music 200 exam 1

3 components for music

vibration, medium, receiver

definition of music

the arrangement of sounds in time

broca’s area

controls the physical production of speech

wernicke’s area

deals with the understanding of language

cerebrum

the site of complex brain functions, seperated into left and right hemsipheres connected by the corpus callosum

cerebellum

coordinates muscle movements

brainstem

performs autonomous/vital functions

similarities between speech and music

pitch, rhythm, syntax

pitch

highness or lowness of a sound

staff

series of five lines and four spaces to represent different pitch names

clef

symbol indication the placement of certain pitches on a musical staff

notation

seven letter names toclassify notes placed on a staff (ABCDEFG)

rests

indicate silence

notation

different not heads and flags represent different rhythmic values

interval

distance between two pitches, counted using the number of chromatic pitches between 2 pitches

octave

two pitches that form a 2:1 frequency ratio

half step

a distance of one semitone

whole step

a distance of two semitones

key

a collection of pitches used to centralize (tonicize) a specific pitch in western music. these pitches receive functionality based on their distance from the tonic (home pitch).

chromatic

notes outside of the given key

diatonic

notes included in the given key

accidentals

change pitch; sharp, natural, double flat, flat. double sharp

scale

a collection of pitches in ascending or descending order that follow a prescribed pattern

diatonic scale

8 notes

chromatic scale

all 12 notes

modulation

change in key or home note

melody

combination of pitches and rhythms forming a tune or theme that the listener perceives as a single, musical line

conjunct melodic motion

scalar, stepwise

disjunct melodic motion

leaps

phrase

is a relatively complete thought that exibits trajectory towards a goal, arriving at a sense of closure (cadence)

motive

a short, distinctive fragment of melody

theme

in longer works: topic or main idea

harmony

the sound of two more notes heard simultaneously

chords

three or more pitches played or sounding simultaneously

beat

a regular, recurring division of time

meter

the organization of beats into regular groupings

measure

a complete group containing a fixed number of beats

time signature

the fixed number of beats

rhythm

the particular arrangement of note lengths

syncopation

occurs when notes are played off the beat

tempo

the speed of the beat; the pace of the music

dynamics

degrees of loudness and softness in music

articulation

describes the inflection or emphasis given to a note; how specifically to play it

timbre

quality of the sound

chordophone

instruments that produce sound via a vibrating string

aerophones

instruments that produce sound through a vibrating air column

membranophones

produce sound primarily via a vibrating membrane

idiophones

creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself

texture

the sound created by combining individual pitches, rhythms, and timbres = infinite

monophonic

one melody only

heterophonic

many versions of the SAME melody (rare); not in unison

homophonic

one melody and one accompaniment

polyphonic

2 or more independent melodies sounded together