Music Theory Basics

time signature

tells how many beats are in each measure and what kind of note gets one beat

measure

space between two barlines

eighth notes

two eighth notes connected with a beam, equal to one beat

eighth rest

gets one half count of silence

bar line

divides the staff into measures

bass clef

Used for the lower sounding pitches. Also called F clef.

crescendo

gradually increasing in volume, also written as cresc.

double bar line

shows the end of a piece of music

decrescendo

gradually decreasing in volume, also written as decresc.

dotted half note

gets 3 counts of sound

eighth note

gets one-half count of sound

forte

loud volume

half note

gets 2 counts of sound

half rest

gets 2 counts of silence

flat

lowers the pitch of a note by one-half step

mezzo forte

medium loud volume

natural

cancels the effect of a flat or sharp

piano

soft volume

quarter note

gets one count of sound

quarter rest

gets one count of silence

repeat

go back and play again

sharp

raises the pitch of a note by one-half step

staff

the 5 lines and 4 spaces on which music is written

treble clef

Used for the higher sounding pitches. Also known as the G clef.

whole note

gets 4 counts of sound

whole rest

gets 4 counts of silence

fortissimo

very loud

mezzo piano

medium loud

pianissimo

very soft

Octave

Notes with an interval of eight (they have the same letter name but are eight steps apart.)

Interval

The distance between two notes

Opera

A story told on stage with music

Orchestra

Musicians playing instruments from all four instrument families

Symphony

A piece of music written for orchestra

Melody

One note at a time; or, when everyone is performing the same note at the same time.

Step

When notes move from one to the next in ABC order without skipping any--they make a "line note, space note" pattern

Harmony

Different notes performed at the same time.

Band

Musicians playing instruments from the brass, woodwind and percussion families.

Refrain

The part of the song where the words stay the same

Verse

The part of the song where the words change each time you sing it

Lyrics

The words to a song

Form

The order of the sections of a song; or, the way the song is organized.

Composer

A person who writes music

Conductor

The person who stands in front of the musicians with a baton and tells them when to start and stop

Acoustic

A kind of instrument that doesn't need electricity to be played

Choir

A group of musicians singing together

Allegro

Fast

Andante

Walking speed

Largo

Slow

Scale

Eight notes moving by step in the same direction

Leap / Skip

When notes have intervals greater than two (the skip over steps)

Rhythm

The length of a note; how long or short a note will sound

Dynamics

The volume of a song

Tempo

The speed of a song