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Musical Concepts
HSC Musical Concepts
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ascending | heading upwards |
| descending | heading downwards |
| steps | notes that are next to each other |
| leaps | notes that are not next to each other |
| repeated notes | a short series of notes that have the same pitch |
| range | the distance from the highest to the lowest note |
| register | the general area of pitch |
| arpeggio | the notes of a chord played one after another |
| broken chord | notes of a chord played played separately in various orders |
| counter melody | a second melody that is independant to another melody |
| ornamentation | decorating a melody |
| trill | rapidly playing a note and its neighbour |
| slide | moving between two pitches sounding all off the frequencies between |
| grace notes | short notes that decorate a single note |
| bend | slightly increasing or decreasing the pitch of a note after it has been sounded |
| improvisation | a melody that is freely created on the spot |
| call and response | two melodies that are heard after each other similar to question and answer |
| phrases | the divisions of melodies. these can be balanced or unbalanced |
| sequence | a chord progression or melody that repeats higher or lower in succession |
| imitation | an instrument copying parts of a previously heard melody |
| riff | a melodic idea that is heard in various points of a song |
| definite | pitch that can be found on the piano |
| indefinite | pitch that cant be found on the piano |
| octave | a jump if 8 notes |
| drone | a long sustained pitch |
| consonant | harmony that is agreeable and not clashing |
| dissonant | harmony that clashes |
| major | of the major scale |
| minor | of the minor scale |
| pentatonic | a scale of 5 notes |
| blues scale | a scale that is used in blues music |
| chromatic | a series of semitones or notes borrowed form other scales |
| diatonic | notes that are from the particular scale/key |
| atonal | a piece that does not have a key as it is not major or minor |
| modulation | a change in key |
| rate of chord change | describing the frequency of chordal movement |
| 12 bar blues | a chord pattern that is used in blues and early rock music |
| pedal point | a constantly repeating pitch |
| omm-pah-pah | a bass note followed by the sounding of two chords |
| power chord | a chord that has no 3rd |
| major 7th | a chord that adds the 7th note |
| dominant 7th | a chord that adds the flattened 7th note |
| diminished | a chord that is based on minor thirds |
| parallel | a part that has a similar shape to another |
| contrary | when one part moves in an oppisite direction |
| oblique | then one part stays the same and another moves |
| primary triads | chords I IV V |
| walking bass line | a bass line that is based on an arpeggio of a dominant 7th chord |
| beat | the pulse of music |
| accent | a strong or emphasised note |
| backbeat | beats 2 and 4 |
| offbeat | accuentating between beats |
| syncopation | notes that are off the beat |
| adagio | slowly |
| andante | At a walking pace |
| moderato | moderatly |
| allegro | fast |
| vivace | Lively and fast |
| presto | Very Fast |
| accelerando | gradually getting faster |
| ritardando | Gradually Slowing Down |
| pause | a held note held at the condutor or performers discression |
| rubato | a flexible tempo using slight variations of speed to enhance musical expression |
| simple | a time signature that has beats divided into two |
| compound | a time signature that has beats divided into 3 |
| irregular | 7/4 and 5/7 are examples |
| time signature | the number of beats in a bar |
| multimetre | quick numerous changes in time signatures |
| complex | a rhythm that uses a variety of notes |
| short | quavers and semiquavers |
| long | semibreves and minims |
| ostinato | a repeating musical patter |
| anacrusis | An Upbeat or a pickup note(s); a term used for unstressed notes at the beginning of a phrase of music. |
| swing rhythm | long short pattern oftern used in jazz music |
| augmentation | doubling the values of notes |
| diminution | halving the vlaues of notes |
| polyrhythm | one rhyhtmic part in 2 while another rhythmic part plays in 3 |
| triplet | 3 notes in the time of 2 |
| duplet | 2 notes in the time of 3 |
| crotchet | a one beat note |
| quaver | a half beat note |
| dotted minim | a three beat note |
| semibreve | a four beat note |
| legato | smooth and connected |
| staccato | short and detached |
| melody | the main instrumental layer |
| accompaniment | instruments that support the melody |
| tutti | all or everyone |
| density | the number of instruemnts playing |
| homophonic | a melody with chords |
| polyphonic | having two or more independent but harmonically related melodic parts sounding together |
| monophonic | Consisting of a single unaccompanied MELODIC line. |
| heterophonic | Two melodies that are almost identical |
| unison | all parts playing the same thing |
| doubling | instruments playing the same thing as each other |
| binary | a structure of 2 contrasting sections |
| ternary | a structure of 3 sections where the first and the last are the same |
| verse | a part of a song that has the same tune but different words each time |
| chorus | a part of a song that has the same words and tune each time |
| bridge | a part of a song that has not been heard before and it has words |
| instrumental | a part of a song that has no voices (not at the start) |
| coda | the name for a final ending section of a piece of music |
| piano | soft |
| pianissimo | very soft |
| mezzo piano | moderately soft |
| forte | loud |
| mezzo forte | moderatly loud |
| fortissimo | very loud |
| crescendo | getting louder |
| decrescendo | gradually softer |
| arco | with the bow |
| pizzicato | pluck the strings |
| roll | a drum rapidly repeating a note |
| falsetto | a male singing in head voice |
| a cappella | sung without instrumental accompaniment |
| acoustic | non-electric sound |
| articulation | the way in which notes are to be played |
| virtuosic | extraordinarily talented playing |
| 4/4 | simple quadruple |
| 3/4 | simple triple |
| 12/8 | compound quadruple |
| 9/8 | compound triple |
| 6/8 | compound duple |
| 2/4 | simple duple |
| tenuto | give the note it's full length |
| fermata | musical term for a pause |
| dolce | sweetly |
| marcato | Marked; with emphasis |
| double sharp | a cross plased in front of a note |
| key signature | the sharps or flats at the front of a song |
| slur | line indicating notes are smooth and connected |
| glissando | Sliding from one note to another on an instrument such as a trombone or violin |
| chord | several notes sounded simultaneously |
| 8va | play an octave higher |
| 15ma | play two octaves higher |
| tremolo | a repidly repeated note |
Created by:
david.ivinson
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