Rock & Pop Music Terms

a cappella

choral music with no instrumental accompaniment

accelerando

gradually speeding up the speed of the rhythmic beat

alto

a low-ranged female voice; the second lowest instrumental range

bar

a common term for a musical measure

baritone

a moderately low male voice; in range between a tenor and a bass

bass

the lowest male voice;

beat

a musical pulse

binary form

a form comprised of two distinctly opposing sections ("A" vs. "B")

brass instrument

a powerful metallic instrument with a mouthpiece and tubing that must be blown into by the player, such as trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, baritone, bugle

cadence

a melodic or harmonic punctuation mark at the end of a phrase, major section or entire work

chord

a harmonic combination that has three or more pitches sounding simultaneously

coda

(means "tail" in Italian) a concluding section appended to the end of a work

consonance

pleasant-sounding harmony

countermelody

a secondary melodic idea that accompanies and opposes a main thematic idea

counterpoint

a complex polyphonic texture combining two or more independent melodies

crescendo

gradually getting louder

decrescendo

gradually getting quieter

diatonic

a melody or harmony based on one of the seven-tone major or minor Western scales

ensemble

a group of musical performers

form

the elemental category describing the shape/design of a musical work or movement

forte

(f) a loud dynamic marking

guitar

a six-stringed fretted instrument

harmony

the elemental category describing vertical combinations of pitches

imitation

a polyphonic texture in which material is presented then echoed from voice to voice

improvisation

"on-the-spot" creation of music (while it is being performed)

instrumentation

the combination of instruments that a composition is written for

legato

a smooth, connected manner of performing a melody

measure

a rhythmic grouping, set off in written music by a vertical bar line

melody

the musical element that deals with the horizontal presentation of pitch

meter

beats organized into recurring and recognizable accent patterns (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, etc.)

mezzo-forte

(F) a medium loud dynamic marking

mezzo-piano

(f) a medium quiet dynamic marking

mezzo-soprano

a dramatic woman's voice that combines the power of an alto with the primary high range of a soprano

modulation

the process of changing from one musical key to another

motive

a small musical fragment ("Lego" block) used to build a larger musical idea; can be reworked in the course of a composition (as in the 4-note motive in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor)

orchestra

a large instrumental ensemble comprised of strings, woodwinds, brasses and percussion

orchestration

the technique of conceiving or arranging a composition for orchestra

ostinato

a short rhythmic/melodic idea that is repeated exactly over and over throughout a musical section or work

phrase

a small musical unit (sub-section of a melody) equivalent to a grammatical phrase in a sentence

pianissimo

(π) a very quiet dynamic marking

piano

(instrument) a versatile modern keyboard instrument that makes sound via fingered keys that engage felt-tipped hammers that strike the string

pitch

the relative highness or lowness of a musical sound (based on frequency of vibration

progression

a series of chords that functions similarly to a sentence or phrase in written language

register

a specific coloristic portion of an instrumental or vocal range

rhythm

the element of music as it unfolds in time

ritardando

gradually slowing down the tempo

sequence

the immediate repetition of a melodic passage on a higher or lower pitch level

song

(genre) a small-scale musical work that is sung (a German song is a "Lied"; a French song is a "chanson"; an Italian song is a "canzona")

soprano

1) the highest ranged woman's voice or a high pre-pubescent boy's voice; 2) the highest sounding instrument of an instrumental family

tempo

the speed of the musical beat

tenor

a high-ranged male voice

timbre

another term for tone color

tone color

the unique, characteristic sound of a musical instrument or voice

tonic

the first note of a scale or key

tutti

(Italian for "all" or "everyone") an indication for all performers to play together

unison

the rendering of a single melodic line by several performers simultaneously

variation

the compositional process of changing an aspect(s) of a musical work while retaining others

vibrato

small fluctuations in pitch used to make a sound more expressive

virtuoso

a performer of extraordinary ability

volume

the relative quietness or loudness of an electrical impulse