N5 music Flashcards
(134 cards)
0
Q
Accidental
A
A sign which is added to a note to change the pitch (# etc.)
1
Q
ABA
A
Three-part form. The first section is repeated at the end. (Ternary form)
2
Q
AB
A
Two-part form (Binary form)
3
Q
Accordion
A
An instrument with a keyboard in which sounds are created by squeezing bellows with the arms.
4
Q
Accompanied
A
Other instrument(s) or voice(s) supports the main melody.
5
Q
Acoustic guitar
A
A guitar which does not require an electric amplifier to produce sound.
6
Q
AABA
A
A piece of music with four sections
8
Q
A cappella
A
Unaccompanied choral singing
8
Q
Accented
A
Notes which sound louder than others.
9
Q
Anacrusis
A
The notes which appear before the first strong beat of a musical phrase. It sounds like an upbeat.
10
Q
Accelerando
A
Gradually getting faster
11
Q
Alberti bass
A
Broken chords played by the left hand outlining harmonies whilst the right hand plays the melody. Classical composers such as Haydn and Mozart used this technique a lot in their piano music.
12
Q
Adagio
A
A slow speed.
13
Q
Aleatoric
A
The elements of chance in music, where the players have some freedom as to the choice of pitch and rhythm etc. No two performances are exactly the same.
14
Q
Allegro
A
A fast tempo.
14
Q
Alto (voice)
A
The lowest female voice.
16
Q
African music
A
Music from Africa, featuring voices and/or African drums.
17
Q
Backing vocals
A
Singers who support the lead singer(s), usually by singing in harmony in the background.
18
Q
Andante
A
A tempo at walking speed.
19
Q
Atonal
A
No feeling of key, major or minor. Very dissonant. A feature of some 20th century music.
20
Q
Answer
A
A reply to a musical question.
21
Q
Beat
A
The basic pulse you hear in music. The pulse may be in groups of 2,3 or 4 with a stress on the first beat in each group.
22
Q
Ascending
A
Notes which rise in pitch.
23
Q
Arco
A
Instruction given to string players to use the bow. This term may be given to players after a passage using pizzicato.
25
Bassoon
This instrument belongs to the woodwind family. It uses a double reed which is placed between the lips, and the air travels between the two reeds, along the metal crook and into the instrument.
26
Aria
A song in an opera, oratorio or cantata with orchestral accompaniment.
26
Arpeggio
The notes 1,3 and 5 of a chord played one after the other.
27
Bagpipes
A musical instrument having a flexible bag inflated either by a tube with valves or by bellows, a double reed melody pipe, and from one to four drone pipes.
28
Baritone
A male voice whose range is between a Bass and a Tenor.
30
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is pitches lower than a guitar. It is an electric string instrument and has only four strings, two fewer than an electric guitar. It needs to be plugged into an amplifier to be heard.
31
Baroque
Music written between approx. 1600-1750. Bach and Handel were both composers from this period. Harpsichord is commonly used in baroque music.
32
Bass (voice)
The lowest male voice.
32
Bass drum
This instrument belongs to the percussion family. It is large, low in pitch and played with a large headed beater. A bass drum is also part of a drum kit.
33
Boogie Woogie
Blues style for piano,the left hand usually playing ostinato while the right hand improvises freely.
34
Bending
Changing the pitch of a note, e.g. By pushing a guitar string upwards
35
Bothy ballad
A folk song, usually with many verses, from north-east Scotland. It tells a story of rural or farming life. One person sings the verse while everybody sings the chorus. In strophic form and contains nonsense syllables.
36
Bongo drums
Fairly high-pitched drums, joined in pairs and usually played fingers and palms, although occasionally composers write music for them which require sticks or beaters.
37
Bowing
The sound is produced by drawing the bow across the strings of a stringed instrument.
38
Binary
AB. A form in which he music is made up of two different sections labelled A and B. Each section may be repeated.
40
Blowing
The sound is produced by blowing into or across the mouthpiece of the instrument e.g. Woodwind, brass or recorders.
40
Bodhran
An Irish wooden drum, held in one hand and played with a wooden beater. Often used in folk music.
42
Brass band
A band of brass instruments and percussion.
43
Blues scale
In the key of C,the main blues scale uses the notes C, E flat, F, G flat, G, B flat and C.
44
Broken chord
The notes of a chord are played separately.
45
Blues
Blues started as Black American folk music, developing from spirituals and work songs. Blues music is often 4/4 time and is mostly patterned on a 12-bar structure and on a blues scale, where some of the notes are flattened.
45
Brass
A family of instruments made from metal with a mouthpiece, e.g. trumpet,trombone,tuba and French horn.
46
Cadence
The end of a musical phrase
47
Cadenza
A passage of music which allows soloists to display their technical ability. In a concerto the end of a cadenza is marked by a dominant 7th chord.
48
Canon
Strict imitation. After one part begins to sing or play a melody, another part enters shortly afterward with exactly the same melody.
49
Cantata
A small scale oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra.
50
Castanets
A percussion instrument popular in Spanish music. It consists of two shells, traditionally made of wood, joined with string and clicked together. Castanets are often used by flamenco dancers, and sometimes they will have castanets in each hand.
51
Cello
This instrument belongs to the string family and is slightly smaller than a double bass and slightly higher in pitch. It can be played arco or pizzicato.
52
Celtic rock
A style of music that mixes Celtic folk music and rock music together.
53
Ceilidh band
A band which plays music for people to dance to. The instruments may include fiddle, accordion, piano, bass and drunk it as well as modern electronic accompanying instruments such as electric guitar and keyboards.
54
Chamber music
Music written for a small instrumental ensemble with one player to a part.
55
Change of key
A move from one key to another key
56
Choir
A group of singers who perform together.
57
Choral
Music for voices with more than one singer for each part.
58
Chorale
A German hymn tune. Written in four parts for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Some of these chorales were used by Bach in his oratorios and cantatas. They are usually homophonic in texture.
59
Chord
Two or more notes sounding together.
60
Chord change
A move from one chord to a different chord.
61
Chord progressions
Different progressions using chords built on the first, fourth, fifth and sixth notes of a major or minor scale.
62
Chorus
1. A group of singers with several people per part
2. The music written for these singers
3. The refrain between the verses of a song.
63
Chromatic
Notes which move by the interval of a semitone
64
Clarinet
This instrument belongs to the woodwind family. It uses a single reed, which is attached to a plastic mouthpiece. This is placed between the lips and the air travels between the reed and the mouthpiece and into the instrument. The clarinet is played in orchestras, wind bands and jazz groups.
65
Clarsach
A small Scottish harp, used in folk music.
66
Classical
1750-1810 approx. era of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. Common features were Alberti bass, sonata form, minuet and trio, symphony and concerto.
67
Cluster
A group of notes played on a keyboard instrument with the palm if the hand or even with the forearm. Used in some 20th century music.
68
Coda
A passage at the end of a piece which rounds it off effectively.
69
Col Legno
Instruction given to string players to turn the bow over and play with the wood of the bow.
70
Compound time
The beat subdivides into groups of three.
71
Compound time groupings
The beat is a dotted note which divided into three eg 6/8= two dotted crotchets in a bar and each beat can be divided into three quavers.
72
Con sordino
With the mute
73
Concerto
A piece for a solo instrument and an orchestra. Normally in three movements.
74
Consonance
Notes which sound well together.
75
Contrapuntal
Texture in which each of two or more parts has independent melodic interest (similar to polyphonic)
76
Contrary motion
Two parts which move in opposite directions- one ascends and one descends.
77
Countermelody
A melody played against the main melody.
78
Countertenor
An adult male voice whose range is higher than a tenors.
79
Country
An American style of popular music derived from rural folk music. Features fiddle, banjo, guitar and drums.
80
Crescendo
Gradually getting louder
81
Cross rhythms
1. A term used to describe the effect of two notes being played against three.
2. The effect that occurs when the accents in a piece of music are different from this suggested by the time signature.
82
Crotchet
A note that lasts for one beat
83
Cymbals
A percussion instrument, round in shape and made of metal. It can be hit wit a stick or beater, or it can be hit against another cymbal.
84
Delay
An electronic effect which repeats a note or phrase.
85
Descant (voice)
Another melody above the main tune, mainly in vocal music.
86
Descending
Notes which fall in pitch
87
Diminuendo
Gradually getting quieter
88
Discord
A chord in which certain notes clash.
89
Dissonance
Notes which seem to clash when sounded together.
90
Distortion
An electronic effect used in rock music to colour the sound of an electric guitar.
91
Dixieland
Also known as New Orleans jazz music, popular for ensemble improvisations and instrumental solos. Performed by a small group of players. Often contains a clarinet.
92
Dotted crotchet
A note that lasts for one and a half beats.
93
Dotted minim
A note that lasts for three beats
94
Dotted quaver
A note that lasts for three quarters of a beat
95
Dotted rhythm
A short note following a longer one
96
Double stopping
When two strings are bowed at the same time to create a chord
97
Double bass
This instrument belongs to the string family and is the lowest and biggest string instrument. It can be played arco or pizzicato
98
Down beat
The first beat of each bar
99
Drone
1. One note or notes held on or repeated in the bass. Often called a drone bass.
2. The low pitched pipes of a bagpipe which accompany a melody.
100
Drum fill
A rhythmic decoration played on a drum kit
101
Drum kit
A set of drums and cymbals often used in rich and pop music.
102
Electric guitar
A guitar which requires an electric amplifier to produce sound.
103
Electronic drums
A machine which electronically recreates the same sounds as a drum,it or other percussion instruments.
104
Ensemble
A group of musicians playing/singing together
105
Fanfare
A short piece played usually on trumpets at some important occasion.
106
Faster
The speed increases
107
Fiddle
Another name for a violin, used in Scottish music.
108
Flute
This instrument belongs to the woodwind family, although it is made of metal. It differs from other woodwind instruments as it does not have a reed. The sound is produced by blowing across the top of a hole.
109
Flutter tonguing
A method of tonguing in which the player rolls the letter "r". It is used by wind players and is particularly effective for flute and brass.
110
Folk group
A group of singers and instrumentalists who perform traditional music from a particular country eg Scotland and Ireland.
111
Fretless bass guitar
A bass guitar with no frets, allowing the instrument more expression, closer in tone to a double bass.
112
Forte
Loud
113
Fortissimo
Very loud
114
French horn
This instrument belongs to the brass family and is basically 4 metres of of tubing curled around with a bell at one end and a mouthpiece in the other. The valves are played with the left hand- the opposite of other instruments in the brass family.
115
Gaelic psalms
Slow, unaccompanied Gaelic church tune, heard mostly in the western isles of Scotland. One person leads and everyone else follows them.
116
Gamelan
A type of percussion orchestra found in Indonesia. The instruments are mainly metal, tuned percussion items and the music is built up in layers.
117
Ghanaian
A style of music from west Africa
118
Ghanaian drum ensemble
A group of percussion instruments, drums, shakers and bells. They perform music from the west African country of Ghana.
119
Glissando
Sliding from one note to another, taking in all the notes in between where possible.
120
Glockenspiel
This instrument belongs to the percussion family. The metal bars are laid out I a similar pattern to the piano and are played with beaters. It is a tuned percussion instrument, as it can play a range of notes.
121
Gospel
Music written with religious lyrics, often in praise or thanksgiving to God. Gospel has it's origins in Afro-American culture.
122
Grace note
A type of ornament played as a quick note before the main note if a melody. Sometimes there may be a group of grace notes at the start of a phrase.
123
Ground bass
A theme in the bass which is repeated many times while the upper parts are varied.
124
Grouped semi quavers
A group of semi quavers which are joined together.
125
Güiro
This instrument belongs to the percussion family. It is made of wood that has been hollowed out and has ridges cut into the outer surface. A wooden stick is scraped along the ridges to produce the sound.
126
Harmony
The sound of two or more notes at the same time.
127
Harp
This instrument belongs to the string family. It is usually about 1.8 metres high, weighs 36kgs and has 47 strings which are plucked.
128
Harpsichord
This keyboard instrument looks like a small grand piano. The keys are laid out in the same way as on a piano but are the opposite colour. When a key is pressed, it causes the string to be plucked which gives the harpsichord a "twangy" sound. Popular in the baroque period.
129
Hi hat cymbals
These belong to the percussion family. Used as part of a drum kit, the consist of two cymbals (one upside down) that are hit with a stick or a brush and opened and closed with a foot pedal.
130
Homophonic
Texture where you hear melody with accompaniment or where all the parts move together rhythmically.
131
Hymn tune
A simple melody for use in church.
132
Imitation
When he melody is immediately copied in another part. It need not be an exact copy.
133
Imperfect cadence
The second chord is chord V creating an unfinished sound. I-V
