Balalaika
A Russian chordophone with three strings, triangular shaped body, and is played like a guitar.
Timbre
The “color” of a musical sound. The difference between a guitar, a piano, and a trumpet playing the same sound
Pitch
How high or low a sound is
Dynamics
How loud or soft a sound is
Duration
How long the sound lasts
Klezmer
Jewish secular music
klezmorim
Name for Jewish musicians in Eastern European Jewish settlements (shtetls)
Krekht
A type of Klezmer ornamentation that is meant to sound like a “sob”, especially on the clarinet.
Dreydlekh
A trill in klezmer
Ornamentation
Embellishment of a melody through extra pitches or changing rhythms; used to make the melody more interesting and to highlight the musician’s performance skills
Improvisation
Spontaneous form of musical performance/composition – the musicians relies on emotional response and his/her level of playing ability to respond to “in the moment” feelings
Pitch Bending
A musical ornamentation in which musicians slightly alter the sound of a pitch
Trill
Musical ornamentation that consists of rapid movement between two adjacent notes.
Vibrato
A musical ornamentation that consists of slightly pulsating variations in pitch
Membranophones
Sound produced by drum membrane, or the head of a drum
Chordophone
Sound produced by vibration of strings
Aerophone
Sound produced by vibration of air
Idiophone
Sound produced by vibration of instrument itself, such as a rattle.
Electrophones
Electric guitar, electric keyboard, etc.