Music gcse- tonality and harmony key vocab

Major

TTSTTTS

Minor

TSTTST1/2S

Diatonic

Using notes only found in the key

Chromatic

All pitches/notes that are not within original key

Atonal

Music not written in any key/mode

Modal

Often associated with medieval/renaissance/jazz/folk eg Dorian

Dorian mode

D→D on the white notes

Aeolian

A→A on the white notes

Whole tone

Interval between each note

Pentatonic

Use of five particular notes (major scale without 4 and 7)

Modulation

Change of key within a piece of music

Tonic

I

Supertonic

II

Mediant

III

Sub-dominant

IV

Dominant

V

Sub-mediant

VI

Leading note/sub-tonic

VII

C major/A minor

No sharps/flats

G maj/ E min

1 sharp

D maj/B min

2 sharps

A maj/F# min

3 sharps

E maj/C# min

4 sharps

B maj/G# min

5 sharps/7 flats

Gb and F# maj/ Eb and D# min

6 flats/6 sharps

Db maj/ Bb min

5 flats/7 sharps

Ab maj/ F min

4 flats

Eb maj/ C min

3 flats

Bb maj/ G min

2 flats

F maj/ D min

1 flat

triadic

Basic three note chord eg C maj

consonant

When notes of a chord sound pleasing together

dissonant

When note of a chord sound as though they clash

suspension

(Sus 2/4) a type of dissonance that usually resolves to consonance

Pedal note (tonic/dominant/inverted pedal)

a note that sustains whilst harmonies above are changing

extended chords

(7th,9th etc) colourful sounding chords that go beyond normal triad

Cadence (perfect, imperfect, plagal, interrupted)

ending of a phrase / section

perfect cadence

V-I

imperfect cadence

I/II/IV-I

plagal cadence

IV-I

interrupted cadence

V-VI

enharmonic equivalent

Two notes or keys switch to flat or sharp alternatives that result in the same sound (Ab and G#)