Music Flashcards
(75 cards)
1
Q
Which chord is the tonic chord?
A
Chord I
2
Q
Which chord is the subdominant chord?
A
Chord IV
3
Q
Which chord is the dominant chord?
A
Chord V
4
Q
What is a triad?
A
3 note chord
5
Q
What is an inversion?
A
The notes of a chord rearranged
6
Q
What is the tempo of the music?
A
The speed of the music
7
Q
What is the metre?
A
The time signature
8
Q
What does lento mean?
A
Slowly
9
Q
What does largo mean?
A
Slowly and stately
10
Q
What does adagio mean?
A
Leisurely
11
Q
What does andante mean?
A
At walking pace
12
Q
What does moderato mean?
A
Moderately
13
Q
What does allegro mean?
A
Fast
14
Q
What does vivace mean?
A
Lively
15
Q
What does presto mean?
A
Very quickly
16
Q
What does syncopation mean?
A
Off beat rhythms
17
Q
What does it mean if the note is dotted?
A
To add 1 half of the original note length onto the note
18
Q
What does simple time mean?
A
When the pulse can be divided into 2 equal beats
19
Q
What does compound time mean?
A
When the pulse can be divided into 3 equal beats
20
Q
How long is a semiquaver?
A
1/4 beat
21
Q
How long is a quaver?
A
1/2 beat
22
Q
How long is a crotchet?
A
1 beat
23
Q
How long is a minim?
A
2 beats
24
Q
How long is a semibreve?
A
4 beats
25
What does the top number of a time signature mean?
The number of beats in a bar
26
What does the bottom number of a time signature mean?
What note value the beats are
27
What does the bassline of a piece of music often consist of?
Low notes, root note of the chord (or lowest note if it's an inversion), low instruments (such as electric bass, double bass, tuba, piano, timpani), repetitive riffs/ostinatos
28
What is a riff?
It usually stays on one note and is short and repeated
29
What is an ostinato?
A repeated phrase or rhythm
30
What is a melody?
The tune
31
What is the harmony?
The chords
32
What is the tonality?
The key
33
What is a chromatic melody?
Notes that are outside the key
34
What is a diatonic melody?
Notes that are inside the key
35
What is a conjunct melody?
Notes that are next to each other (moving step by step)
36
What is a disjunct melody?
Doesn't move by step - moves in leaps
37
What is an ascending phrase?
Melody that goes upwards (the pitch moves upwards)
38
What is a descending phrase?
Melody that goes downwards (the pitch moves downwards)
39
What is a triadic melody?
A melody that contains the notes of a chord or arpeggio
40
What is binary form?
A musical form with 2 related sections, both of which are usually repeated - AB
41
What is ternary form?
A 3 part musical form which consists of an initial idea (A) following a contrasting section (B) before a return to the first idea (A) - ABA
42
What is rondo?
A musical form that contains a principle theme (A) which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (B, C) - ABACA
43
What is theme and variation?
When you have a main theme which is then repeated but altered each time, usually to make it more complex
44
What is a crescendo?
Getting louder
45
What is a decrescendo/diminuendo?
Getting quieter
46
What is texture?
Texture describes how layers of sound within a piece of music interact
47
What is a monophonic texture?
A texture consisting of a single musical line
48
What is a polyphonic texture?
2 or more melodies or parts that play at the same time, weaving in and out of each other
49
What is a homophonic texture?
A texture based on chords - a melody sat on top of moving chords (the chords move with the melody)
50
What is melody and accompaniment?
A melody and accompaniment texture is when you can clearly distinguish between the melody and accompaniment - this could be a pop song with a solo singer accompanied by a band or the first violins in an orchestra playing the melody while the rest accompany
51
What is imitation?
Where a melody in one part is repeated a few notes later in a different part, overlapping the melody in the first part which continues - for example, a flute may imitate a tune just played by the oboe (Exactly the same)
52
What is call and response/antiphony?
A compositional technique, often a succession of 2 distinct phrases that works like a conversation in music - 1 musician offers a phrase, and a second player answers with a direct commentary or response (Different)
53
What is unison?
All instruments playing the same thing at the same time
54
What is a scalic melody?
A melody that contains the notes of a scale
55
What is syllabic?
One note per syllable
56
What is melismatic?
Multiple notes per syllable
57
What is a sequence?
When a short melodic idea is moved up or down a step
58
What is an appoggiatura?
A type of grace note placing emphasis on the grace note
59
What is ritardando?
The tempo slowing down
60
What is accelerando?
The tempo speeding up
61
What is sforzando?
A sudden, strong emphasis on a note or chord
62
What is a blue note?
A note played at a slightly lower pitch to create a 'bluesy, jazzy' sound
63
What is rubato?
Manipulating the music's tempo to create character
64
What is an acciaccatura?
A type of grace note placing emphasis on the main note
65
What is the order of the brass family from highest to lowest?
- Trumpet
- French horn
- Trombone
- Tuba
66
What is the order of the strings family from highest to lowest?
- Violin
- Viola
- Cello
- Double bass
67
What is the order of the woodwind family from highest to lowest?
- Piccolo
- Flute
- Oboe
- Clarinet
- Bassoon
68
What does ornamented mean?
A musical passage that has been embellished with things such as trills, grace notes, or appoggiaturas
69
How do you identify Baroque style music?
- Harpsichord often used (or organ/lute)
- Lots of ornaments
- Baroque flute (a pitch lower than todays flute)
- Baroque orchestra typically made of strings only
- Woodwind instruments rare unless playing a solo
- Basso continuo or figured bass bass line
70
How do you identify Romantic style music?
- Expresses emotion and meaning (a lot of leitmotifs)
- Lots of chromatic notes used
- Opera songs were main musical styles
- Sometimes very complex and high level piano music
- Rubato used
- Gradual crescendos
- Descriptive (tells a story)
71
How do you identity classical style music?
- Lots of piano
- Lots of dynamic changes
- Some basso continuo, although was phased out half way through
- Full orchestra was created gradually (almost always a wind section)
- Clear balanced phrases
- String quartet invented (pedal used)
- Piano trio invented (pedal used)
72
What is figure bass?
A shorthand system to show a keyboard player which chords to play above the bass line:
- No right hand part written
- Improvise chords based on figures (e.g. figure 6 meaning a 6th above the bass)
73
What is a leitmotif?
A motif that relates to a character, object, or emotion
74
What is dissonance?
A combination of notes that clash
75
What is an alberti bass?
A broken chord accompaniment where the notes of the chord are played in the order of: lowest, highest, middle, highest - and then repeated
