Music Appreciation 1

Music

Music is different from noise because it is carefully selected frequencies using the pitch, volume and quality to engage the brain.

Musicality

The mental processes that underlie musical behavior and perception.

Relative pitch

Recognizing the same tune in a different key.

Noise

Many different sound frequencies all at once.

White noise

All audible frequencies at once with the same intensity.

Red noise

Lower frequencies.

Musical Anhedonia

Shows no relationship between musical enjoyment and physiological response.

Motherese

Baby talk, usually higher pitch, slower.

Prosody

The rhythmic pattern of stress and intonation in language.

Earworms

Catchy bits of music that repeat over and over (involuntary musical imagery).

Melody

A coherent succession of single pitches (or tones) heard in relation to each other.

Rhythm

The basic pulse of music is the beat; some beats are stronger than others.

Measures

Most music is in two, three or four beat patterns called measures.

Downbeat

The first beat in the measure, usually the strongest.

Harmony

The simultaneous sounding of two or more pitches or tones.

Chord

Three or more tones sounding together.

Scale

A collection of pitches arranged in ascending or descending order.

Dissonance

A combination of tones that don't sound like they belong together, provides tension.

Consonance

A combination of tones that sound agreeable or stable.

Texture

The way the melodic and harmonic elements of music are woven together, the layers.

Monophony

Literally means one voice; one part or line regardless of how many; one layer, a melody.

Homophony

One melody and harmony in layers, which is subordinate to the melody.

Polyphony

Literally means many voices; many lines, each an independent melody.

Heterophany

Uncommon in Western Music; two different melody lines or rhythmic patterns together.

Homorhythm

Melody and harmony have the same rhythm.

Counterpoint

Combining independent melodies to create a harmonious whole.

Form

The structure or design of music.

Ostinato

A short musical pattern that is repeated continually.

Timbre

The quality of sound that distinguishes pitch; it is unique to humans and elicits an emotional response.

Mozart Effect

The false belief that listening to Mozart, or any particular style of music will make a person smarter than listening to your favorite music.

Auditory scene analysis

When in a place where there are many sounds, this is the ability to isolate and focus on one, like a conversation or the music.