clef
a symbol on the far left of a staff that shows which pitch (and octave) is represented by each line and space
treble clef
clef positioned on a staff to indicate G by means of the end of its curving line; it circles the line that represents G4 (also known as G clef)
bass clef
clef positioned on a staff to indicate F; its two dots surround the F3 line (also known as F-clef)
contour
the shape of a melody; its motion up and down; common contours include ascending, descending, arch, V-shape, and wave
ascending
a musical line that generally goes up, from lower pitches to higher ones
descending
a melodic line that generally goes down, from higher pitches to lower ones
grand staff
two staves, one in treble clef and one in bass clef, connected by a curly brace; typically used in piano music
letter name
the name for a particular pitch; A-G, that corresponds to its place on the staff or a musical instrument
ledger line
extra lines drawn through the stems and note heads to designate a musical pitch located above or below the staff
middle C
C4; the C located at the center of the piano keyboard
musical alphabet
the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, which are used to name musical pitches
note
the representation of a musical sound with a note head on the staff; the position of the note head indicates the pitch; whether the note head is black (filled) or white (hollow) and the presence of a stem, beam, or flag indicates duration
note head
a small oval used to notate a pitch on the staff
octave
(1) the distance of eight musical steps; the interval size 8, (2) the particular part of the musical range where a pitch sounds (e.g. C4, or middle C, is a C in a particular octave)
octave equivalence
the concept that pitches eight steps apart (sharing the same number) sound similar
pitch
a musical sound in a particular octave or register
register
the highness or lowness of a pitch or passage; the particular octave in which a pitch sounds
score
notated music
staff (staves)
the five parallel lines on which music is written
stem
a vertical line attached to a note head; it generally extends upward if the note is written below the middle line of the staff and downward if the note is written on or above the middle line
timbre
describes the instrumentation or quality of a musical sound
accent
stress given to a note or some other musical element that brings it to the listener's attention; accents can be created by playing louder or softer, using a different timbre or articulation, speeding up or slowing down, or slightly changing rhythmic durat
anacrusis
a beat that precedes a downbeat, sometimes shown in an incomplete measure (the rest of the measure is notated at the end of the section); also called a pickup or upbeat
bar
a unit of grouped beats, beginning and ending with bar lines
bar line
a vertical line, extending from the top of the staff to the bottom, that indicates the end of a measure
beam
a line that connects two or more note stems within a unit beat
beat
the primary pulse in musical meter; normally represents an even and regular division of musical time
beat division
the secondary pulse in musical meter; beats may be divided into two parts (simple meter) or three parts (compound meter)
beat unit
the duration assigned to the basic pulse
conducting patterns
a specific pattern, one for each meter, that conductors outline by moving their arms in the air to help keep performers playing together in time
dot
rhythmic notation that adds half of a note's own value to its duration (e.g. the duration of a dotted note equals a half note plus a quarter note)
downbeat
the first beat of a measure, which has the strongest accent or emphasis; named for the downward motion of the conductor's hand
dynamic level
the degree of loudness in performance; extends from ppp (very soft) to fff (very loud)
flag
a short arc attached to the right side of a note stem, at the opposite end from the note head; each flag divides the duration of a note in half
measure
a unit of grouped beats, beginning and ending with bar lines
meter
the grouping and division of beats in regular, recurring patterns
simple meter
meter where the beat divides into twos and subdivides into fours; the top number of simple meter signatures is 2,3, or 4
duple meter
meter with two beats in each measure
triple meter
meter with three beats in each measure
quadruple meter
meter with four beats in each measure
meter signature
a sign that appears at the beginning of a piece, after the clef and key signature: the upper number indicates the meter type and the lower number indicates which note gets the beat; also called a time signature
metrical accent
a strong emphasis on a note resulting from its placement on a strong beat
pickup
anacrusis
rest
a duration of silence
rhythm
the duration of pitch and silence (notes and rests) used in a piece
rhythm clef
two short, thick, vertical lines at the beginning of a single-line staff; used to notate unpitched percussion
tempo
how fast or slow music is played
upbeat
the beat that precedes a downbeat; named for the upward lift of the conductor's hand; also known as an anacrusis
accidentals
a symbol that appears before a note to raise or lower its pitch chromatically, without changing its letter name
flat
an accidental that lowers a pitch by one half step without changing its letter name
sharp
an accidental that raises a pitch a half step without changing its letter name
natural
an accidental that cancels a sharp or flat
double flat
an accidental that lowers a pitch two half steps without changing its letter name
double sharp
an accidental that raises a pitch two half steps without changing its letter name
enharmonic
different names for the same pitch
interval
the distance between two pitches
half step (semitone)
the distance between a pitch and the next closest pitch on the keyboard
chromatic half step
a semitone spelling that uses the same letter name for both pitches
diatonic half step
a semitone spelling that uses different letter names for the two pitches
whole step (whole tone)
an interval that spans two adjacent half steps
articulation
how a pitch is sounded, including various ways of bowing or plucking stringed instruments and tonging wind and brass instruments
beat subdivision
a further division of the beat division into two parts; for example, for a quarter note in simple meter, the beat divides into two eight notes and subdivides into four sixteenths
metronome
a mechanical device that clicks at an even rate, where the number of clicks per minute may be adjusted; used to establish a tempo for musicians to practice with a steady beat
slur
an arc that connects two (or more) different pitches; slurs affect performance articulation but not duration; in piano music, they tell the performer to play the slurred note smoothly; in vocal music, the slurred notes are sung on one syllable or in one b
swung eighths
a performance practice where a rhythm notated with even eight notes is performed unevenly, with more time allotted to the first eighth and less to the second in each pair
syncopation
rhythmic displacement of accents created by dots, ties, rests, dynamic markings, or accent marks
tie
a small arc connecting note heads of two (or more) identical pitches to indicate the durations are to be combined together, without rearticulating the pitch; used to notate durations extending across a bar line and for durations that cannot be represented
transcription
(1) rhythmic pattern rewritten in a different meter, where it sounds the same if played at the same tempo, (2) a piece written for one instrument or ensemble arranged to be payed by another
triplet
in simple meter, a division of the beat into three, instead of two, equal parts
asymmetrical meter
meter with beat units of unequal duration; these irregular beat lengths are typically created by five or seven beat divisions grouped into unequal lengths such as 2+3 or 2+3+2
changing meter
meter that changes from measure to measure
compound meter
meter where the beat divides into threes and subdivides into sixes; the top number of compound meter signatures is 6,9, or 12
compound duple
meter with two beats in a measure, each divided into three (e.g. 6/8 or 6/4)
compound triple
meter with three beats in a measure, each divided into three (e.g. 9/8/ or 9/4)
compound quadruple
meter with four beats in a measure, each beat divided into three (e.g. 12/8 or 12/4)
duplet
in compound meter, a division of the beat in two, instead of three, equal parts
symmetrical meter
meter with beat units of equal duration