Music Appreciation: Key Terms (Pages 1-3)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Pages 1-3 of the notes.

accidental

A symbol that alters a note's pitch away from the note indicated by the key signature.

beat

The steady pulse in music; the basic unit of time.

brass instruments

Wind instruments made of brass, such as the trumpet and trombone.

chromatic

Involving all twelve half steps within an octave.

composition

A complete piece of music created by a composer.

conjunct motion

Melodic movement by step; moving to adjacent notes.

disjunct motion

Melodic movement by leap; moving by larger intervals.

dynamics

The volume of music, such as soft (p) or loud (f).

interval

The distance between two pitches.

harmony

Notes sounded together to support a melody or form chords.

homophonic texture

One main melody with accompanying chords.

key

The tonal center of a piece, based on a specific scale.

keyboard

An instrument like a piano, or the layout of its keys.

measure

A group of beats between two bar lines.

melody

A series of notes that form a musical idea or tune.

meter

The organization of beats into regular patterns, such as 4/4 or 3/4.

monophonic texture

A single melodic line with no accompaniment.

motive

A short musical idea or pattern that repeats and develops.

music

The art of organized sound over time using elements like pitch and rhythm.

octave

The interval between a note and the next note with double its frequency.

percussion

Instruments played by striking or shaking (e.g., drums, cymbals).

pitch

The highness or lowness of a sound.

polyphony

A musical texture with two or more independent melodies played at once.

range

The span from the lowest to the highest note an instrument or voice can produce.

rhythm

The pattern of sounds and silences in music, organized in time.

scale

A series of pitches in ascending or descending order, often forming the basis of a key.

string instruments

Instruments that produce sound by vibrating strings (e.g., violin, cello, guitar).

synthesizers

Electronic instruments that generate sound using digital or analog signals.

tempo

The speed of the beat in a piece of music.

texture

How many layers of sound are heard at once and how they interact (e.g., monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic).

time signature

A symbol at the beginning of a piece that tells how many beats per measure and which note gets the beat (e.g., 4/4, 3/4).

vocal

Music produced by the human voice.

woodwind instruments

Instruments that produce sound when air is blown through a tube, often using a reed (e.g., clarinet, oboe).

a cappella

Music performed by voices alone, without instrumental accompaniment.

chant

A type of vocal music with a free rhythm, often used in religious worship (e.g., Gregorian chant).

hymn

A religious song or poem of praise, usually sung by a congregation with steady rhythm.

melisma

Singing a single syllable of text while moving between several different pitches.

song

A short musical composition with lyrics, usually featuring melody and accompaniment.

syllabic

A singing style in which each syllable of text is matched to one note of music.

verse and refrain form

A song structure where verses change but a repeated refrain or chorus returns throughout.