Concert Band Terminologies- Semester 2 Final

Music

Organized sounds and structured silences moving through time

Rhythm

Duration of sounds and silences

Rhythm Notation

A system of mathematically related symbols representing sound and silences dating back to 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 parallel horizontal lines used to notate musical symbols associated with pitch notation

ledger line

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

clef sign

a notation symbol placed 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 2 different pitches

half step (semi- tone)

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

whole step

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

Flat (b) and sharp (#)

pitch notation, symbols, commonly referred to as accidentals, which lower (b) or raise (#) a letter pitch a half step

Double flat (bb) and double sharp (x)

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

chromatic

melodic or harmonic movement in half steps (1/2 steps)

accidental

chromatic alternation 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 (examples- 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/beat; also indicated the value of a whole note

bar line

a vertical drawn through the staff to serve as a visual organizer of the mathematical combinations of notes and rests 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 meter and 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 meter 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 of simple meter rhythm within compound meter( example- a triplet in 2/4 meter)

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-beat accents, placement of rests on 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 on note value to another usually involving a change in meter (examples; 4/4 to 2/2, 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 or ascending or descending pitches 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