MUH 212

UofL Elements of Music Vocabulary

Rhythm

a sequence of sounds and silences of different durations in musical time/ when a sound happens (musical time) & how long it lasts (duration)

Pulse/Beat

the basic underlying unit of musical time

Tempo

the speed of the basic pulse

meter

a recurring pattern of weak and strong pulses or beats.

Duple (2)

a meter characterized by a pattern of two beats per measure, typically alternating strong and weak beats.

Triple (3)

a meter characterized by a pattern of three beats per measure, typically with one strong beat followed by two weaker beats.

additive (2+3)

a meter that combines different beat patterns, such as two and three, to create a varied rhythmic structure.

Non-metric (pulseless)

a musical organization that lacks a consistent pulse or regular meter, often emphasizing free-flowing rhythms.

Pitch

a named frequence (e.g. “A4” = 440 cycles per second)

interval

the distance between two pitches

melodic interval

pitches separated in musical time

harmonic interval

pitches sound at the same time

scale

a defined set of pitches

modality

the mode of a scale, its shape, quality and character

mode types

Major and Minor (primary modes in western music since 1650)

Tonality

the primacy of a central pitch (tonic) in a scale

• the tonic pitch gives the other notes in a scale a sense of order function and direction

key

the basic tonality and modality of a musicl piece or song

modulation

a change in a musical piece or song

melody

a sequence of pitches of different durations in musical time

phrase

a larger subsection of a melody, frequently presented in a antecedent and consequent structure

cadence

a pause or stopping point between phases in a melody

song

a melody with words, (if it doesn’t have words it is not a song)

Harmony

the interaction between two or more notes sounded simultaneously

consonant

relaxed and stable harmony

dissonant

tense and unstable harmony

chord

two or more pitches sounded simultaneously

Chord Progression

a recurring sequence of chords that provides harmonic accompaniment for a melody

texture

all the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic things that happen in a section of a musical piece

monophony

single melody without harmonic accompaniment

polyphony

two or more different melodic lines played simultaneously

homophony

single melody with harmonic accompaniment

homorhythmic

all instruments and/or voices play the same rhythm

form

the structure of a musical piece (blueprint/road map)

elements of form

Repetition (AAA) / Variation (A1A2A3) / Contrast (ABC)

strophic form

a song that employs the same music for each poetic unit of lyrics (AAA)

Verse-Chorus form

a song that consists of sub-sections with both recurring lyrics (chorus / refrain) and changing poetic text (verse) this is the form used by most contemporary pop songs.

Verse

the sub-sections of a song in which the text changes with each successive poetic unit / storytelling

chorus / refrain

the subsection of a song in which the text is repeated / main lyrical idea or emotional message

bridge

subsection of a song the is used to contrast with prepare for the return of the verse and the chorus or function as the “middle eight” in traditional (AABA) song form

12-bar Blues form

standard song form developed by blues singers in the 1900’s (most early rock is in this form)

32 bar AABA Pop song

standard song form used by tin pan alley songwriters in the 1800s and 1900s (brodway or jazz)

distortion

a bussing or fuzzy tone color achieved by overdriving the vacuum tubes on an amplifier / this sound effect can be simulated using solid state or digital sound processors

feedback

an out of control sound oscillation that occurs when the output of a loudspeaker enters a microphone or electric instrument pick-up and is re-amplified - this process creates a sound loop that grow intensity until deliberately stopped.

hook

a catchy or memorable musical phrase or pattern

reverb

short for reverberation he prolongation of a sound by virtue of an ambient acoustical space this sound can be simulated using electronic or digital processors

riff

a simple, recurring melodic idea or rhythmic pattern0 in a rock a riff is usually presented by the guitar or base guitar or both.