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Year 11 - Terminolog
Pitch, Duration Texture
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Accompaniment | musical ideas/layers which provide support to the melody |
| Riff | a short, memorable tune or musical idea that continues or appears regularly in a piece of music while other parts change or are added (similar to ostinato, but used mainly when discussing non-classical pieces) |
| Ostinato | a musical phrase or rhythm that is repeated many times in the course of a longer piece (similar to riff, but used mainly when discussing classical pieces) |
| Pedal Point | a single low note that is held and stays the same while the music changes above it |
| Harmonisation | the act of adding harmonies to a tune or melody |
| Modulation | the change from one key to another |
| Augmentation | is the lengthening of the time values of the notes of a melody |
| Cross rhythm | the effect produced when two conflicting rhythms are heard together |
| Poly-rhythm | two beat rhythm against a three beat rhythm |
| Inversion | combining the same group of notes in a different order from the bottom to the top |
| similar motion | when more than one musical line moves in the same (or “similar”) direction—both up (by step or leap) or both down (by step or leap); similar motion is also called “direct” motion |
| Chord extension (extended chords) | notes that are added beyond the basic triad, e.g., 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th |
| Duration | the relative lengths of |
| Expressive | ways of influencing mood through how an instrument is played |
| Devices | techniques used in a piece to create contrast and unity in a composition eg ostinato |
| Contrary Motion | when the two musical lines move in opposite direction to each other by step or leap |
| Pitch | the relative frequency of sound: creating notes of the musical alphabet A B C D E F G |
| Harmony | Chord or accompaniment to a piece |
| Tonality | The key of the piece of the scale or mode that is used |
| melody | the horizontal arrangement of of notes or the tune in a piece |
| texture | the density of sound such as thick, thin, moderatly thick |
| monophony | a texture comprising a single musical line |
| timbre | the unique sound of an instrument also know as tone colour eg bright trumpet |
| sound sources, | Sounds sources or the instrument being played |
| melodic shape and contour | the overall shape or trajectory of a melody as it moves through different pitches over time |
| consonance | when two or more tones complement each other to produce a sound that is pleasant to the ear |
| structure | the form and design of each section in the music |
| diminution | diminution is the shortening of the time values of the notes of a melody |
| arpeggio | when the notes of a chord are performed one after the other instead of all at the same time |
| dissonance | dissonance is when two or more tones clash and create a harsh, unpleasant sound |
| countermelody | a secondary melody that is sounded simultaneously with the principal one |
| cadence | a chord progression of at least two chords that ends a phrase or section of a piece of music |
| phrase | a musical idea that is typically four measures long and ends with a cadence that can be strong or weak |
| range | the distance between the highest and lowest notes of an instrument or voice |
| register | the specific parts of the range of an instrument or voice (e.g., upper register) |
| intonation | the accuracy of pitch and tuning, ensuring that the notes or harmonies played or sung match the desired pitch |
| motif | a short musical idea that is repeated throughout a song or composition and has a distinct identity |
| Homophony or Homophonic | a musical texture of several parts in which one melody predominates; the other parts may be either simple chords or a more elaborate accompaniment pattern |
| polyphonic | a musical texture n which several different melodic lines are played or sung at the same time eg a Fugue |
| heterophonic | a musical texture involving the simultaneous performance of different versions of the same melody by different voices or instruments |
| homophonic | a type of texture in which with one sound |
| dynamics | the variation in loudness between notes or phrases, usually use italian words like piano for soft (p) |
| contrast | differening sections in a piece a compositional device used by composers to create interest or variety in a piece of music |
| articulation | refers to the many different ways that notes can be played on an instrument; they can be given different lengths, volumes, styles of attack, and cut-offs, e.g., staccato, tenuto, marcato, etc. |
| tremolo | a music performance technique in which a performer plays an individual note or two alternating notes as fast as possible |
| mute | a device brass players use to lower the volume and/or alter the timbre (tonal quality) of the instrument |
| harmonic | used on string instruments and wind instruments as a way of producing sound on the instrument, particularly to play higher notes and, with strings, obtain notes that have a unique sound quality or "tone colour/timbre" |
| diatonic | a seven-note scale with a regular pattern of 5 whole and 2 half steps; diatonic intervals are found within this type of scale |
| chromatic | using pitches outside of a particular diatonic scale, or using a succession of half steps (semitines) |
| bitonality | the simultaneous use of two key area |
| polytonality | the simultaneous use of two or more key areas |
| canon | one melody is strictly imitated by a second part after a delay in the entrance of the second part |
| call and response | a compositional technique, often a succession of two distinct phrases that works like a conversation in music |
| fragmentation | musical ideas that are broken up into smaller fragments and scattered throughout a composition |
| repetition | when sounds or sequences are used more than once during a piece |
| variation | a technique where material is repeated in an altered form |
| oblique motion | when one musical line stays the same while another moves up or down by step or leap |
| parallel motion | a specific type of similar motion that occurs when parts move in the same direction by the same interval |
| accent | an emphasis, stress, or stronger attack placed on a particular note or set of notes, or chord, either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark |
| tempo | the speed or pacing of a piece of music, usually indicated at the start of the music |
| rhythm | the placement of sounds in time, long note like semibreves and short notes used to make a pattern pattern of sound |
| pulse | a musical piece's either audible or implied series of uniformly spaced beats |
| beat | the unit we use to measure time in music |
| sequence | where a passage of music is repeated at a higher or lower level of pitch |
| imitation | composing device where a melody is played/sung and then repeated in a different voice |
| ornamentation | musical flourishes—typically, added notes—that are not essential to carry the overall line of the melody |
| trill | a musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or tone apart |
| grace note | a brief note which resolves into a main, or principal, note |
| accelerando | gradually getting faster |
| atonal | no clear key is established; can sound dissonant |
| chord | the sounding of two or more notes at the same time |
| crescendo | a dynamic instruction meaning to gradually play louder |
| diminuendo or decrescendo | a dynamic instruction meaning to gradually play quieter |
| espressivo | (Italian: 'expressive') an instruction meaning that a passage should be played with expression, or expressively |
| forte | a dynamic instruction meaning the music should be played loudly |
| fugue | a form in which the composition is contrapuntal; a theme introduces the piece, which is then repeated at different pitches throughout the composition, set in counterpoint to other musical lines within the texture |
| glissando (gliss.) | From the French 'glisser', meaning to slide. An instruction to slide between a group of notes. On the piano, for example, the performer runs a finger down or up the keyboard. |
| legato | an instruction indicating that a sequence of notes should be played smoothly, or joined up, as opposed to disconnected |
| leitmotif | A short, recurring musical phrase, usually associated with a character, idea, event or object. This is the musical equivalent of branding. |
| octave | the interval of an eight, e.g.,: from the notes C3 to C4 or D3 to D4. |
| Poco a Poco | a term that can preface and instruction meaning to follow it 'little by little', e.g., getting louder gradually, little by little: rit |
| Ritenuto (Italian: 'held back') An instruction to slow down. | (Italian: 'becoming slower') often abbreviated as 'rit.', is an instruction to gradually play slower |
| ritenuto | (Italian: 'held back') an instruction to slow down |
| Rubato | an instruction to play with freedom; allows performers to deviate from strict tempo regularity, and can enhance expressive playing |
| Sforzando (sf) | play with sudden and marked emphasis |
| Soprano | the highest female voice |
| Mezzo-Soprano Vocals | a female voice range that is lower than the soprano |
| Tenor Vocals | a male singing voice between baritone and countertenor; the highest of the ordinary adult male range |
| Baritone Vocals | male singing voice in the middle range |
| Bass vocals | a type of classical male singing voice and has the lowest vocal range of all voice types |
| Unison | the sounding of the same note by two or more musicians or singers at the same time |
| Vibrato | an expressive technique where a voice or instrument alternates subtly and very quickly between two pitches that are very close together |
| A cappella | without instrumental accompaniment |
| BPM | beats per minute; a measure of tempo |
| Broken Chord | a type of chordal accompaniment where the notes of the chord are played one at a time, rather than all together. |
| Classical period | ranging from 1730 to 1820 this era it maintained many styles of the previous tradition but placed new emphasis on elegance and simplicity |
| Hook | a catchy musical phrase that is easy to remember |
| Improvise | to make up music spontaneously |
| Sequence | a musical technique in which a melodic or harmonic pattern is repeated at a higher or lower pitch |
| Tritone | an interval of an augmented 4th or diminished 5th; three whole steps |
| Woodwinds | a family of musical instruments made of wood or metal with a reed or mouthpiece, such as the flute, clarinet, and saxophone |
| Brass | a family of musical instruments such as the trumpet, trombone, and tuba that use a mouthpiece that the player buzzes through |
| Strings | the largest family of instruments in the orchestra and they come in four sizes: the violin, which is the smallest, viola, cello, and the biggest, the double bass, sometimes called the contrabass |
| Percussion | a large family of instruments that are hit, shaken, or scraped also called an Idophone or Membranophone (with a skin) |
| Time Signature/Metre | Top number how many beats, bottom number type of beat. |
| Quadruple Time | 4 beats in a bar a simple time signature |
| Simple Time | Beat spits into TWO |
| Triple Time | 3 Beats in a bar |
| Duple Time | 2 Beats in a bar |
| Compound Time | The beat is split into 3 (6/8, 9/8 12/8) |
| No Metre | Absence of beat and time signature |
| Syncopation | The accenting of the off beat, weak beats are accnted or tired to strong beats |
| Imitation | A rhythmical idea repeated in in another place in the piece or directly after |
| Polyrhythm | Polyrhythm is where one part is in 3 against another part is in two (contrasting rhythms) |
| Hemiola | a rhythmic effect created by temporarily shifting the grouping of beats, often from two beats to three, or vice versa, creating a sense of rhythmic tension and release |
| Back Beat | Where the strong beat is used on 2 and 4 opposite to a rock beat. |
| Rock Beat | Where the strong beat is used on 1 and 3 opposite to a back beat. |
| Femata | A pause till the conductor cuts your off or you decide to finish a long note. |
| Moderato | A moderate tempo or speed |
| Andante | Tempo is at a walking pace |
| Free Metre | Absence of time signature or beat |
| Accelerando | Speeding up the tempo |
| Presto | Very Fast |
| Isometric | Where the time signature stays the same |
| Monophonic | One single layer of sound |
| Texture | The layers of sound eg Thick many layers, Thin a few layers Medium, like eg: 5-10 layers of sound |
| Discord | When notes clash the opposite of consonance |
Created by:
solsen3110
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