Music Need-to-Knows

Perfect cadence

Movement from dominant (V) to tonic (I); sounds finished

Imperfect cadence

Any chord moving to dominant (V); sounds unfinished

Plagal cadence

Movement from subdominant (IV) to tonic (I); softer ending

Interrupted cadence

Movement from dominant (V) to submediant (vi); unexpected

Diatonic

Notes that belong to the key

Chromatic

Notes outside the key

Modulation

Changing from one key to another

Relative minor

Minor key with same key signature (e.g. C major → A minor)

Dominant key

Key based on the 5th note of the scale

Monophonic

A single melody line with no accompaniment

Homophonic

Melody with chordal accompaniment

Polyphonic

Two or more independent melodies at the same time

Heterophonic

Multiple performers play variations of the same melody

Unison

All instruments/voices play the same notes together

Sequence

Repetition of a melody at a higher or lower pitch

Imitation

One part copies another

Inversion

Melody flipped upside down

Retrograde

Melody played backwards

Augmentation

Notes made longer

Diminution

Notes made shorter

Ostinato

Repeated musical pattern

Riff

Short repeated melodic phrase (often in pop/rock)

Pedal

Sustained or repeated note in the bass

Drone

Continuous note(s), often in folk music

Broken chords (arpeggio)

Notes of a chord played separately

Alberti bass

Broken chord pattern (low–high–middle–high)

Cadence

Chord progression that ends a phrase

Circle of fifths

Chord progression moving in 5ths

Melodic devices

Techniques used to develop the tune (e.g. sequence, inversion)

Harmonic devices

Techniques involving chords and accompaniment (e.g. pedal, cadences)

Tonic

The 1st note of the scale (e.g. C)

Supertonic

The 2nd note (e.g. D)

Mediant

The 3rd note (e.g. E)

Subdominant

The 4th note (e.g. F)

Dominant

The 5th note (e.g. G)

Submediant

The 6th note (e.g. A)

Leading note

The 7th note (e.g. B), leads to the tonic

Melody

The main tune; a sequence of notes that is musically satisfying

Articulation

How notes are played (e.g. staccato = short, legato = smooth)

Dynamics

The volume of the music (loud/quiet and changes in volume)

Tempo

The speed of the music

Texture

How many layers of sound there are and how they interact

Timbre

The tone colour or quality of a sound (what makes instruments sound different)

Tonality

The key of the music (major, minor, etc.)

Structure

The overall form/organisation of a piece (e.g. verse-chorus, ternary)

Harmony

Chords and how they are used

Instrumentation

The instruments or voices used in a piece

Rhythm

The pattern of beats and note lengths in music