Chorus Vocab

Harmonic Minor

created by raising the 7th not of a natural minor scale by a half step

Leading tone

the 7th scale degree of major or harmonic minor scale a half step below the tonic

Beat

the underlying pulse of a song

consonance

the quality of two or more notes sounding stable, restful and pleasant together, creating a sense of resolution rather than tension or clash

tie

a small curved line that connects two or more notes of the same pitch

syncopation

a musical technique where accents are placed on weak or unexpected beats, displacing the expected rhythmic pattern and creating a sense of surprise of excitement

mode

a specific type of musical scale that uses the same note as a major scale but start on a different scale degree giving it a unique character, mood and melodic/harmonic qualities

cadential Ti

the leading tone of a scale when it appears in a cadence

Ictus

the precise beat in the conducting pattern where singer align sound

third

an interval spanning 3 letter names used for small melodic jumps

subdivision

the process of dividing a beat into smaller rhythmic units

metronome

a practice tool that produces a stead beat

diction

the clarity and precision with which a singer articulates lyrics faculting the clear pronunciation of contestants and vowels to convey the meaning and emotion of the words

Legato

an articulation indicating that notes should be played or sung in a smooth and flowing manner with no noticeable gaps of breaks between them

crescendo

a gradual smooth increase in volume

Diminuendo

a gradual smooth decrease in volume

compound meter

a musical time signature in which the main beat is divided into 3 equal parts rather than 2 in a simple meter

simple meter

a term signature where each beat is divided into 2 equal parts rather than 3

dotted quarter

has a duration of one and a half beats

grouping

visually organizes notes by beats or longer rhythmic unit using horizontal beats

Anacrusis

an incomplete measure at the beginning of a musical piece that precedes the first full accented measure

barline

vertical lines on a musical staff that divides music into segments called measures

perfect fifth

a musical interval consisting of 7 semitones (or half steps)

Drone

a sustained chord or single note that is held for along duration often serving as harmonic foundation for a melody or other musical elements