GCSE Music AO3-Film Music

Pizzicato

Plucking the strings.

Divisi

Two parts sharing the same musical line.

Double stopping

Playing two strings at the same time.

Arco

Using a bow to play a stringed instrument.

Tremolo

A 'trembling' effect, moving rapidly on the same note or between two chords.

Tongued

A technique to make the notes sound separated (woodwind/brass).

Slurred

Notes are played smoothly.

Muted

Using a mute to change/dampen the sound (brass/strings).

Drum roll

Notes/beats in rapid succession.

Glissando

A rapid glide over the notes.

Trill

Alternating rapidly between two notes.

Vibrato

Making the notes 'wobble' up and down for expression.

Theme

The main tune/melody.

Motif

A short musical idea (melodic or rhythmic).

Leitmotif

A recurring musical idea linked to a character/object or place.

Underscoring

Music playing underneath the dialogue.

Scalic

Melody follows the notes of a scale.

Triadic

Melody moves around the notes of a triad.

Interval

The distance between two notes.

Fanfare

Short tune often played by brass instruments, to announce someone/something important.

Pedal note

A long, sustained note, usually in the bass/lower notes.

Ostinato/riff

A short, repeated pattern.

Conjunct

The melody moves by step.

Disjunct

The melody moves with leaps/intervals.

Consonant harmony

Sounds 'good' together.

Dissonant harmony

Sounds 'clashy'.

Chromatic harmony

Uses lots of semitones/accidentals that's not in the home key.

Minimalism

A style of music using repetition of short phrases which change gradually over time.