Melody/ Melodic Line
A line or part need not be a foreground melody. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
Duple Meter/ Triple Meter/ Quadruple Meter
duple- eight gets the beat
triple- triplet gets beat
Quadruple- 16th gets meter
Compound Meters
is a time signature or meter in which each measure is divided into three or more parts, or two uneven parts (as opposed to two even parts, called simple metre), calling for the measures to be played with principal and subordinate metric accents (the latter called sub-accents), causing the sensation of beats.
Syncopation
the note is on the and, with a rest on the one
Intervals of Major Scale
whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half
Tonality in Music
principle of organizing musical compositions around a central note, the tonic.
Diatonic
5 whole steps, 2 1/2 steps
Chromatic
scale going up and down with only 1/2 steps
Consonance and Dissonance
consonance: harmony or agreement among components
Dissonance: a mingling of discordant sounds
Musical Texture
the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition
Polyphonic Texture and Counterpoint
a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices
Imitation in a melodic line
a repeating theme in a melodic line
Canon
a contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration
Inversion
The melody on the first line starts on A, while the melody on the second line is identical except that it starts on E and when the first melody goes up the second goes down an equal number of diatonic steps, and when the first goes down the second goes up an equal number of steps.
Retrograde
proceeding from the last note to the first
Retrograde Inversion
a musical term that literally means “backwards and upside down,”
Augmentation
In music and music theory augmentation (from Late Latin augmentare, to increase) is the lengthening or widening of rhythms, melodies, intervals or chords.
Diminution
Diminution may be a form of embellishment in which a long note is divided into a series of shorter, usually melodic, values. Diminution may also be the compositional device where a melody, theme or motif is presented in shorter note-values than were previously used. Diminution is also the term for the proportional shortening of the value of individual note-shapes in mensural notation, either by coloration or by a sign of proportion. A minor or perfect interval that is narrowed by a chromatic semitone is a diminished interval, and the process may be referred to as diminution.
Repetition and Contrast in Music
repetition: sounds or sequences are often repeated
Contrast: procedures of contrast include stratification, juxtaposition, and interpolation. Procedures of connection include gradation, amalgamation, and dissolution. Contrast is also when you compare two different instrument sounds to each other. It can also be the difference between parts.
Theme
the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.
Variation
a formal technique where material is repeated in an altered form.
Binary Form
a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated.
Ternary Form
sometimes called song form,[1] is a three-part musical form, usually schematicized as A-B-A
Sequence in a melodic theme
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence;
Sonata
literally means a piece played
Motive (motif)
a short musical idea,[1] a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition.
Tessitura of and instrument or voice
describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer
Timbre
the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments.
All (common) string Instruments
violin
viola
cello
bass
all (common) brass instruments
trumpet
trombone
tuba
french horn
All (common) woodwind instruments
flute
clarinet
english horn
saxaphone
All (common) double reed instruments
oboe
bassoon