Aural Skills

Beat

The steady, underlying pulse of the music.

Tempo

The speed of the beat

Meter

the organization or grouping of rhythmic pulses

Rhythm

Longer or shorter sounds and silences that overlay the steady beat

Time Signature

a symbol of two numbers that designates the pattern in which a steady succession of rhythmic pulses is organized.

What does the top number of a time signature do?

Indicates the number of beats per pattern

What does the bottom number of a time signature do?

Indicates which note gets the beat

Anacrusis

a beginning incomplete measure

Tie

a curved line that connects two or more consecutive notes of the same pitch, resulting in one sustained sound that lasts the combined duration of both notes.

Extension dot

a dot written to the right of a note head and increases the duration of a note by half of its original value.

Breath mark

a short pause

Fermata

indicates that a note is to be lengthened

Tenuto

Placed over a note to indicate a hold more than the actually value of a note but less than a fermata.

Caesura

a break of silence

GP. – grand pause

a silence of significant length

Tempo

This refers to the pace of music, often indicated by beats per minute (BPM). It can vary from slow (largo) to fast (allegro) and affects the overall mood and energy of a piece.

Adagio

slowest

Andante

slow

Moderato

medium

Allegretto

fast

Allegro

fastest

Ritard/ritarando/ritenuto

gradually slow down

Accelerando

gradually speed up

A tempo

return to the previous tempo

Dynamics

degrees of loudness or softness

Fortissimo

Loudest

Forte

Loud

Mezzo forte

Medium loud

Mezzo piano

medium quiet

Piano

quiet

Pianissimo

quietest

Crescendo

– gradually increase volume

Decrescendo

gradually decrease volume

Diminuendo

Decrease in loudness

Legato –

smooth and connected

Staccto

detached

Accent

a sudden stress

Interval

the distance in pitch between two tones

Root

the lowest note of the tonic triad

Third

middle note of the tonic triad

Fifth

highest note of the tonic triad

Chord

three or more notes played at the same time

Clef

a symbol that indicates the pitch of a note written on a staff

Key signature

a symbol, a grouping of sharp or flat signs, that indicate the key of a piece of music

Hocket

a rhythmic device in which a melody is split between two voices

Diatonic

a scale made up of whole steps and half steps

Tonic

Do

Supertonic

Re

Median

Mi

Subdominant

Fa

Dominant

Sol

Submediant

La

Leading tone

Ti

Ledger Lines

a short horizontal line that extends the staff