sound
Vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear.
Frequency
Pitch
Music
?The science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity
Humanly organized sound
Amplitude
volume of sound
How did music start?
Imitation of the sounds of nature
Percussion/rhythm - hunting
Ritual to influence the supernatural
Ritual
Hunting
Ward of bad spirits
Oral history
Rhythm
the flow of music through time; a combination of long and short sounds and silence. Beat is a regular pulse evident in some music; we tap our feet to the beat. Music can be rhythmic without having a beat.
Tempo
The speed or pace of a given piece. The tempo of a piece will typically be written at the start of a piece of music, and in modern Western music is usually indicated in beats per minute (BPM).
Meter
the organization of beats into groups called measures. Specific beats within measures receive more weight which helps with organization. Beats at the beginning of a measure that received more weight than other beats are called downbeats.
Duple
Downbeat on 1
Count [1 - 2 ]
Triple
Downbeat on 1
Count [1 - 2 - 3]
Quadruple
?Downbeat on 1, (weaker accent on 3)
Count [1 - 2 - 3 - 4]
Time Signature
a musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are to be contained in each bar and which note value is to be given one beat.
Polyrhythm
The simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythms
2 against 3
3 against 4
4 against 5
Syncopation
involves a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected which make part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat.
Equal temperament
The most common tuning system used in Western music, and is the standard system for tuning a piano.
Interval
the distance between two pitches
Melodic interval
Intervals in melody
Harmonic Interval
Intervals in harmony
Tonality
a musical system in which pitches or chords are arranged so as to induce a hierarchy of perceived stabilities.
Scale Degrees
The notes of a scale
Tetrachord
4 note scale or scale broken down into groups of 4 scale notes
Scales
form the basis for melodies
Tonic
the first scale degree of a diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone.
Dominant
the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale, it is next in importance to the tonic
Leading Tone
a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower.
Chromatic Scale
All the notes in the 12 tone system
Modes
alternative tonalities (scales) that can be derived from the familiar major scale by starting on a different scale tone.
Different Modes
Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian
Key Signature
Occurs at the beginning of a composition. Indicates which notes are to be raised (#) or lowered (b) by a half-step throughout the composition. The specific combination of sharps or flats indicates the key of the composition.
Modulation
Shift from one key to another, particularly in long works. Long compositions often begin and end in same key but may use modulation to other keys in the middle. Provides variety with composition.
Motif
Short musical fragment
Phrase
Collection of motifs, part of theme
Cadence
point of rest; gives a sense of conclusion
Sequence
melodic pattern repeated at different pitch levels
Theme
melody that serves as basis for a larger musical section or composition
Musical texture
is determined in song and music by varying components. Songs intersperse monophony, heterophony, polyphony, homophony, elements throughout the melody to create atmosphere and style.
Tone Color/Timbre
The quality of a musical note, sound, or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. Sound quality of different instruments or voice
Monophony
Is the simplest of musical textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony.
Polyphony
Is a texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody. In the Western musical tradition, the term is usually used to refer to music of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Homophony
Is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords.
Heterophony
Meaning different voices. Heterophony is a type of texture characterized by the simultaneous variation of a single melodic line.
Interlocking Parts
Melody Sum of individual parts
Call and Response
Individual melody by singer or group, then repeated by another singer or group. Common in African Music, also in Hymnal singing such as shape note singing (Sacred Harp), or spirituals
Counterpoint
Which refers to the interweaving of melodic lines, and polyphony, which refers to the relationship of separate independent voices, are thus sometimes distinguished from harmony.
Canon
a contrapuntal compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e.g., quarter rest, one measure, etc.)
Rounds
Repeating canons in which all voices are musically identical - "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Fr�re Jacques" being widely known examples.
Fugue
A contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and recurs frequently in the course of the composition
Ostinato
A constantly recurring melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic motive.
Drones
Underlying single note or chord that is static usually under a melody. Used to establish the tonal centers
Sequence
the immediate restatement of a motif or longer melodic (or harmonic) passage at a higher or lower pitch in the same voice. It is one of the most common and simple methods of elaborating a melody in eighteenth and nineteenth century classical music (Classi
Harmony
the use of simultaneous pitches (tones, notes), or chords. The study of this involves chords and their construction and chord progressions. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic line, or the "horiz
Triad
3 note chord
Tone Clusters
Group or cluster of notes or sounds. Typically 3 adjacent tones in a scale. Often in the chromatic scale
Consonance
Stable harmonies without tension that imply finality and rest in a composition
Dissonance
Unstable, tense harmonies that sound like notes are fighting; often moves music toward consonant resolution
Vocal Harmony
In the simplest style of this, the main vocal melody is supported by a single backup vocal line, either at a pitch which is above or below the main vocal line, often in thirds or sixths which fit in with the chord progression used in the song.
Musical Form
refers to the overall structure or plan of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a composition as divided into sections.
Think of this as architectural design in sonic form
Composition
To compose or write music. This can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. This is considered to consist of the manipulation of each aspect of music (harmony, melody, form, r
Improvisation
the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition. Musical ideas are spontaneous, but may be based on chord changes or musical ideas that are predetermined or from previous musical training or cultural familiarity
Through-composed
Music that is composed or improvised from beginning to end. No music is repeated
Programmatic Music
a type of art music that attempts to musically render an extra-musical narrative, or portray a story based on the music or sounds. The narrative might be offered to the audience in the of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music.
Strophic form
(also called "verse-repeating" or chorus form) is the term applied to songs in which all verses or stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. Designed to tell a story. This may be analyzed as "A A A...". Many folk and popular songs are strophic in fo
Sonata Form
a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century (the early Classical period). In this the thematic and harmonic organization of tonal materials are presented thought the piece indifferent ways
Exposition
Presentation of the first theme, then modulation of first theme to the dominant key of the piece.
Development
Reworking and manipulating the thematic and harmonic material in new ways. Often multiple modulations.
Recapitulation
Representing original theme in original key.
Coda
Ending section to finalize the melodic and harmonic material. Became more involved in later classical period.
Strophic
AAA, etc.
Binary
AB
Ternary
ABA
Rondo
ABACA, or ABACADA
Arch
ABCBA
Sonata Form
Exposition: (Theme Group 1 - Theme Group 2) --- Development --- Recapitulation: (Theme Group 1 - Theme Group 2)
Sonata Rondo
ABA - C - ABA
Resonance
Is the tendency of an instrument to amplify a frequency that matches one of its own natural frequencies of vibration. Most acoustic instruments use resonators, such as the strings and body of a violin or guitar, the length of tube in a flute, and the shap
Envelope
Is the sound, the attack, sustain, and decay of a sound
Timbre
is what makes a particular musical sound different from another, even when they have the same pitch and loudness. Combination of resonating frequencies based on the fundamental pitch. Combination of harmonics or overtones
Hornbostel
Sachs divided instruments into 4 broad categories according to the nature of sound producing material intended for the classification of western instruments.
Idiophones
(sound is primarily produced by the actual body of the instrument vibrating, rather than a string, membrane, or column of air)
Struck
Plucked
Friction
Blown
Membranophones
(sound is primarily produced by the vibration of a tightly stretched membrane)
Struck drums
Plucked drums
Friction drums
Singing membranes
Chordophones
(sound is primarily produced by the vibration of a string or strings)
Zithers (set of strings stretched in parallel fashion along a board)
Lutes (strings are stretched along a fingerboard and its attached resonator)
Electrophones
(instruments that depend on electric power for producing and synthesizing sounds and for amplification)
Added long after the first 4 categories (1940)
Synthesizers
computers
musical ensemble
also known as a music group, is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music.
In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as
Strings
Violin
Viola
Cello
Bass or Double Bass
Woodwinds
Flute
piccolo
Oboe
Cor Anglais (English Horn)
Bassoon
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Saxophone
Brass
Trumpet
French Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Keyboard Instruments
Piano
Harpsichord
Organ
Celesta