partials/overtones
fractional vibrations that give different qualities to tone colors
rhythm
time aspect of music
the arragement of durations – long n short notes – in a particular melody or some other musical passage.
beats
basic unit of measurement of time
meter
recurring pattern of strong and weak beats
measure/bar
each occurence of a meter (repeated pattern of one principal strong beat and one or more weaker beats)
Simple meter vs Compound meter
Single: double and triple
Compound: involves subdivision of one of the simple meters
syncopation
displacment of an accent so its not on the first beat
adagio andante moderato allegretto allegro presto
slow, medium slow, moderate, medium fast, fast, very fast
scale
pitches assembled in a collectioin in order
interval
difference/distance between two pitches
octave
the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency
Diatonic scale

Chromatic scale

white keys

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white + black keys

half step

Whole step

smallest interval, distance between two successive notes on chromatic scale

two half steps

melody
organized series of pitches
tune
simple, catchy melody
phrases
section of a tune
sequence
duplication of a phrase at two or more different pitch levels
motive
a distinctive fragment of melody, distinctive enough so that it will be easily recognized when it returns again and again within a long composition
theme
topic of a piece
chords
pitches being played simultaneously in a group and work well in combination
harmony
changing chords provide a sort of constantly shifting sound-background for the song
consonance vs dissonance
chords that sound at rest vs chords that sound tense
resolution
a consonance chord following a dissonance chord bringing the music to a point of stability
texture
blend of various sounds and melodic lines occurring simultaneously in music
Monophony
1 single unaccompanied melody
Heterophony
subtly different versions of a single melody being played at the same time
Homophony
only one melody of real interest, combined with other sounds e.g. singing while playing guitar
Polyphony
multiple melodies being presented simultaneously and are of equal interest
counterpoint
technique of writing two or more melodies that fit together
Imitative polyphony
various lines sounding together use the same or fairly similar melodies with one coming shortly after another.

same tune at staggered time intervals

non-imitative polyphony
the melodies are essentially different from one another
Tonality
homing instinct thats sensed in melodies. tonic pitchis the one we always come back to, almost always the last note.
modality
major and minor

term for the differentw ays of centering or organizing the diatonic scale

keys
different positions for modes
form
shape, arrangement, relationship, or organization of various elements
e.g. sonata form
Style
type of emotional expression a composer cultivates – combination of qualities that make a piece distinctive