V1 Elements of Music Vocabulary

rhythm

a sequence of sounds and silences of different durations in musical time/ when a sound happens (musical time) and how long it lasts (duration)

pulse/beat

the basic underlying unit of musical time

tempo

the speed of the basic pulse

meter

a recurring pattern of weak and strong pulses or beats

meter types

duple (2), triple (3), additive (2+3), non-metric (pulseless)

syncopation

a reversal or subversion of the normal pattern of weak and strong beats or pulses

groove

the channeled flow of a recurring rhythmic pattern

pitch

a named frequency

interval

the distance between two pitches

melodic interval

pitches separated in musical time

harmonic interval

pitches sound at the same time

scale

a defined set of pitches

modality

the mode of a scale; its shape, quality, and character

mode types

major and minor

tonality

the primacy of a central pitch (tonic) in a scale

tonic pitch

gives the other notes in a scale a sense of order, function, and direction

key

the basic tonality and modality of a musical piece or song

modulation

a change of key in a musical piece or song

melody

a sequence of pitches of different durations in musical time

phrase

a larger subsection of a melody, frequently presented in a antecedent and consequent structure

cadence

a pause or stopping point between phrases in a melody

song

a melody with words

harmony

the interaction between two or more notes sounded simultaneously

consonant harmony

relaxed and stable

dissonant harmony

tense and unstable

chord

two or more pitches sounded simultaneously

chord progression

a recurring sequence of chords that provides harmonic accompaniment for a melody

texture

all the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic things that happen in a section of a musical piece, an dhow they are related to each other

monophony texture

single melody without harmonic accompaniment

polyphony texture

two or more different melodic lines played simultaneously

homophony texture

single melody with harmonic accompaniment

homorhythmic texture

all instruments and voices play the same rhythm

form

the structure of a musical piece

elements of form

repetition (AAA), variation (A1A2A3), contrast (ABC)

strophic form

a song that employs the same music for each poetic unit of lyrics (AAA)

verse-chorus form

a song that consists of sub-sections with both recurring lyrics and poetic text

verse

the sub-sections of a song in which the text changes with each successive poetic unit or storytelling

chorus

the sub-section of a song in which the text is repeated/main lyrical idea or emotional message

bridge

sub-section of a song that is used to contrast with and prepare for the return of the verse and chorus

12-bar blues form

standard song form developed by Blues singers in 1900s

32-bar AABA pop song

standard song form used by Tin Pan Alley songwriters in 1800 and 1900s

distortion

a buzzing or fuzzy tone color achieved by overdriving the vacuum tubes on an amplifier

feedback

an out of control sound oscillation that occurs when the output of a loudspeaker enters a microphone and is re-amplified

hook

a catchy or memorable musical phrase or pattern

reverb

the prolongation of a sound by virtue of an ambient acoustical space

riff

a simple, recurring melodic idea or rhythmic pattern