major scale)
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Inversion
When a melody is inverted the intervals are turned upside down. Eg a rising fifth (D to A) turns into a falling fifth (D to G)
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Key
The key indicates the scale that a section or piece of music is based on.
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Lament
A poem or peice of music that expresses grief
68
Layered
A texture made up of independent lines which are designed to be heard together
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Legato
Smooth playing, without gaps between the notes. May be indicated by slurs or phrase marks
70
Loop
A short segment of music that is repeated a number of times in succession
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Melisma
One syllable sung to several notes
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Metre
The metre refers to the pulse of the music and is indicated by the time signature
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Metronome mark
An indication of how fast to play a piece by specifying the number of beats per minute there should be
74
Mixolydian mode
A scale that uses the following pattern of tones (T) and semitones (s):
T-T-s-T-T-s-T
Starting on G it consists of all the white notes on a keyboard
75
Mode
Different types of seven-note scales, other than major or minor
76
Modulation
1) the process of changing key in a passage of music
| 2) a digital effect that makes the music fluctuate in pitch slightly
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Monophonic
A texture that consists if only one melodic line
78
Motif
A short but distinctive musical idea that can be changed in various ways in order to create a longer passage of music
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Mute
A device that can be fitted to an instrument to quieter the sound
80
Octave
An interval that is formed from two notes that are 12 semitones apart. Bother have the same name
81
Ornaments
Small musical additions that create a melody
82
Ostinato
A repeating melodic, harmonic or rhythmic motif, heard continuously throughout part or the whole of a peice
83
Overdubbing
Recording a new part over the top of existing material
84
Panning
used in stereo recordings to control where the sound is coming from. Sounds can be panned to the left or right, or placed in the centre
85
Parallel motion
Movement of two or more parts in the same direction, with the interval between them remaining essentially the same
86
Pedal note
A sustained or continuously repeating pitch, often in the bass, that is heard against the changing harmonies. When a pedal is inverted, it is heard in the middle it top of the texture
87
Perfect cadence
A cadence consisting of the dominant chord followed by the tonic (V- I)
88
Pentatonic scale
A scale made of 5 notes
89
Pitch
How high or low a note sounds
90
Pitch bend
A short slide up or down to a main note
91
Pizzicato
A direction to pluck notes on a strong instrument
92
Plagal cadence
A cadence consisting of the sub dominant chord followed by the tonic (IV - I)
93
Polyphonic
A texture in which two or more melodic lines, each one significant in itself, are played together at the same time
94
Prelude
A short piece of music that often acts as an introduction to a longer work, although it can also stand by itself
95
Pulse
A regular recurring sense if beat common to most styles of music
96
Question and answer
A pair of phrases in which the second one is heard in reply to the first
97
Range
The notes that a singer or instrumentalist is able to play
98
Register
A part of the range of an instrument or voice
99
Relative major/minor
Keys that have the same key signature but a different tonic. The tonic of the relative minor is 3 semitones below the tonic of the relative major. Eg C major and A minor
100
Reverb
An effect used to alter music so that it sounds as if it were recorded in a reverberant or echoey space
101
Riff.
A short, catchy melodic or rhythmic idea that is repeated throughout a jazz or pop song
102
Rondo
A musical structure in which a main melody alternates with contrasting sections. ABACADA
103
Sample
A short section from a recorded audio track that can be digitally manipulated and altered for insertion into a new track
104
Sampler
An electronic device, like a synthesiser, that allows the user to alter and manipulate musical samples
105
Scale
A sequence of notes that move by step either upwards or downwards. Different types if scales have different patterns if intervals
106
Semitone
Half of a tone. The smallest interval in western music in general use
107
Sequence
Immediate repetition of a melodic or harmonic idea at a different pitch, or a succession of different pitches.
108
Sequencer
An electronic device or piece or computer software that allows the user to create and edit MIDI and audio files
109
Serial
Atonal music that uses a predetermined series of the 12 chromatic notes to guarantee equality of all pitches
110
Seventh chord
A chord made if the triad and a note a seventh above the root
111
Simple time
A metre in which the main beat is sub divided into to equal portions. Opposite of compound time
112
Soprano
The highest female voice
113
Supertonic
The second degree of a diatonic scale
114
Sustaining pedal
The right-hand pedal on a piano, which when pressed causes the notes to still sound even after the keys have been released
115
Swung rhythm
In jazz and the blues, a relaxing of strict quaver rhythm, so that two quavers are played as [triplet] crotchet quaver or even dotted-quaver semi-quaver, depending on the speed and mood of the piece.
116
Syllabic
Vocal music that has one note to each syllable
117
Symphony
A type of composition for orchestra, usually in four movements
118
Syncopation
Placing the accents in a part if the bar that isn't usually emphasised, such as on weak beats or between beats
119
Synthesiser
An electric device with a keyboard that allows the player to add digital effects and to manipulate the sounds produced
120
Tab
A method of notation for plucked instruments such as the lute and guitar, in which the pitches of notes are indicated by their fingering
121
Tempo
The speed of the music
122
Tenor
A high male voice
123
Ternary form
A musical structure of three sections. The outer sections are similar and the central one contrasting (ABA)
124
Texture
The relationship between the various simultaneous lines in a passage of music, dependant on such feature as the number and function of the parts and the spacing between them
125
Timbre
The element of music concerned eight the actual sound colour, or tone quality, of the music
126
Time signature
Two numbers at the start of the stave that indicate the metre of the music. The bottom number indicates the type if beats and the top number shows how many of those beats are in each bar.
127
Tonality
The use of major and minor keys in music and the way in which these keys are related
128
Tonic
The starting note of a major or minor scale and the note from which a key takes it's name
129
Tremolo
A musical effect that refers to a very quick and continuous repetition of a single note (on bowed or plucked instruments) or of two alternating notes (on keyboard instruments)
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Triad
A chord of three notes: a bass note and a 3rd and 5th above it
131
Trill
An ornament consisting of a rapid alternation of two adjacent pitches
132
Triplet
A group of three equal notes played in the time normally taken by two of the same type
133
Turn
A four note ornament the "turns" around a main note. It goes:
Note above, main, note below, main
134
Unison
Simultaneous performance of the same pitch or pitches by more than one person
135
Verse
Section in a song that usually has lyrics unique to that section (they tend to change for each verse)
136
Verse-chorus form
A type of popular song in which, in it's most basic structure, the verses are interspersed with a repeated chorus
137
Virtuoso
A highly-skilled singer or instrumentalist, capable of performing technically difficult music
138
Word painting
The use of musical devices and feature to illustrate and highlight specific words in the lyrics
