Musical Terms and Concepts

Melody

a succession of pitches

Rhythm

the systematic arrangement of musical sounds according to duration and emphasis

Harmony

the combination of 2 or more musical notes played at the same time

form

overall structure of a piece of music

Pitch

the frequency of a note (how high or low it is)

head

the melody of a jazz composition

countermelody

secondary melody which occurs at the same time as the primary melody

polyphony

when two or more melodies of equal importance occur together

riff/lick

a short melodic fragment

vibrato

the controlled shake or waver of a pitch

Scoop/ Bent Pitch

sliding from one pitch up or down to another

blue notes

notes played deliberately off pitch for effect

growl

when a wind instrument player alters their tone quality, achieved by vocalizing while playing

Measure

defined segment of time determined by the number of beats

Meter

the rhythm pattern created from regular groupings of 2 or 3 beats

tempo

the speed of the music

accents

when certain notes or beats are emphasized over others

syncopation

temporary irregularity in musical rhythm

offbeat or upbeat

the space halfway in between beats

backbeat

when the second and fourth beats are emphasized in a 4 beat cycle

Polyrhythm

Two or more rhythms played simultaneously

chord

two or more pitches played at the same time

arpeggio

when the notes of a chord are played one at a time

key

describes the overall harmonic framework of a section of music

consonance

when the pitches played seem stable or resolved

dissonance

when the pitches played seem unstable

chorus

one full cycle of a song form

phrase

a complete musical thought

bridge

the contrasting section in a composition

AABA

verse, verse, bridge, verse

woodwind

flutes, clarinets, saxophones

strings

violin, viola, cello, double bass

brass

trumpet, cornet, trombone, tuba

Percussion

drum set, vibraphone, piano