Basic Music V ocabulary
Terms
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- A cappella
- Singing without accompaniment
- Accent
- Emphasis on a note, word, or Phrase
- Articulation
- The way a sound is started and ended.
- Attack
- the beginning of a sound
- breath
- one cycle of inspiration/expiration
- Chord
- Two or more pitches sounding tgogether
- Chromatic
- Moving in half-steps
- Compound meter
- Meter that is made up of simple meters 2/4 + 3/4
- Counting
- Mentally breaking down a rhythm into divisions
- diatonic
- Moving within a key without changes
- Diction
- Correct and clear pronunciation of consonants
- Dynamics
- variation and contrast in force or intensity
- Embouchure
- mouth position in brass and woodwinds
- Harmony
- the simultaneous sounding of two or more tones of relative tone
- Homophonic
- a style where all parts have the same rhythm
- Intonation
- being in tune with accompaniment or others
- Key-major
- based on a scale of w/w/h/w/w/w/h steps
- Key-minor
-
based on a scale of
w/h/w/w/h/w/w/ steps - Melody
- pitches in sequence that form a pattern
- Meter
- the division of time into units
- Phrase
- Notes played or sung in one breath
- Pitch
- The highness or lowness of sound measured in Hz.
- Placement
- vocal term--where the sound is placed in the head
- Polyphonic
- where each part has an independent rhythm
- Posture
- sitting/standing correctly and efficiently
- Pulse
- feeling where the beat is
- Release
- How a sound is ended
- Rhythm
- how a sound is placed in time
- Sacred
- music that is written for spiritual or religious use
- Secular
- music that is written for entertainment
- slur
- playing a series of pitches without tonguing
- solfege
- Italian system of pitch and interval ear training
- Tempo
- the speed at which a regular pulse is repeated
- Tone color/ Timbre
- the relative brightness or darkness of a sound
- Tongue
- to start a sound with the tongue on reed or mouthpiece
- Unison
- everyone on the same pitch
- accompaniment
- A vocal or solo part that supports or is background for a solo part
- Bar
- a unit of music, such as 12-bar or 8-bar, denoting length.
- Beat
- a unit of measure in rhythmic time
- Canon
- a musical form in which melody is imitated exactly in one or more parts, similar to a round.
- Chamber music
- any music written for a chamber ensemble-a string quartet, a piano trio, a chamber orchestra, etc. Music for a soloist, or for soloist with accompanist, may or may not be chamber music.
- Choral, choral
- choral means of a choir; a choral work is a work for choir, and a chorus is a relatively large choir, or a group of singers
- compose
- to create original music by organizing sound. Usually written down for others to perform.
- composition
- a single, complete piece of music, (also, piece and work.)
- Concert
- a program by a chamber ensemble, orchestra, band, or chorus; there are also rock, jazz, and pop concerts
- elements of music
- melody, harmony, rhythm, and form and the expressive elements of dynamics, tempo, and timbre (tone color)
- embellishment
- notes that are added to ornament a melody (melodic embellishment) or rhythmic pattern (rhythmic embellishment)
- Ensemble
- any group of performers, but it is most commonly used for smaller groups. A large group would be referred to as an orchestra, chorus, or band
- Form
- the organiztion and structure of a composition, and the interrelationships of music events within the overall structure
- Genre
- a type of musical work such as choral, jazz, mariachi, etc.
- Improvise
- to spontaneously compose music
- Theme
- the main idea underlying the subject in a work of art
- Trompe L' Oeil
- French phrase meaning, "fool the eye". Trompe l'oeil artists paint images designed to trick people into thinking that they are real
- Value
- the measurement of light and darkness in a work of art
- Watercolor
- a type of paint made from a mixture of powdered pigments (colors) with a binder and water
- Acrylics
- quick drying, plastic polymer pigment used with water