scale
a collection of arranged pitches used as the basis for music
interval
the distance between any two pitches
octave
an interval between two pitches where they sound very similar, just higher or lower (2:1 ratio of frequency)
diatonic scale
the Western music set of seven pitches which make up the octave (eight span), as the first is repeated (just the white keys)
chromatic scale
12 pitches, including the diatonic scale and the five in between (white and black keys)
diatonic notation
lines and spaces in the staff
chromatic notation
flat (b) or sharp (#)
half step (semitone)
smallest easily identifiable interval
whole step
two half steps, and the distance between two white keys which are separated by a black key
melody
an organized series of pitches built from any scale
tune
a simple, easily singable, catchy melody
length of phrases
typically 2, 4, or 8 bars long
parallelism
same notes, different words
sequence
the duplication of a phrase at 2+ different pitch levels