Tempo
The rate or speed of the beat of the music
Dynamics
The loudness or softness of music, as determined by the performers
Volume
The loudness or softness of the music, as determinded by the listeners
Beat
The basic or underlying pulse of the music
Meter
The basic beat or time of a piece of music or song. Grouped in 2,3,4 or 6.
Rhythm
The pattern of beats in the music
Form
The shape of the music
Phrase
A musical sentence
Allegro
Fast, lively
Andante
A slow walking tempo
Adagio
Very slow
Moderato
A moderate tempo
Largo
Very, very slow
Vivace
Very fast, jogging tempo
Presto
very fast
Piano
soft (abbreviated as p)
Forte
loud(f)
Mezzo forte
medium loud (mf)
Mezzo piano
medium soft (mp)
Pianissimo
very soft (pp)
Fortissimo
Very loud (ff)
Sforzando
A sudden, strong accent (sf or sfz)
Dolce
Sweetly
Accidental
A sharp, flat, or natural that appears next to a note that temporarily changes it. Lasts the entire measure.
D.C. al fine
“Dal segno al fine” means to go back to the beggining of the piece and than play until you see the word “fine” (finish)
D.S. al fine
“dal segno al fine” means to go back to the symbol and play until you see the word “fine”
Caesura
A sudden pause or break in the music. Indicated with two parallel lines.
Col legno
Playing with the wood part of the bow instead of the hair
Orchestra
A large group of musicians made up of string, woodwind, brass and percussion players
Common Time
Another name for 4/4 time signature
Cut Time
Another name for 2/2 time signature
Crescendo
Gradually getting louder (abbreviated as cresc.)
Descrescendo
Gradually getting softer (abbreviated as decresc.)
Ritardando
Gradually getting slower (abbreviated as rit.)
Accelerando
Gradually getting faster (abbreviated as accel.)
Chord
Three or more notes played at the same time
Concerto
An extended composition for orchestra with a soloist
Symphony
An extended composition for orchestra, composed mainly in 1750-1920. It is usually divided into four separate movements
Staccato
A short, detached bow stroke. Play with a crisp stopped bow. Indicated by a dot over or under the note.
Spiccato
A staccato bowing style where the bow bounces off the string, usually near the balance point of the bow
Legato
Smooth, connected bow stroke. Indicated by a line over or under a note
Marcato
Accented, stressed, heavy bow stroke. Literally means “marked”.
Portato
A legato bow stroke that gives a slight separation or pulse between connected notes of a slur. Indicated with a line over or under a note and a slur/hook line as well.
Detache
A bowing that is a combination of legato and staccato; slightly separated, but not crisp. “Regular, average, everyday bowing”
Hook
Notes played in the same bow direction, but separated and staccato