Part 1 - Elements of Music Review

DC - Music Appreciation

style

characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone, color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form in music.

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form

organization of musical ideas in time

three-part form (ABA)

form that can be represented as statement (A) ; contrast (B) ; return of statement (A.)

binary form (two-parts)

form that can be represented as statement (A) and counterstatement (B)

Musical texture

number of layers of sound that are heard at once, what kinds of layers they are, and how they are related to each other.

monophonic texture

single melodic line without accompaniment.

polyphonic texture

performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest at the same time.

homophonic texture

term describing music in which one main melody is accompanied by chords.

Key (tonality)

Central note, scale, and chord within a piece, in relationship to which all other tones in the composition are heard.

Scale

Series of pitches arranged in order from low to high or high to low.

Half step

Smallest interval traditionally used in western music.

whole step

interval twice as large as the half step

key signature

sharp or flat signs immediately following the clef sign at the beginning of a piece of music, indicating the key in which the music is to be played

modulation

shift from one key to another within the same piece

Harmony

How chords are constructed and how they follow each other

chord

combination of three or more tones sounded at once

consonance

tone combination that is stable and restful

dissonance

tone combination that is unstable and tense

chord progression

a series of chords played one after another creating a foundation in a piece of music

triad

most basic of chords, consisting of three alternate tones of the scale.

Melody

series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole

steps and leaps

intervals have steps and leaps

phrase

part of a melody

cadence

resting place at the end of a phrase in a melody.

notation

system of writing down music so that specific pitches of rhythms can be communication

staff

a set of five horizontal lines between or on which notes are positioned

note

a black or white oval to which a stem and flags can be added

rest

an expression of silence

clef

symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to show the exact pitch of notes placed on each line and space

time signature (meter signature)

two numbers, one above the other, appearing at the beginning of a staff or the start of a piece, indicating the meter of the piece

Rhythm

the ordered durations of sounds and silences

beat

regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time.

meter

organization of beats into regular groups. Also regular and recurrent.

accent

emphasis of a note, which may result from its being louder, longer, or higher in pitch than the notes near it.

syncopation

accenting a note at an unexpected time, as between two beats or on a weak beat.

tempo

basic pace of the music

Voices

One of the oldest instruments. Singing has been the most widespread and familiar way of making music. Voices sound different because of bone structure. Singing is difficult because of wider ranges of pitch and volumes of sound. You have to have great control of breath. Styles of singing are different not just because of genre but also culture.

Voice Ranges

Women:

-Soprano

-Mezzo-Soprano

-Alto (or contra alto)

Men:

-tenor

-baritone

-bass

Instruments

chordophone, aerophone, membranophone, idiophone

chordophone

Sound is produced by the vibration of a string. ex: violin, guitar, viola.

aerophone

Sound is produced by air. Ex: saxophone, trumpet, tuba

membranophone

Sound is produced by the vibration of a membrane. Ex: drum

Idiophone

Sound is produced by the vibration of the instrument itself. Ex: triangle, cymbals, tambourine

String instruments

Members of the same family all produce sound in the same way. Big instruments produce low sounds, small instruments produce high sounds.

String family

-Violin

-Viola

-Cello

-Bass

Woodwind family

-flute

-clarinet

-saxophone

-oboe

-bassoon

flute

blowing air over an open hole causes vibrations producing sound and pressing the keys changes the pitch.

clarinet

a single reed instrument that you blow on a reed and it vibrates and produces sound.

saxophone

a single reed instrument that you blow on a reed and it vibrates and produces sound.

oboe

double reed instrument uses two reeds that vibrate against each other and produce sound

bassoon

double reed instrument that uses two reeds to vibrate against each other to produce sound.

brass family

-trumpet

-french horn

-trombone

-tuba

trumpet

Used for military to alert people, very important.

french horn

invented by Germans

trombone

changes pitch by a slide

tuba

biggest lowest instrument

percussion family

members of this family are idiophones and membranophones

-drum

-triangle

-tambourine

-marimba

-xylophone

keyboard family

-harpsichord

-piano

-pipe organ

harpsichord

can only play one dynamic level which why the piano was produced later. String vibrates through hammer. high-tension strings

piano

produced in the 1700s can play multiple dynamic levels. has plucked strings in order to play soft. Standard instrument in most music today.

pipe organ

can sound a lot like different instruments. lots of buttons to produce different sound. 5 keyboards bc keyboards produce different levels of sound, you also have to play with your feet.

Sound

Vibrations that are transmitted, usually through air, to the eardrum, which sends impulses to the brain. They are transmitted in sound waves.

Medium

What sound waves travel through (usually air)

Pitch

Relative highness or lowness of a sound

Tone

A sound that has a definite pitch

Octaves

When tones are separated by an interval. There are 8 notes in one of these.

Interval

The "distance" in pitch between any two tones.

Pitch range

Distance between the highest and lowest tones that a given voice or instrument can produce.

Dynamics

Degrees of loudness or softness in music.

Tone color (timbre)

Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another.