music exam 1, chap 1-2

what is Accidental

A symbol that alters a note's pitch away from the note indicated by the key signature.

what is Beat

- The steady pulse in music; the basic unit of time.

what is brass instruments

-  Wind instruments made of brass, such as the trumpet and trombone.

what is Chromatic

- Involving all twelve half steps within an octave.

what is Composition

- A complete piece of music created by a composer.

what is conjunct motion

- Melodic movement by step; moving to adjacent notes.

what is disjunct motion

- Melodic movement by leap; moving by larger intervals.

what is Dynamics-

The volume of music, such as soft (p) or loud (f).

what are Interval

- The distance between two pitches.

what is Harmony

- Notes sounded together to support a melody or form chords.

what is homophonic texture

- One main melody with accompanying chords.

what is Key-

The tonal center of a piece, based on a specific scale.

what is a Keyboard

- An instrument like a piano, or the layout of its keys.

what is a Measure

A group of beats between two bar lines.

what is a melody

-A series of notes that form a musical idea or tune.

what is a Meter-

The organization of beats into regular patterns, such as 4/4 or 3/4.

what is monopobic texture 

- A single melodic line with no accompaniment.

what is motive-

A short musical idea or pattern that repeats and develops.

what is Music-

The art of organized sound over time using elements like pitch and rhythm.

what is Octave-

The interval between a note and the next note with double its frequency.

what is Percussion-

Instruments played by striking or shaking (e.g., drums, cymbals).

what is Pitch-

The highness or lowness of a sound.

what is Polyphony

A musical texture with two or more independent melodies played at once.

what is Range-

The span from the lowest to the highest note an instrument or voice can produce.

what is Rhythm-

The pattern of sounds and silences in music, organized in time.

what is Scale-

A series of pitches in ascending or descending order, often forming the basis of a key.

what is sring instruments-

Instruments that produce sound by vibrating strings (e.g., violin, cello, guitar).

what is Synthesizers-

Electronic instruments that generate sound using digital or analog signals.

what is Tempo-

The speed of the beat in a piece of music.

what is Texture-

How many layers of sound are heard at once and how they interact (e.g., monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic).

what is time signature-

A symbol at the beginning of a piece that tells how many beats per measure and which note gets the beat (e.g., 4/4, 3/4).

what is Vocal-

Music produced by the human voice.

what is woodwind instruments-

Instruments that produce sound when air is blown through a tube, often using a reed (e.g., clarinet, oboe).

what is a cappella-

Music performed by voices alone, without instrumental accompaniment.

what is chant  

A type of vocal music with a free rhythm, often used in religious worship (e.g., Gregorian chant).

what is Hymn-

A religious song or poem of praise, usually sung by a congregation with steady rhythm.

what is Melisma-

Singing a single syllable of text while moving between several different pitches.

what is Song-

A short musical composition with lyrics, usually featuring melody and accompaniment.

what is syllabic-

A singing style in which each syllable of text is matched to one note of music.

what is verse and refrain form-

A song structure where verses change but a repeated refrain or chorus returns throughout.