Sound
Vibrations that are transmitted, usually through air, to the ear drum, which then travels to the brain
Pitch
relative highness or lowness of sound
Tone
Sound that has a definite pitch or frequency
Interval
“Distance” in pitch between any two tones
Pitch Range
distance between highest and lowest notes played by an instrument
Dynamics, Pianissimo
PP very soft
Dynamics, piano
P soft
Dynamics, mezzo piano
MP moderately soft
Dynamics, mezzo forte
MF moderately loud
Dynamics, forte
F Loud
Dynamics, fortissimo
FF very loud
Dynamics, decrescendo (dimuendo)
gradual softening of music
Dynamics, crescendo
gradual loudening of music
Tone color (timbre)
quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument from another
Voices, women
Soprano

Mezzo-soprano

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Alto

Voices, Men
Tenor

Baritone

Bass

Register
the tone color of which the instrument is played

High tone means cheerful

low tone means sad

Percussion definite pitch
Kettle Drums

Glockenspiel

xylophone

celesta

chimes

Percussion Indefinite pitch
Snare drum

bass drum

tambourine

triangle

cymbals

gong

Theme
Melody that serves as a starting point for an extende piece of music
Variation
varied repititions of the theme
Rhythm
flow of music through time
Meter
organization of beats into regular groups
Downbeat
first or stressed beat of a measure
Upbeat
unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat
Syncopation
Unexpected accent
Tempo indication
Italian words at beginning of piece that tell speed
accelerando
becoming faster
Ritardando
becoming slower
Metronome
apparatus that produces ticking sounds at any desired bpm
notation
system of writing so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated
ledger lines
lines used in sheet music to show notes below or above the staff
clef (treble and bass)
Grand staff
combo of the treble and bass staves
Stem
Verticle line on note that shows the note is relative to notes around it
Flag
Wavy line on note that shows how long the note is to be played relative to notes around it (shorter)
Beam
connects eighth notes and sixteenth notes
Dotted note
note played for half a beat longer
Dotted rhythm
long-short rhythmic pattern
score
Shows the music for each instrument in a group
melody
a series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole
step
melody moves by small intervals
leap
melody moves larger than 2 notes (do-mi)
legato
smooth connected manner of playin a melody

opposite of staccato

phrase
shorter part of a melody
cadence
resting place in a melody
incomplete cadence
inconclusive resting point that sets up expectations on another part
complete cadence
Definite resting place that gives finality
sequence
repeat of the melody in a higher or lower pitch
harmony
how chords are constructed and how they follow each other
chord
progression
series of chords
consonance
tone combination that is stable and restful
dissonance
tone combination that is unstable and tense
resolution
when a dissonance moves to a consonance
triad
most basic chord, 3 notes
tonic chord
triad built on the first note of a scale
dominant chord
triad build on the fifth note of a scale
broken chord (arpeggio)
arppeggio
Keynote (tonic)
central tone of a melody
Key (tonality)
central note* of a melody

“in the key of…”

Key signature
Sharps or flats immediately following the sign at the beginning of the staff
Chromatic Scale
All keys on the piano in a scale

all twelve tones of the octave

Modulation
shifting from one key to another in the same piece
Tonic key (home key)
key where the song always returns to
Musical texture
Number of layers of a song

1 unaccompanied melody, several melodies, or melody with supporting chords

monophonic texture
texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment
unison
performance of a single melodic line at the same pitch by more than one instrument
polyphonic texture
performance of relatively 2 or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest
counterpoint
technique of combining 2 or more melodic lines into a meaningful whole
imitation
melodic idea is presented by one instrument and is then restated immediately by another
homophonic texture
When one main melody is accompanied by chords
Form
organization of musical elements in time
repitition
reiteration of a motive, phrase, or section used to create a sense of unity
contrast
striking differences of pitch, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo that provide a change in mood
variation
changing certain elements in a melody while keeping others
Three-part (ternary) form (A B A)
A B A
Two-part (binary) form (A B)
A B
virtuoso
A masterful artist
conductor
leader of a group of musicians
Baton
stick used by conductors to conduct
Concertmaster
Principle first violinist
Dubbing
insertion of sounds post recording
Style
characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form
Richard Wagner
Lohengrin, Prelude to act III
Frederic Chopin
Prelude in C minor for piano

Prelude in E minor for piano

Igor Stravinsky
The firebird, finale
Duke Ellington
The C Jam Blues
Benjamin britten
Young persons guide to the orchestra

long as fuck

John Philip Sousa
Stars and stripes forever
George Gerswhin
I got Rhythm from Girl Crazy
Dave Brubeck
Unsquare dance
Harold Arlen
Over the Rainbow
George Bizet
L’Arlesienne Suite no. 2, Farandole
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Nutcracker Suite, Dance of the Reed Pipe
Johann Sebastion Bach
Suite for Lute in E minor, Bourree