Band Final

Music

Organized sounds instruction silences moving through time

Rhythm

Duration of sounds and silences

Rhythm Notation

A system of mathematically related symbols representing sound in silence, dating back to the middle ages

Pitch

Frequency (vibration of a sound)

Pitch Notation

A system of lines, spaces, and clef signs developed by the Catholic Church in Rome during the early middle ages

Dynamic

Volume level or range

Timbre (tone color)

The distinguishing or characteristic quality of a sound (bright/dark, warm/cold, piercing/mellow, red/blue)

Composition

The arrangement or combination of different parts or elements to form a whole

4 Components of Sound

Rhythm (Duration), Pitch (frequency), Dynamic (volume), Timbre (tone color)

5 Elements of Music

Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Timbre (tone color), Form

Staff

A set of five parallel, horizontal lines used to notate musical symbols associated with pitch and duration

Ledger Line

A short horizontal line placed above or below the staff in order to extend the range of pitch notation

Clef Sign

A notational symbol place at the beginning of the staff in order to identify a specific line or space as a specific pitch

Treble Clef (G clef)

2nd line from the bottom of the staff is G

Bass Clef (F Clef)

2nd line from the top of the staff is F

Alto Clef (C Clef)

Middle line on the staff is Middle C

Tenor Clef (C Clef)

2nd line from the top is Middle C

Interval

Aural (hearing) distance or the distance on the piano keyboard between two different pitches

Held step (semi-tone)

smallest notated pitch interval in western musi; the distance between one key and the immediate next key, up or down, on the piano keyboard

Whole step

an interval consisting of 2 half steps (examples: A-B, F#-G#, Db-Eb)

Flat (b) and Sharp (#)

Pitch notation symbols, commonly referred to as accidentals, which lowers (b) or raise (#) a latter pitch a half step

Double flat (bb) and double sharp (x)

Pitch notation symbols (accidentals) which lowers (bb) or raise (x) a letter pitch by a whole step

Chromatic

Melodic or harmonic movement in half-steps (1/2 steps)

Accidental

Chromatic alteration of a pitch within a measure through the use of a flat, sharp, or natural sign in order to utilize a pitch outside of the key signature/tonality

Enharmonic

Two or more names/spellings for the same pitch (example: Ab & G#, D# and Eb)

Intonation

Matching of pitches/frequencies

Consonance

Pleasant combination of pitches

Dissonance

Harsh or discordant combination of pitches often used by the composer to create tension

Chord

A vertical structure created when 3 or more pitches are sounded simultaneously

Arpeggio

Sounding the pitches of a chord in consecutive order rather than simultaneously

Triad

The basic chord structure of tonal music built by stacking intervals of Major and/or Minor 3rds

Meter

A recurring pattern of strong and weak beats

Meter (time) signature

A numerical symbol indicating the rhythmic organization and notation of a passage of music

Top number in a time signature

Maximum number of pulses/beats in a given measure

Bottom number in a time signature

The specific note/rest symbol that represents one pulse/beats; also indicates the value of a whole note

Bar line

A vertical line drawn through the stagg to serve as a visual organizer of the mathematical combination of notes and tests determined by the meter signature

Simple meter

Rhythmic division of a pulse into 2 equal parts and/or the sub-division of a pulse into 4 equal parts. Most commonly appears in 2/4 and 4/4 meters as 1+2+ or 1e+a 2e+a rhythms.

Compound meter

Rhythmic division of a pulse into 3 equal parts and/or the sub-division of a pulse into 6 equal parts. Most commonly appears in 6/8 meters as 1-2-3 4-5-6 or 1+2+3+ 4+5+6+ rhythms

Borrowed division

The use of a compound division rhythm within a simple meter or a simple meter rhythm within compound meter (example: a triplet in 2/4 meters)

Tempo

Speed at which a composition is performed

Syncopation

A deliberate conflict or “friction” between the recurring pulse of the meter & a rhythmic figure or pattern. Commonly created by weak/off-beats accents, placement of rests on a strong beats, or sustaining sounds over strong beats

Modulation (temporal/metric)

An increase or decrease in tempo and/or a shifting of the pulse from one note value to another usually involving a change in meter (examples: 4/4 to 2/2, to 2/4 to 6/8)

Tie

A notational symbol that connects two successive notes of the same pitch into a single sustained sound equal to their combined durations

Dot (duration)

When placed to the right of a note, lengthens (augments) the duration by half the original note value

Scale

A defined series of ascending or descending pictures within the range of an octave which creates a musical “vocabulary” for a composition

Chromatic Scale Interval Structure

H H H H H H H H H H H H

Whole Tone Scale Interval Structure

W W W W W W

Major Scale Interval Structure

W W H W W W H

Natural Minor Scale Interval Structure

W H W W H W W

Octave (8th) Scale Degree

Repetition of the tonic pitch one octave higher

Leading Tone (7th) Scale Degree

A pitch one half step below the octave, as found in a Major or Harmonic Minor scale, which functions to draw the ear to the tonic pitch

Dominant (5th) Scale Degree

Outside of the tonic, the 2nd most aurally powerful and active pitch in the scale, alla the Queen on a chessboard

Sub-dominant (4th) Scale Degree

The 3rd most aurally powerful and active pitch in the scale equal; in distance below the octave as a dominant pitch is above the tonic

Mediant (3rd) Scale Degree

“Middle” pitch between the tonic and the dominant. In most scales, this pitch determines the major or minor character of the scale

Tonic (1st) Scale Degree

Tone pitch of the scale; pitch with the greatest aural strength