Basic Music Terms

Beat

Steady Pulse you can tap your foot to

Rhythm

Pattern of long and short sounds and silences that occurs over the beat

Meter

Organization of beats into recurring groups, often in twos or threes

Tempo

Speed of the beat

Melody

Sequence of notes that form a recognizable musical idea

Harmony

Two or more notes sounding together

Chord

Three or more different notes sounded together as a harmonic unit

Key

The tonal center note and the system of notes built around it. C major or A minor is an essential aspect of music that establishes the scale upon which a piece is based.

Scale

A collection of notes arranged in ascending or descending order

Phrase

A short musical idea that functions somewhat like a sentence

Motif

A breif, destinctive musical idea that can be repeated or developed

Dynamics

How loud or soft music is and how it changes throughout a piece.

Piano (p)

soft

Forte (f)

loud

Crescendo

Gradually getting louder

Decrescendo

gradually getting softer

Accent

Extra emphasis placed on a note

Articulation

how individual notes are started, shaped, and connected

Legato

Smoothly connected, with little or no separation between notes

Staccato

Short and detached

marcato

Stongly accended or empahasized

Fermata

A symbol indicating that a note or rest should be held longer than its normal value

Largo

Very slow and broad

Adagio

Slow and expressive

Andante

Moderate, walking pace

Moderato

Moderate speed

Allegro

Fast and lively

Presto

Very fast

Accelerando

Gradually getting faster

Ritardando (Rit)

Gradually getting slower

Pitch

How high or low a sound is

Note

Musical sound identified by pitch, duration, or both

Interval

Distance in pitch between two notes

Octave

Interval between one note and another

Register

Range of pitches

Range

Distance between the lowest and highest pitch

Consonance

Combination of notes that sound restful

Dissonance

Combination of notes that sound tense or unstable

Resolution

Movement from tension to stability