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Expressive technique
Dynamics and Expressive techniques
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Expressive techniques | refer to the way a performer plays a piece of music, and can include the tempo, style, articulation, ornamentation, instrumental techniques and electronic manipulation |
| Tempo | The speed of the music |
| legato | smoothly |
| rubato | With freedom or in the performer’s own time with expression |
| accelerando | Gradually getting faster |
| A tempo | Return to the original speed |
| Articulation | the way in which specific parts or notes in a piece of music are played |
| accent | Notes attacked strongly with emphasis |
| Forte piano | Attack loudly then soft |
| sforzando | A sudden emphasis |
| slur | A curved line over notes to indicate to play smoothly |
| staccato | Short and detached |
| tenuto | Hold the note for its full value |
| ornamentation | the decoration of the notes in a melody or harmony with special features to add interest and expressive qualities. |
| glissando | slide |
| trills | Rapid movement between two adjacent notes |
| accacciatura | A crushed note played at the same time as the note it is played into |
| appoggiatura | A leaning note that leans into the next note |
| mordent | Hear the note, the one above it, the original, the one below and then the original |
| turn | Hear the note, the one above, the one below and the original |
| tremolo | A rapid repetition of the same note |
| vibrato | Vibrating or shaking of the note |
| Vocal Fry | is the lowest vocal register and is produced through a loose glottal closure that permits air to bubble through slowly with a popping or rattling |
| Col legno | With the wood of the bow (on orchestral strings) |
| Con sordino | With a mute (on orchestral strings) |
| Double stopping | Playing 2 notes at the same time (orchestral strings) |
| harmonics | Lightly touching part way down the string produces a pitch higher than the main tone |
| bends | Guitar - when the string is pushed vertically on the fingerboard |
| distortion | When the signal from the guitar is changed to produce a “dirty sound” |
| Effects pedal | Pedal to interrupt the signal from the guitar to the amplifier that can produce various effects |
| Double stroke | Rapid succession of double strokes alternating the left and right hands involving no particular rhythm |
| Drum roll | Rolling effect created by rapid left then right strokes on a drum - usually heard on the snare drum |
| Grace notes | A short note that is crushed or squashed a little before the main note |
| Rim shot | Playing the rim of the drum at the same time as the head |
| With brushes | Sticks ending in bristles or brushes that create a softer sound - used frequently in jazz |
| slurred | A smooth movement from one note to another |
| tonguing | Each note is played separately as each is tongued using a t sound |
| Flutter tonguing | A rapid movement used in a wind instrument to create an r sound |
| Pitch bending | Making a note temporarily sharp or flat |
| Singing or speaking into an instrument | 20th & 21st century technique of speaking into a wind instrument while playing it |
| Key clicking | Percussively hammering the keys on a wind instrument to create a clicking sound |
| multiphonics | Creating 2 pitches on a wind instrument at the same time by blowing very hard or singing while playing the other note |
| sprechstimme | Speech with melodic contours |