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♫♪♫♪

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Term
Definition
A&R   Artist and Repertoire; music industry term for a talent scout.  
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a tempo   tempo marking meaning "back to the original tempo."  
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accidentals   Sharps, flats and naturals used in written music.  
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action   How high off the fretboard the strings are. Example: "My action is too high."  
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adagio   Tempo marking for "medium-slow;" from 66 to 77 bpm.  
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Aeolian mode   The 6th mode of the major scale; often called the Natural Minor scale. The Aeolian mode of the C Major scale is A B C D E F G A.  
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allegro   Tempo marking for "fast," from 120 to 168 bpm.  
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andante   Tempo marking for 'medium'; from 76 to 108 bpm.  
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arco   a notation marking indicating to use a bow (for the double bass).  
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arpeggio   the notes of a chord played one after another instead of all at once.  
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articulation   The way in which something is played. (i.e. hammer-on, slide, etc.)  
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artificial harmonic   A harmonic played on a fretted string.  
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atonal   Lacking a tonal center or key.  
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attack   The beginning of a note.  
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augment   To raise a major or perfect interval by a half-step.  
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augmented   Made bigger. Often meaning to raise, or sharp, the fifth of a chord. Specifically, raising a Major or Perfect interval by a half-step.  
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backbeat   Beats 2 and 4.  
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breve   British-English name for a double whole note.  
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cadence   The ending of a piece or section of music.  
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changes   Specifically in music, refers to chord changes.  
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chart   Written music containing the melody and chords to a song.  
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chromatic   From one note to the very next (in half-steps); notes outside the key.  
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coda   The end section of a piece of music; in written music, a section to which you jump when the markings instruct you to do so.  
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Common time   4/4  
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comp   To accompany, or compliment, a soloist.  
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compound meter   A time signature divisible by 3 (i.e. 6/8 or 12/8).  
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compression   An effect which "compresses" the dynamic range (how loud or how quiet something is) of a sound.  
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consonance   Sounds combining in a pleasing way. (The opposite of dissonance.)  
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counterpoint   Playing two or more melodic lines at the same time.  
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crescendo   Increasingly getting louder.  
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crotchet   British-English/Classical term for a quarter note.  
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Cut time   2/2  
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da capo   In written music: return to the beginning and play again. Often abbreviated as D.C.  
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dal segno   In written music: return to the indicated sign and play.  
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decay   The end of a note.  
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decrescendo   Increasingly getting quieter.  
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degree   Numbers used in identifying the notes of a scale.  
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DI   Direct Injection: plugging straight into the mixing board rather than using microphones.  
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diatonic   Within a key.  
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diminish   To lower a minor or perfect interval by a half-step.  
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diminished   To make smaller. Often meaning to flat, or lower, the fifth of a chord. Specifically, lowering a Minor or Perfect interval by a half-step.  
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Dorian mode   The second mode of the major scale. The Dorian mode of the C Major scale is D E F G A B C D.  
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Double stop   Playing two strings together at the same time.  
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double-time   Doubling the tempo without doubling the harmonic rhythm.  
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downbeat   The first beat of the measure.  
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drag   To slow the music's tempo unintentionally.  
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dry   Without added audio effects such as reverb.  
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eleventh   A musical interval with a distance of an octave plus a fourth. Example: From the note C to an F above C an octave higher. A distance of 17 half-steps.  
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enharmonic   Pitches that can be spelled more than one way. Ex: C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch.  
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etude   A musical study; a composition created specifically for learning technique on an instrument or learning another musical concept.  
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extensions   Notes of a chord whose intervals span beyond an octave. i.e. 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths.  
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fermata   A musical notation (a dot with an arc over it) instructing to pause longer than the written rhythm. The length of the pause is interpreted by the performer or conductor.  
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fifth   A musical interval spanning 7 half-steps. i.e. from C to G.  
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fill   A musical phrase, often improvised, filling an empty stretch of music. Fills often create tension leading to another part or beginning a repeated section.  
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filter   An electronic effect which only affects particular frequencies of the input signal.  
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flat   An accidental indicating to play a note a half-step lower.  
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sharp   An accidental indicating to play a note a half-step higher.  
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forzando   Abbreviated fz; a musical marking indicating to strongly accent.  
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fours   Four bar sections; often used in jazz meaning to trade four-bar solo sections.  
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Free time   Playing without a definite musical pulse of meter.  
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fret   Metal wires inserted into the fingerboard which accurately divide up the pitches along the length of the neck of a stringed instrument.  
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ghost note   A note of indeterminate pitch notated with an X in place of a notehead. On bass, plucking a muted string creates this common percussive effect.  
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glissando   Abbreviated gliss.; musical term meaning to slide from one note to another.  
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grace note   An articulation or ornament, such as a slide or hammer-on, leading into a note. Notated by a small note with a slash through it preceding the target note.  
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half-cadence   A cadence which finishes on a dominant, or V, chord.  
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half-diminished   A type of 7th chord built with a root, topped with a minor 3rd, a diminished 5th and a minor 7th. Also called a minor 7th flat 5 chord.  
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harmonic   Bell-like tone produced by a string vibrating in several segments rather than its entire length. Produced by lightly touching (not pressing) a string at a node with one finger and plucking that string. Notable nodes: above the 12th, 7th and 5th frets.  
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harmonic analysis   the analysis of chord relationships in a piece of music. For example, numbering chords based on their position within the key--the I, IV and V in the key of C are C, F and G.  
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harmonic rhythm   The rhythm of the chord progression. Another term for 'changes.'  
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harmony   The study of the combining of notes both at the same time (chords), as well as over the course of time (chord progressions).  
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heptatonic   A seven-tone scale, such as the Major scale.  
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horizontal   Related to scales as opposed to chords. Since scales are a series of notes rather than a stack of notes like a chord, "playing horizontally" means to play off of the notes of a scale.  
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in the pocket   Locked in the groove.  
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interval   The musical "distance" between a pair of notes. Often described by the number of half-steps that separate two notes (Ex: a minor 3rd interval = 2 notes 3 half-steps apart). Intervals = building blocks of scales, chords, and larger note patterns.  
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intonation   How in tune an instrument or musician plays.  
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Ionian mode   The first mode of the Major scale, and identical to the Major scale. The Ionian mode of the C Major scale is C D E F G A B C.  
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key   The major or minor scale around which a song, or piece of music, revolves.  
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key change   Shifting from one tonal center, or key, to another.  
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larghetto   A tempo marking meaning "slow;" from 60 to 66 bpm.  
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largo   Tempo marking for "very slow;" from 40 to 60 bpm.  
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lead sheet   Sometimes called a "chart." A page of music outlining only the melody and chords to a piece of music. Instrumentalists expected to improvise their parts based on chords and melody.  
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leading tone   The 7th note of the major, harmonic minor and melodic minor scales.  
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ledger lines   In music notation, horizontal lines written above and below the staff used to extend the range of the staff.  
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legato   Playing notes with no, or very little, silence between them.  
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Locrian mode   The seventh mode of the Major scale. The Locrian mode of the CM scale is B C D E F G A B.  
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lower   To flat a note; move a note a half-step lower.  
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luthier   A person who builds guitars, basses and similar instruments.  
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Lydian mode   The fourth mode of the Major scale. The Lydian mode of the CM scale is F G A B C D E F.  
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machine head   Also called "tuners." The part of the bass consisting of the tuning key, gears and string post used to adjust the tension of the string.  
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microtonal   Using intervals smaller than a half-step. Ex: quarter tones.  
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middle 8   A bridge section; traditionally bridges were 8 bars long occurring in the middle of a song.  
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middle C   The note one ledger line above the bass clef staff, and one ledger line below the treble clef staff; the C note in the middle of the piano keyboard. (Due to the octave transposition of the bass in written music, it is actually an octave above this C.)  
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minim   British-English name for a half note.  
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Mixolydian mode   The fifth mode of the Major scale. The Mixolydian mode of the CM scale is G A B C D E F G.  
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modal   Related to modes; used to describe music centered around the notes of a particular mode. Opposite of tonal (music centered around notes of a Major or minor key.)  
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moderato   Tempo marking for "medium fast;" from 108 to 120 bpm.  
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modes   Scales within scales. Scales derived by starting and ending on different notes of a particular scale. Ex: CM is C D E F G A B C. 2nd mode of CM is D E F G A B C D.  
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ninth   A musical interval spanning an octave plus a second. Ex: From C to a D above the next higher C.  
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node   A point on a string, usually in regards to harmonics, which remains still rather than vibrating.  
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octatonic   An eight-tone scale, such as the diminished scale.  
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octave   A musical interval spanning 12 half-steps.  
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open position   Fretting hand position using open strings while the first finger plays notes on the 1st fret, second finger on the 2nd fret, etc.  
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open string   A string which is not fretted.  
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ostinato pattern   A short, repeated musical pattern played throughout a song or part of a song.  
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parallel key   A key sharing the same root note. Ex: AM and Am.  
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passing tone   A note used to connect (stepwise) between two other notes. Ex: C♯ could be used as a passing tone between C and D.  
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pedal point   playing the same bass note beneath a series of chords. Ex: Dm/G, F/G, C/G. Term comes from bass pedals used by organ players.  
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pentatonic   A five-tone scale.  
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performance markings   Markings in written music indicating how something is to be executed by the performer. For example, dynamic markings (like mf) and playing techniques (like pizzicato).  
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Phrygian mode   The third mode of the Major scale. The Phrygian mode of the CM scale is E F G A B C D E.  
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pickup measure   A measure of incomplete length at the beginning of a piece of music used as a lead-in to the song.  
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pivot chord   A chord that exists within two different keys and helps create a smooth transition between those keys during a change. Ex: VI chord (Em) in the key of G might function as a II chord (Em) in the key of D.  
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playing across the barline   Sustaining a note from one bar into the next.  
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position   A fretting hand position usually indicating the location of one's 1st finger. Ex: 3rd position means to position your 1st finger over the 3rd fret.  
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prestissimo   A tempo marking for "very fast;" 208 bpm and higher.  
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presto   Tempo marking for "very fast;" from 168 to 200 bpm.  
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primary chords   The I, IV, and V chords in a Major key.  
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quarter note   A note value that is one-fourth the length of a whole note.  
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quarter tone   Half of a half-step, or semitone.  
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quaver   British English name for an 8th note.  
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raise   To move a note a half-step higher. Ex: a raised 5th.  
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register   A region of an instrument's total note range often described as upper, lower, middle, high, low, etc.  
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reharmonize   To change some or all of the harmonies in a song.  
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relative key   A Major and minor key that share the same set of notes. Ex: CM and Am contain the same notes (C D E F G A B and A B C D E F G.)  
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relative pitch   The ability to recognize musical intervals by ear when given a reference note.  
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rubato   Elastic tempo; playing with fluctuating tempo as an expression of musical feeling (and not because you can't play a steady tempo.)  
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run   A fast musical passage.  
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rush   To speed up the music's tempo unintentionally.  
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semibreve   British-English name for a whole note.  
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semiquaver   British English name for a 16th note.  
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semitone   Another name for a half-step; the smallest interval in Western music. Ex: from C to C♯ is a semitone.  
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sexatonic   A six-tone scale, such as the wholetone scale.  
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sharp   An accidental indicating to play a note a half-step higher.  
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simple meter   A time signature divisible by 2. Ex: 4/4.  
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staccato   n indication to play short notes with silence in between them; compare to legato. Indicated in written music with a dot written directly above, or below, the notehead.  
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stepwise   Notes moving by whole-steps and/or half-steps; scalar.  
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substitution chord   A chord used in place of another chord often providing the same function of the original chord.  
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syncopation   Accenting weak parts of the beat; playing "off-beat."  
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tacet   To be silent. Ex: In notation, you might see a marking like "Bass tacet 1st verse."  
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tag   A repeated ending for a song usually played 3 times.  
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tenth   A musical interval spanning an octave plus a 3rd. Ex: from C to the E above the next higher C.  
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timbre   The tonal "color" of a pitch. What gives an instrument its most identifiable qualities. It is why you can tell a piano from a guitar even when they play the same note.  
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tonal   Music that revolves around a Major or minor key, as opposed to around a mode.  
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tonic   The root note of a key.  
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trading fours   Trading 4-bar solo sections between two or more instruments.  
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train wreck   When a song falls apart or a musician gets lost during a performance.  
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triad   A chord consisting of 3 notes  
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tritone   An interval of 3 whole-steps; another name for a diminished 5th interval.  
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turnaround   A chord progression, often one or two bars long, that brings the music back to the beginning.  
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two-feel   A bassline that mostly stresses a half note pulse on beats 1 and 3.  
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unison   A musical interval of zero half-steps; two notes of the very same pitch and octave.  
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upbeat   One or more notes preceding the downbeat (first beat of a measure), also called a pickup; the notes between the basic beats.  
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vamp   A repeated stretch of accompanying music.  
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vertical   Related to chords as opposed to scales. Since chords are vertically-stacked notes, "playing vertically" means to play off of the notes of the chord.  
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vibrato   A fretting hand technique that slightly fluctuates a pitch up and down.  
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voicing   The ordering of notes in a chord from lowest to highest.  
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wah-wah   An electronic filter effect which creates a crying, wah-wah sound. The filter is commonly controlled by a rocking pedal that opens and closes the filter.  
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walking bass   Style of bass playing which is characterized by a consistent quarter note rhythm and stepwise notes smoothly connecting the chords of the song.  
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waltz   A song in triple meter, such as 3/4.  
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wet   Saturated in an audio effect such as reverb.  
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whole note   A note value lasting for 4 quarter note beats.  
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whole tone scale   A six-note scale made up of only whole-steps. Only two of them exist.  
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wholetone   Another name for a whole-step; the musical interval of two half-steps.  
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wolf tone   An acoustic phenomenon where a note on an instrument does not sustain as well, or is muted, compared to other notes on the instrument. On bass, this note often occurs on the B, C, or C♯ of the G string.  
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32-bar form   A song form with a length of 32 bars, often with an AABA structure, and common among jazz standards.  
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8va   Abbreviation of ottava alta; play what is written an octave above. This is done to put notes on the staff instead of on ledger lines.  
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8vb   Abbreviation of ottava bassa; an indication to play what is written an octave lower. This is done to put notes on the staff instead of ledger lines.  
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