legato
connect tones so they sound smooth as possible
slur
a curved line which appears above or below a group of notes
slur marking
the notes within the curved line
phrase
a musical sentence that is usually four or eight measures in length
key signature
appears after the cleft signs and indicates the notes that should be played as sharps of flats throughout a piece
eight note
receives one half of a beat if the meter signature has the quarter note
ritardando
term indicating a gradual slowing of the tempo
drone bass
accompaniment that repeatedly uses the interval of a fifth
round
a melody that is played with each new person (or a group)
da capo al fine
to return to the beginning of the piece and play to the measure where the word fine
temp
how fast or slow the music is played
allegro
fast; lively
allegretto
moderately fast
moderato
moderately
andante
at walking; pace; moving along
fortissimo (ff)
very loud
pianissimo (pp)
very soft
fermata
to sustain a note longer than the indicated time value
accidentals
sharps,flats, naturals are temporarily added to the body of a piece to alter pitches
dotted quarter note
is equal to a quarter note plus an eight note
staccato
notes with a dote above or below each note
accent sign
sign placed under or a note to indicate stress or emphasis
slur
a curved line above or below a combination of two or more notes to indicate that these notes are played legato
sforzando
dynamic marking that means to play strongly emphasized