Music Key Vocab (made by Izzie)

Diatonic

Pertaining to the notes of a major or minor scale

Chromatic

by semi-tones

Consonant

harmonious agreement

dissonant

harsh and disagreeable in sound

pedal note

Long held or repeated note, usually on tonic or dominant

drone note

A pedal is a single note that is held on or repeated in, the bass

Perfect cadence

V-I sounds final and complete

imperfect cadence

I-V
ii-V
IV-V
vi-V
Sounds unfinished

Interupted cadence

Chord V followed by any chord except I. Sounds surprising.

Plagal Cadence

IV-I sounds complete but not as strong, used for the amen at the end of hymns

Tierce de Picardie

The final chord of a piece of music in the minor key is changed to major.

major chords

Bright, triumphant sound

minor chords

sad

Dominant Seventh

chord V with added minor seventh.

power chord

a loud chord consisting of the only root note of the chord and the fifth, usually played on electric guitar

Twelve-bar blues

I, I, I, I, IV, IV, I, I, V, IV, I, I

Sixteen bar blues

A variation on the basic 12-bar blues progression with an extended pattern of chords. There is the same basic chord structure as the 12-bar blues with measure 9 and 10 repeated three times.

Major key

music based on a major scale

Minor key

music based on a minor scale

Atonal key

music that lacks a tonal center; absence of key

Modal key

Tonality based on modes (precursors of modern scales ‒ of several types, each with a different series of tones and semitones)

pentatonic scale

a five-note scale found often in folk music and non-Western music

Blues scale

a seven-note scale in which the third, fifth, and seventh pitches are sometimes flat, sometimes natural, and sometimes in between

whole tone scale

a six-note scale each pitch of which is a whole tone away from the next

modulation/key change

the technique of changing keys in the course of a single piece

simple time signature

when the beat naturally divides into two equal halves.

compound time signature

a time signature where the beat is dotted and sub-divides into groups of three, as in 6/8 which has two dotted crotchet beats, each of which comprises three quavers

regular metre

a time signature where all the beats are the same length

irregular metre

Time signature where beats are grouped in uneven mixtures of two and three.

free time

No discernable beat

Rubato

temporary irregularity of time, lengthening some notes at the expense of others

Grave (tempo)

very slow, solemn 20-40 BPM

Lento (tempo)

slow 40-45 BPM

largo (tempo)

broad, 45-50 BPM

Adagio (tempo)

Stately 50-65 BPM

Adagietto (tempo)

Rather slow 65-70 BPM

Andante (tempo)

walking pace 70-85 BPM

Moderato (tempo)

moderate 85-100 BPM

Allegretto (tempo)

moderately fast 100-110 BPM

Allegro (tempo)

fast, cheerful 110-130 BPM

vivace (tempo)

fast and lively 130-150 BPM

Presto (tempo)

very fast tempo 150-180 BPM

Prestissimo (tempo)

as fast as possible 180+ BPM

Anacrusis

upbeat

Pulse rhythm

a series of uniformly spaced beats

Augmentation

the action or process of making or becoming greater in size or amount

diminution

lessening; reduction in size

hemiola

Feeling of two in triple time

dotted rhythm

dotted note is followed by one shorter, long-short pattern

double dotted rhythm

A second dot represents half the value of the first dot, or a quarter of the original duration

Triplet notes

three-note pattern that fills the duration of a typical two-note pattern

Scotch snap/Lombard rhythm

a syncopated musical rhythm in which a short, accented note is followed by a longer one.

Pause

A pause sign tells you to hold the note or rest for slightly longer than its written value.

Groove

the sense of an effect ("feel") of changing pattern in a propulsive rhythm or sense of "swing".

Backbeat

Placing a strong accent on the offbeats.

In syncopation, a _________ is accented

Off beat

offbeat

a weak beat or any pulse between the beats in a measured rhythmic pattern

shuffle beat

A beat where straight quavers are relaxed into a more triplet feel, similar to a swing rhythm.

Swing/swung rhythm

Straight quavers are relaxed into a more triplet feel

skank rhythm

An offbeat pattern created by the guitarist playing an 'upstroke'

Bubble rhythm

reggae term, the effect created by playing chords in the left hand immediately before the off beat chords in the right hand on the keyboard

clave (Bo Diddley type beat)

A group of three notes in two - the basic rhythm of salsa.

Bi-rhythm

the use of two different rhythms together

Cross-rhythm

conflicting rhythms are heard together

Polyrhythm

a rhythm that makes use of two or more different rhythms simultaneously each with different beats

Bossa Nova

a style of Brazilian music derived from samba but placing more emphasis on melody and less on percussion.

Samba

Brazilian dance with African influences

Salsa Dance

Salsa is a Latin dance, associated with the music genre of the same name, which was first popularized in the United States in the 1960s in New York City.

Tango

A Latin American dance performed at a moderately slow, walk-like tempo in 4/4 meter

Habanera

A dance created in Cuba during the early nineteenth century that became popular in both Europe and South America. Its characteristic rhythm resurfaced in the Argentine tango and the cakewalk.

Danzon

Creolized Cuban dance-music genre that essentially became the national dance of Cuba in the 1920s; important forerunner of the danzon-mambo and the cha cha cha. Closely identified with the charanga ensemble.

merengue

The national music and dance of the Dominican Republic.

Cha Cha Cha

A dance of Cuban origin, the name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rhythm of the güiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet, Originator: Enrique Jorrín in 1953.

Rumba

a rhythmic dance with Spanish and African elements, originating in Cuba.

Sforzando (sfz)

Sudden strong accent

Legato

smooth and connected

staccato

short and detached

Contrapuntal

having two or more independent but harmonically related melodic parts sounding together

Canonic

in canon form

Imitative

copying or following a model or example

Layered texture

Sections of music that are repeated again and again are loops. When lots of loops are played at the same time this is layered texture.

Unison

Sounding together

a cappella

without musical instruments as accompaniment

Conjunct

smooth, connected melody that moves principally by small intervals

Disjunct

a melody that moves by leaps

Triadic melody

A melody based on triads

Broken chords

The pitches of a chord played at different times so that the sounds are staggered.

Scalic

music that is based on scales ascending and/or descending in pitch.

Arpeggio

the playing of the tones of a chord in rapid succession rather than simultaneously

Passing notes

The notes used to move between notes found in the chord. Usually on weak beats.

Portamento

a smooth gliding from one note to another

Glissando

rapid slide up or down a scale

Pitch bend

a short slide up or down to a main note

slide (melody)

A slide from one note to another

Whole tone

a musical interval of two semitones

motif

A recurring theme, subject or idea

Scat melody

Improvised singing used in jazz with nonsense lyrics and syllables

Improvisation

a performance given without prior planning or preparation

Blue notes

a minor interval where a major would be expected, used especially in jazz.

Trill

A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes