A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
A
accent – a stressed beat or note
accidental – the added symbol of a sharp, flat, or natural to a note outside of a key signature
alto clef – the symbol that indicates middle C as the third line on the staff; used by viola
B
background – the musical foundation on which melody and surface rhythms are created
bar line – a vertical marking that marks a recurring beat pattern or meter; delineates a measure
bass clef – the symbol that indicates middle-C as the first ledger above the staff; used by low-sounding instruments
beam – a horizontal line that joins two or more consecutive eighth notes at the stem
beat – a unit of time, otherwise known as a pulse; represented by a note value in written music as determined by the meter
brace – the symbol which binds two staves into a grand staff
C
cadence – a point of rest, closure, and repose in tonal music; some cadences are stronger and sound more final than others
chromatic collection – the twelve distinct pitches that exist in the western system of tonality; can be referred to as the chromatic scale
chromatic scale – a scale comprised of twelve half steps
C-clef – a general term for the symbol that shows middle-C as one of the lines on the staff; there are many types of C-clefs including alto and tenor clef
clef – a symbol that clarifies which pitches are written on a staff
compound interval – a pair of notes that spans more than an octave
consonance – a stable sound that does not require a resolution
contour – the shape of a melody
D
diatonic – a term, which means through the tones, for a scale that uses all seven pitch names
dissonance – an unstable sound that requires a resolution to a consonant or stable sound
double beams – the horizontal lines that join two or more consecutive sixteenth notes at the stem
E
eighth note – a note value that equals an eighth of a whole note’s duration; it has a filled notehead with a stem and one flag
enharmonic equivalent – the occurrence of two notes that sound the same, but are labeled with two different pitch names
F
flag – a symbol added to the stem of a single eighth note; double flags are added to the stem of sixteenth notes
flat – the symbol that when added to a note, whether as an accidental or through a key signature, lowers the pitch to which it is applied by a half step
foreground – the musical features that are most immediately recognizable to the listener
frequency – the speed of a vibration, which is measured in Hertz numbers
G
generic interval – the distance between two notes measured only by a number and not by its quality
grand staff – the combination of two staves stacked one on top of the other and bound by a brace; the top staff typically employs a treble clef while the lower staff uses bass clef
H
half note – a note value that equals half of a whole note’s duration; it has a hollow notehead with a stem
half step – the smallest possible step in music; on the piano, the closest adjacent keys
harmonic interval – a pair of notes that sound simultaneously, or are notated vertically one on top of the other in the staff.
Hertz numbers – a frequency measurement that details vibration cycles per second; 440 Hz is the pitch to which an orchestra tunes
Heightened neumes – the evolved neumes that show relative pitch relationships
hierarchy – a system of organizing pitches in which some are ranked with higher importance or prominence than others
I
imperfect consonance – the less stable and mode-defining consonances, which are thirds and sixths
interval – the distance between two pitches
K
key – the collection of pitches derived from a diatonic scale that are used as the foundation of a work; named by the tonic pitch and mode
key signature – a collection of sharps or flats that is placed in a specific formation at the beginning of each staff to ease reading
L
leap – an interval in a line of music that is larger than a second
ledger lines – a proportional extension line(s) of the staff, that allow for notes to be written above or below the staff
M
major – a mode that is characterized often by its bright sonic qualities; the term can be applied to scales, keys, and intervals
major scale – the stepwise, diatonic collection of pitches based on the specific pattern of half (h) and whole (W) steps from the tonic or scale degree 1: W W h W W W h
measure – a unit of the meter or recurring beat pattern that is indicated on the staff by bar lines
melodic interval – two pitches that sound and are written consecutively
melody – a series of consecutive pitches that are perceived complete as a musical line, usually in a meter, and completed with a cadence
meter – a recurring pattern made of one accent and one or more unaccented or less accented beats
meter signature – the two stacked numbers, one on top of another in the staff, in which the top number indicates beats per measure and bottom shows the beat’s note value
middle-C – a central pitch that can be found at the center of the piano and grand staff
minor – a mode that is characterized often by its sad and darker sonic qualities; the term can be applied to scales, keys, and intervals
minor scale – the stepwise or diatonic collection of pitches based on the specific pattern of half (h) and whole (W) steps from the tonic or scale degree 1
- ascending from the tonic W h W W W W h
- descending from the tonic W W h W W h W
mode – a term that describes the quality of a specific scale, key, and interval
N
natural – the symbol that when added to a note, as an accidental only, negates a sharp or a flat
neumes – an early musical notation from as early as the 9th century that offers pitch approximations only
notehead – an elliptical shape that is placed on the staff to show pitches; these can be hollow or filled in, and in combination with other symbols help to indicate note values
note values – the various symbols that illustrate durations and rhythms in music; distinguished visually by notehead types, stems, flags, beams, and dots.
O
octave – an interval that is measured at a distance of eight consecutive lines and spaces, and forms the boundary of a diatonic scale; the two pitches of this interval sound similar, but one is higher than the other
P
parallel key – the relationship between two keys that share the same tonic, but contrasting key signatures and modes
parallel major – a major scale/ key that shares a tonic with a minor scale/ key, but contrasts in interval construction and key signature
parallel minor – a minor scale/ key that shares a tonic with a major scale/ key, but contrasts in interval construction and key signature
perfect consonance – the most stable consonances, which are unisons, octaves, fifths, and fourths
pitch – a sound that can be defined by a note name
pitch contour – the general shape of a melodic line
pitch names – the seven alphabetic names, A though G, that label pitches; some pitches require the addition of a sharp or a flat
pulse – a unit of time, otherwise known as a beat; represented by a note value in music and determined by meter
Q
quality – a term that describes the sound of an interval or scale: major, minor, or perfect
quarter note – a note value that equals one quarter of a whole note’s duration; it has a filled notehead with a stem.
R
relative key – a key that shares the same key signature, but not tonic and mode with another key; the tonics of relative keys are separated by a minor third
relative major – a major scale/key that shares a key signature with a minor scale/key, but has a different tonic; the tonic of the relative major begins on the minor’s ^3, or a minor third higher
relative minor – a minor scale/key that shares a key signature with a major scale/key, but has a different tonic; the tonic of the relative minor begins on the major’s ^6, or a minor third lower
rests – the symbols that show the silences in music; there are corresponding rests to each note value
S
scale – the generic term for a collection of consecutive pitches constructed of half steps, whole steps, or a combination of half and whole steps
scale degree – a number 1 though 7 that is assigned to each pitch of a diatonic scale starting with the tonic as 1; scale degrees are represented by the caret (^) symbol
- scale degree 1 (^1) is the tonic
- scale degree 3 (^3) is mode defining: major or minor
sharp – the symbol that when added to a note, whether as an accidental or through a key signature, raises the pitch to which it is applied by a half step
simple interval – two pitches that span an octave or less
simple meter – a meter with the groupings of two, three, or four beats per measure; the beat is subdivided by twos
sixteenth notes – a note value that equals one-sixteenth of a whole note’s duration; it has a filled notehead with a stem and double flags
specific interval – the distance between two notes measured by number and quality
staff – the five lines on which clefs and notes are written in music.
step – the smallest intervals on which scales are created; there are half steps and whole steps
T
tempo – the speed of the beat; indicated at the top of the score as a note value’s beats per second, or through written descriptions
tendency tone – a pitch that through tonality has a perceivable need to resolve to an adjacent pitch, either up or down
tenor clef – the symbol that indicates middle-C as the fourth line on the staff; usually for low-sounding instruments that are playing high in their ranges
tie – a curved line that combines the duration of two adjacent note values
tonality – a musical language or syntax that is centered on a single pitch called the tonic; prominent from roughly 1600-1920 AD
tonic – the central pitch in tonality that names the key, and often occurs at moments of final resolution and repose in a work
treble clef – the symbol that indicates middle-C as the first ledger line below the staff; for high-sounding instruments
U
unison – the interval that identifies two identically sounding pitches
V
vibration – the means by which pitch is transmitted through air or another medium
W
whole note – a note value that equals one unit of music; it is an empty notehead without a stem
whole step – the larger step in a scale that is equal to two combined half steps; the combination of two adjacent black or white keys on the piano
whole tone scale – a series of successive whole steps that comprises a six-note scale