MUSC 145 Elements

Duration

how long or short a note is

Volume

how loud or soft

Pitch

how fast or slow the sound vibrates; how high or low

Timbre

distinctive color"of the sound

Rhythm

A mixture of long and short notes

Dynamics

Fluctuations in volume

Melody vs Harmony

single sequence of notes (catchy tune) vs. combination of notes used to enhance melody

Tessitura

how an instrument sounds in different ranges

The Rhythm Section

Chord, Bass, Percussion

Texture

How the music is interwoven

Classical Texture

counterpoint

Rock Texture

homophonic

Jazz Texture

counterpoint

Form

shape of the music

2 important jazz forms

AABA, ABAB

Tempo

speed of the beat

Surface Rhythms

faster rhythms emphasized over the basic tempo

Meter/Time signature

beats within a bar

Intro

introduction of a tune before the melody begins

Head

melody, played at the beginning of a tune and at the end after the solos.

Solos/solo section

jazz performers take turns improvising over the chord changes of a tune.

Coda

an added ending of a tune

Gig

playing at a venue for money

Woodshed/shed

means one needs to practice

Lead sheet

music notation that has only the melody and chord symbols

Chord progression

the motion from chord to chord in a piece of music

Fakebook

a collection of leadsheets in a book

Song

a piece of music that is sung

Tune

a piece of music played by jazz musicians

Piece

general name for a selection of music in classical music

Backbeat

something is struck on beats two and four

riff

short melodic idea that is repeated

notation

visual system to represent sounds

Syllabic Melody

one note per syllable

Melismatic Melody

one syllable, many notes

Foxtrot

2 beat