conjunct
notes move by step
arpeggio/broken chord
playing the chords one by one ascending or descending
low pitch
a low sound
high pitch
a high sound
repetition
a melody is repeated
contrast
one melody is a different shape from another
octave
distance between 8 consecutive notes
tone (major 2nd)
distance between next door notes in a major scale (C to D)
semitone
the distance between half a tone (eg C to C#)
range
the distance between the highest and lowest notes in the music
sequence
a short musical idea is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch
imitation
a phrase is repeated (maybe by a different part)
chromatic movement
notes consecutively up or down in semi tones
pentatonic
5 note scale
blue notes
notes that are flattened in a. scale to make it sound bluesy
question and answer phrases
an initial phrase/idea is balanced by a second idea
fanfare
a short musical flourish usually played by brass instruments
mode
A type of scale, originating from ancient times. This tonality may be found in church music, folk music, blues and jazz.
ancrusis
a lead in or introduction
disjunction
lots of leaps between notes
scalic
notes follow the order of a scale, one after another
leitmotif
A short recurring melodic phrase throughout a piece of music, associated with a particular person or object.
motif
a short melodic idea that has special importance in the music
ornamentation
decoration of a melody with ‘fancy twiddles’ eg trills and turns
countermelody
another melody played at the same time as the main melody