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Music Terms
Some definitions of musical elements.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Melody | A series of notes varying in pitch and rhythm. Known as the "tune". |
| Harmony | Two or more notes played at the same time. |
| Concordant | The notes in a harmony agree with each other. |
| Discordant | The notes in a harmony disagree with each other. |
| Rhythm | The arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music. |
| Timbre | The quality of sound distinguishes one voice or instrument from another. |
| Dynamics | The volume of music. |
| Pianissimo (pp) | Very soft. |
| Piano (p) | Soft. |
| Mezzo Piano (mp) | Moderately soft. |
| Mezzo Forte (mf) | Moderately loud. |
| Forte (f) | Loud. |
| Fortissimo (ff) | Very loud. |
| Tempo | The speed of the music. |
| Grave | Very slow and serious. |
| Largo | Very slow. |
| Andante | At a walking pace. |
| Moderato | At a moderate pace. |
| Allegro | Fast. |
| Presto | Very fast. |
| Crescendo < | Getting louder. |
| Decrescendo > | Getting softer. |
| Enharmonic Equivalents | Two of the same notes with different names. |