Fundamentals and Elements of Music

Sound

Vibrations moving through the air in form of sound waves; when they reach our eardrums and brain understand it as sound

Silence

Absence of heard sound

Pitch

How high or low a sound is heard

Duration

How long or short a sound is heard in relation to silence

Loudness

How loud or soft a sound is heard

Timbre

The unique color of a sound; dark, bright, mellow, rich; changes to create variety and contrast

Texture

The level of complexity in sound and how we perceive its density; the layers of sound

Frequency

The measurement of sound waves by which is determined; measure of rate of occurrence

Intonation

A description of the precise frequency of a sound wave, and how interactions between multiple sound waves register to the ear as "in tune" or "out of tune"

Interval

Distance in pitch between 2 tones

Octave

Tones seperated by an interval

Dynamics

Loudness and softness, determined by vibration and amplitude

Pianissimo (pp)

Very soft

Fortissimo (ff)

Very loud

Decrescendo

Gradually get softer

Crescendo

Gradually get louder

Number of octaves professional singers have

2+

Female vocal ranges

Soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto

Male vocal ranges

Tenor, baritone, bass

Soprano

High notes; Brighter timbre; Ex. mariah carey

Mezzo-soprano

Warm and steady; sing as high as counterpart but have a lower register and lush tone quality; Ex. Lady Gaga

Alto

Lower register; Ex. Cher

Tenor

High notes; bright timbre; ex. justin timberlake

Baritone

Both high notes and low register; ex. frank sinatra

Bass

Deep tones; ex. peter steele of type o negative

Instruments

Mechanism that generates musical vibrations and transmits them into the air

Register

Part of the total range; general highness or lowness of pitch

Electric

Produce or amplify sound

synthesizers

Generate, modify, and control sound

theme

melody used as the basis for a musical composition

variations

varied repetitions of the theme

rhythm

recurring patter of tension and release, ordered durations of sounds and silences

beat

regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time

meter

organization of beats into regular groups

measure/bar

a group of a fixed # of beats

accented

note is emphasized by being played louder than the notes around it

syncopation

when an accented note comes unexpectedly "offbeat"

tempo

speed of the beat, pace of the music

tempo indication

Given at beginning of a piece

Given at beginning of a piece

produces flashes to indicate the exact # of beats/minute

melody

series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole. moves by steps (small) and leaps (large)

melodic curve

melodic curve

legato

played in smooth/connected style

staccato

performed short, detached

cadence

Resting place at the end of phrase

Frequency is measured by what unit?

Hertz (Hz)

Frequency of a sound wave is _______ _________ to its wavelength

Inversely proportional

Inversely proportional

The wider a wave the lower its frequency

Solfege

A system of syllables which correspond to pitches of a scale; Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do; or C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Piano (p)

soft

Mezzopiano (mp)

moderately soft

Mezzoforte (mf)

Moderately loud

Forte (f)

Loud

articulation

The particular way that a musician realizes a tone, in terms of its shape, its duration, and even the techniques that a performer uses to create the sound

Staccato

seperate or short notes, surrounded by silence

legato

connected or long notes, with little silence surrounding the tone

accented

an emphasized note, where the beginning of the tone is slightly louder than the ending of the note

marcato

accented forcefully, literally marked

slur

notes that are connected with no noticeable “front” on each tone

Vibrato

Quivering, or literally “vibrating” on a tone

Trill

a very rapid back-and-forth motion between a tone and another tone immediately above or below it

Ornamentation

The technique of adding "decorative" elements, such as trills, grace notes and vibrato, to a note or passage of music

Mutes

A device, used by both string players and brass players, which alters the timbre of their instrument, usually creating a dampened or more subdued timbre

overtone

An additional frequency which occurs whenever a tone is produced by an instrument or voice

Tessitura

The general range of voices someone’s best is suited for

String instruments

Instrument that makes sound when a strings are pulled to tension vibrate; through plucking, or drawing a bow across

pizzicato

A performance technique used by players of stringed instruments whereby the strings are plucked rather than bowed

arco

A distinct sound produced by bowing

What are the string instruments?

Violin, harp, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, sitar, fiddle, banjo

Woodwind instruments

instruments that produce vibrating columns or streams of air, directed through a chamber or tube, it passes a reed then over the sharp edges of an open hole in the instrument

What are the woodwind instruments?

Clarinet, oboe, bassoon, flute, piccolo, saxophone, english horn

Brass instruments

Instruments that use tubes of various lengths to alter pitch and create vibrating columns of air, by directing that air through specific mouth formations; also made of brass

embouchure

A technique of playing instruments in which air column moves past the aperture and causes the lips to vibrate, and this vibrating column is then focused into a funnel-shaped mouthpiece

aperture

Small opening in the lips

What are the brass instruments?

Bugle, trombone, trumpet, french horn, tuba

Percussion Instruments

Instrument that makes sound when striked either by hand, with a stick, or tool

pitched

Percussion instruments which produce at least one discernible pitch or a variety of different pitches

unpitched

Percussion instruments which produce a sound that does not usually resonate to the listener as a pitch

what are the 2 types of percussion instruments?

What are the idiophone instruments?

Cymbls, xylophone, gong, triangle, castanets, washboard

What are the membranophones?

Timpani/kettle drums, snare drum

Keyboard Instruments

any musical device played by pressing a row of keys, levers, or buttons with the fingers

what are the keyboard instruments?

Harpsichord, pipe organ, grand piano

Ostinato

Any rhythmic pattern or figure which repeats for an extensive length of time without changing significantly

Whole note

4 beats per

half note

2 beats per

quarter note

1 beat per

eighth note

½ beat per

sixteenth note

¼ beat per

metronome

A mechanical device which produces a repeating and consistent click at a designated tempo

largo

very slowly

adagio

slowly

andante

moderately slow

moderato

moderately paced

allegro

quickly yet unhurried

vivace

quickly and briskly

presto

very quickly

accelerando

to quicken the tempo