Sound
begins with the vibration of an object. the vibrations are transmitted to ears by a medium (air) then eardrums vibrate and signals (impulses) are sent to brain where they are selected, organized and interpreted.
Four main properties of music
pitch, dynamics, tone color, and duration
Music
art based of organization of sounds in time
Pitch
the highness or lowness of a sound
What is determined by frequency of vibrations?
Pitch
Faster vibrations
higher sound
Slower Vibrations
low sound
Short string
higher sound
Long string
Lower sound
Tone
a sound that has a definite pitch
Interval
the distance in pitch between any two tones
Octave
tones separated by the interval. 8 notes 7 tones
Pitch range
distance between lowest and highest tones that a voice or instrument can produce. Untrained voice-1 and a half octaves. Piano-over 7 octaves
Pianissimo pp
very soft
Piano p
soft
Mezzo piano mp
moderately soft
Mezzo forte mf
moderately loud
Forte f
loud
Fortissimo ff
very loud
Decrescendo or Diminuendo
gradually softer
Crescendo
gradually louder
Tone color (timbre)
quality that distinguishes instruments or voices
Women voices
soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, contralto
Men voices
tenor, baritone, bass
6 categories of western instruments
string, woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard, eletronic
Register
part of the total range in which an instrument can be played
Concertmaster
1st violinist-plays solo and coordinates bowing of strings and fills in if conductor can’t make it.
Pizzicato
plucked string
Double step
2 notes at once
Vibrato
throbbing tone-pitch fluctuations warm tone
Mute
muffles tone
Harmonics
high pitched tones
Definite percussion
timpani (kettledrums)
glockenspiel
xylophone
celesta
chimes
Indefinite percussion
snare drum
bass drum
tambourine
triangle
cymbals
gong (tam-tam)
What is king of instruments
Pipe organ-can sound like all kinds of tones
Rhythm
flow of music thru time-arrangement of notes length
Beat
regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into units of time
Meter
organization of beats into groups
Measure
group containing fixed # of beats
Syncopation
when accented note comes where normally it wouldn’t-offbeat
Tempo
speed of the beat
Largo
very slow, broad
Grave
very slow, solemn
Adagio
slow
Andante
moderately slow, walking
Moderato
moderate
Allegretto
moderately fast
Allegro
fast
Vivace
lively
Presto
very fast
Prestissimo
as fast as possible
Notation
system of writing music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicatied
Ledger lines
if pitch falls above or below range indicated by staff
Clef
shows pitch of each line, space
Time signature
shows meter of a piece
Score
shows music for each instrument, voice
Upper number of time signature
tells how many beats in measure
Lower number in time signature
tells what note gets beat
Melody
series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole
Legato
smooth, connected
Staccato
short, detached
Phrase
shorter part of melody
Sequence
repetition of previous section at different pitch
Cadence
end of a phrase
Harmony
the way chords are constructed and how the follow each other. adds depth
Consonance
a stable tone combination- arrival, rest and resolution
Dissonance
an unstable tone combination
Resolution
when dissonance moves to consonance
Triad
simplest, most basic chord, 3 tones do mi sol
Tonic chord
triad built on first note of scale
Dominant chord
triad built on 5th note of scale
Broken Chord
arpeggio-individual tones of chord are sounded one after the other
Key
involves central tone and chord (tonality)
Major scale
whole whole half whole whole whole half
Minor scale
whole half whole whole half whole whole
Key signature
sharps and flats for a piece
Chromatic scale
12 tones of octave-all black and white on octave of piano
Modulation
shifting from 1 key to another
Musical texture
how many different layers of sounds are heard at once
Monophonic
unison, having one sound, single melodic line
Polyphonic
simultaneous performance of 2 or more melodic lines (many sounds)
Counterpoint
technique of combing several melodic lines into meaningful whole
Homophonic
one main melody accompanied by chords
Form
organization of musical elements in time
Repetition
creates sense of unity
Contrast
provides variety
Variation
unity and variety at same time
Three part form (Tenary)
used most frequent A-statement B-contrast A-return
Two part form (binary)
A-statement B-counter statement
Style
characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form