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String Family
Bowed or Plucked: violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar, banjo, mandolin
Woodwind family
Flute, piccolo, Oboe, english horn, clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, saxophone
Brass family
Air creates sound- ex: trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, french horn, trombone, tuba, euphonium, sousaphone
Percussion
Pitched- melody can be played on it, ex: Idiophones, Xylophone, Membranophones, timpani/kettle drum, Bass drum, Tambourine
Simple meter
the beat is divisible by 2, it sounds like you can march to it.
Compound meter
the beat is divisible by 3, you can skip to it.
Major mode
describes harmony that sounds happy, fun, excited ex. "jingle bells"
Minor mode
describes harmony that sounds dark, scary, sad
Consonance
agreeable harmony, relaxing, release tension ex. Country dance
Dissonance
instability in music, creates tension
Monophony
one single melodic line with nothing else happening, one note after another
Heterophony
when two or more instruments have the same melody at the same time, but they embellish the melody
Polyphony
two or more equally important melodic lines happening simultaneously
Homophony
melody with accompaniment can have a counter melody
Homorhythm
everybody has the same rhythm at the same time
a Cappella
without accompaniment
Jazz band
woodwind, brass, rhythm section, rarely has a conductor.
Gamelan Orchestra
just percussion; non-Western; Bali/Indonesian; no conductor; played by memory not sheet music.
Piano trio
violin, piano, cello
String Quartet
two violins, viola, cello
Woodwind Quintet
flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn
Jazz combo
any combination of instruments- piano, saxophone, jazz instruments...
Brass Quintet
two trumpets, French horn, trombone, tuba
Melody
tune, succession of single pitches that we perceive as a recognized whole.
What are the characteristics of a melody?
Range, Contour, Structure, Phrases and cadences, Climax
Countermelody
secondary melody that accompanies a main melody
Rhythm
moves music forward through time.
Meter
patterns into which rhythmic pulses are organized
Harmony
simultaneous events in music consisting of chords.
Chord
three or more pitches happening at the same time
Musical texture
melody and harmony combined
Tempo
speed of a piece of music
Dynamics
how loud or soft you play
Timbre
tone color, sound quality
Human voice
most widely used and natural of all musical instruments
What are the typical vocal ranges of the female voice?
Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Alto
What are the typical vocal ranges of the male voice?
Tenor, Baritone, Bass
How is a vocal ensemble typically voiced?
satb "soprano, alto, tenor, bass"
List vocal ensembles
chorus, choir, accompaniment, a cappella
Chorus
very large group of people
Choir
small group of people
What are the four categories of instruments?
aerophone, chordophone, idiophone, membranophone
Aerophone
produce sound using air- ex: trombone
Chordophone
produces sound by vibrating a chord between two points- ex: violin
Idiophone
produces sound using the substance of the instrument itself- ex: cymbals
Membranophone
produce sounds by striking a tightly stretched membrane- ex: drums
Keyboard
Piano (idio & chordophone), organ (idio), Harpsichord (idio & chordo)
Conductor
the leader of a large ensemble
Baton
an extension of the conductor's hand
Chamber ensemble
smaller. 10 or less people.
Examples of chamber ensembles
piano trio, string quartet, woodwind quintet, brass quintet, jazz combo, rock band
Examples of large ensembles
Symphony orchestra, concert band, wind ensemble, marching band, DCI, jazz band, Gamelan orchestra.
Genre
categories of music suggesting overall character of work and its function.
Functions
sacred and secular music.
Sacred music
religious, spiritual.
Secular music
everything else not religious.
Oral transmission
preservation of music without written notation, passed down.
Style
defined by the individual treatments of the elements of music
