Band Music Terms

Flashcards of band music terms and definitions.

Accelerando

To gradually quicken tempo.

Adagio

A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.

Allegro

Play lively and fast.

Chorale

A hymn sung by the choir and congregation or played by band in like style.

Chromatic scale

Includes all twelve notes of an octave.

Clef

Symbol at the beginning of the staff defining the pitch of the notes found in that particular staff. Treble clef= higher, bass clef= lower

Coda

Closing section or added section.

Concert master

The first violin in an orchestra. For a band it’s first clarinet

Conductor

One who directs a group of performers. The conductor indicates the tempo, phrasing, dynamics, and style by gestures and facial expressions.

Da Capo

In sheet music, an instruction to repeat the beginning of the piece before stopping on the final chord.

Espressivo

A direction to play expressively.

Fermata

To hold a tone or rest held beyond the written value at the discretion of the performer or conductor.

Flat

A symbol indicating that the note is to be lowered by a half step.

Forte

Strong. Play loud.

Grandioso

Play grandly.

Grave

Very slow and serious.

Interpretation

The expression the performer brings when playing his instrument.

Interval

The distance in pitch between two notes.

Intonation

The manner in which tones are produced with regard to pitch. Being in tune.

Introduction

The opening section of a piece of music or movement.

Key

System of notes or tones based on and named after the key note. Which major scale?

Key signature

The flats and sharps at the beginning of each staff line indicating the key of music the piece is to be played.

Legato

Play smoothly and connected

Maestro

Refers to any great composer, conductor, or teacher of music.

Major

One of the two modes of the tonal system. Music written in major keys have a positive affirming character.

March

A form of music written for marching in two-step time. Originally the march was used for military processions. Invented by JP Sousa. 120 bpm. Always has a trio section which the style and key change but tempo does not.

Measure

The unit of measure where the beats on the lines of the staff are divided up into two, three, four beats to a measure.

Medley

A composition that uses passages from other movements of the composition in its entirety.

Mezzo

Medium, as in dynamics or tempo.

Natural

A symbol in sheet music that returns a note to its original pitch after it has been augmented or diminished.

Octave

Eight full tones above the key note where the scale begins and ends.

Phrase

A single line of music played or sung. A musical sentence.

Piano

Softly.

Pitch

The frequency of a note determining how high or low it sounds.

Presto

Tempo is to be very fast.

Rhythm

The element of music pertaining to time, played as a grouping of notes into accented and unaccented beats.

Sharp

The note is to be raised by a half step.

Staccato

Short detached notes, as opposed to legato.

Staff

lines and the spaces between them on which musical notation is written.

Tempo

Indicating speed.

Timbre

Tone color, quality of sound that distinguishes one verse or instrument to another. It is determined by the harmonies of sound.

Time Signature

A numeric symbol in sheet music determining the number of beats to a measure.

Treble

The playing or singing the upper half of the vocal range.

Triplet

Three notes played in the same amount of time as one or two beats.

Tuning

The raising and lowering a pitch of an instrument to produce the correct tone of a note.

Tutti

Passage for the entire ensemble or orchestra without a soloist.

Vivace

Direction to performer to play a composition in a brisk, lively, and spirited manner.

Whole note

A whole note is equal to 2 half notes, 4 quarter notes, 8 eighth notes, etc.

Sforzando

Emphasis on a note

Crescendo

Gradually get louder

Diminuendo

Gradually get softer