Fundamentals of Pitch, Notation, and Rhythm

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing essential terms from the lecture on pitch representation, musical notation, accidentals, and basic rhythmic concepts.

Pitch

The perceived highness or lowness of a sound, determined by the number of vibrations per second.

Staff (Staves)

A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces used to notate pitches.

Grand Staff

A pair of staves (treble and bass) bracketed together, commonly used for keyboard and harp notation.

Clef

A symbol placed at the beginning of a staff to assign specific pitch names to its lines and spaces.

Treble Clef (G Clef)

Clef that places the note G on the second line of the staff.

Bass Clef (F Clef)

Clef whose two dots surround the fourth-line F on the staff.

Movable C Clef

A clef that designates middle C on whichever staff line its two curves meet.

Alto Clef

Form of the C clef that places middle C on the third line.

Tenor Clef

Form of the C clef that places middle C on the fourth line.

Ledger Line

Short line added above or below the staff to extend its range.

Half Step

The smallest interval on a keyboard, moving to the next adjacent key.

Whole Step

Interval equal to two half steps.

Accidentals

Collective term for symbols that raise, lower, or restore pitches: sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals.

Sharp (♯)

Accidental that raises a pitch one half step.

Flat (♭)

Accidental that lowers a pitch one half step.

Double Sharp (𝄪)

Accidental that raises a pitch two half steps.

Double Flat (𝄫)

Accidental that lowers a pitch two half steps.

Natural Sign (♮)

Accidental that cancels a previous sharp, flat, double sharp, or double flat.

Enharmonic Spelling

Different notational names (e.g., C♯ and D♭) that represent the same pitch.

Note Head

The oval part of a note symbol indicating pitch location on the staff.

Stem

Vertical line attached to a note head that helps indicate duration.

Flag

Curved mark added to a stem to shorten note duration (e.g., eighth notes).

Beam

Thick horizontal line connecting multiple stems to show rhythmic grouping of flagged notes.

Rest Symbol

Notation indicating a specific duration of silence.

Beat

Basic unit of time against which note and rest values are measured.