music
Sound organized in time
improvisation
The simultaneous composition and performance of music
pitch
The highness or lowness of a sound
ethnomusicologists
The modern term for scholars who study music of other cultures, or who study multiple cultures comparatively
Chordophones
-Have one or more strings
-Are plucked, strung, or bowed
-Vibrating string creates sound
Examples: violin, harp, guitar
Aerophones
-Brass and wind instruments
-Vibrating column of air
-Horns and flutes
Membronophones
-Have skin or other membrane stretched across some kind of frame
-Membrane vibrates when struck
Idiophones
-Body of instrument vibrates when struck
-Examples: bells, woodblocks, xylophones
Electrophones
-Create sound waves using a mechanical device (oscillator)
-Depend on electricity
frequency
affects the pitch of a sound
stringed instruments
played by bowing or plucking
amplitude
Affects the decibel(db) level
brass instruments
-Aerophones made of metal
-Sounded by performers’ “buzzing lips”
-Make column of air vibrate
woodwind instruments
-Aerophones
-Column of air is moved by “breath alone”
-One or two vibrating reeds
-Examples: flutes and recorders
percussion instruments
-Membronophones, Idiophones, and some chordophones (piano)
keyboard instruments
-Fifth category
-Examples: Piano, harpsichord, organ, celesta
theremin
Played by regulating amplitude with one hand and frequency with the other
musique concrete
Electronically generated sounds and sounds produced by live instruments recorded on tape then manipulated and edited. Then played on loud speaker.
octave
the musical term for a distance between an alpha letter and the next-higher or next-lower alpha letter
grand staff
Includes both the treble and bass staffs
fundamental (pitch)
Loudest and strongest sound produced by a specific length of string
overtones
faint higher or lower pitches which “color” a fundamental
equal temperament tuning
Mathematical ratios are adjusted so an octave is divided into 12 equal parts
chromatic scale
12 different pitches in ascending order
Sharp (#)
raised
Flat(b)
lowered
enharmonic
Identical in pitch
scale
arrangement, in ascending order , of the seven basic pitches. A succession of whole and half steps
leading tone
The seventh scale degree
tonic pitch
The anchor or a point of repose and completion in a scale
dominant pitch
The fifth scale degree
interval
the distance between any 2 pitches
half step (semi tone)
distance between any 2 consecutive keys on a keyboard
harmonic interval
two pitches occur simultaneously
melodic interval
two pitches occur in succession
ascending
lower pitch occurs first
descending
higher pitch comes first
whole step
two half steps
major scale
Same sequence of melodic intervals starting on any of the 12 different pitches = 12 different scales. WWHWWWH
minor scale
same sequence of intervals starting on any of the 12 different pitches.WHWWHWW
3 variants:
natural
harmonic
melodic
All minor scales have a lowered third degree