Introduction to Music Practice Flashcards

This study pack covers fundamental music theory vocabulary including notation, pitch, rhythm, meter, melody, harmony, triads, and various scales based on the SSCI215 curriculum.

Music notation

A system of writing music so specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated.

Staff

A set of five horizontal lines on which music is written (plural: staves).

Ledger line

A short horizontal line for pitches above or below the staff.

Clef

A symbol placed at the beginning of a staff to determine the exact names or pitches of the lines and spaces.

Treble clef

Also called G clef or Cl de Sol; used for relatively high pitches and instruments like the violin, flute, and trumpet.

Bass clef

Also called F clef or Cl de Fa; used for relatively low pitches and instruments like the cello, double bass, and tuba.

Grand staff

The combination of treble and bass staves.

Duration

The measurement of how long a sound or silence lasts.

Whole note

A note that receives $4$ beats.

Half note

A note that receives $2$ beats.

Quarter note

A note that receives $1$ beat.

Eighth note

A note that receives $\frac{1}{2}$ of a beat; can be connected with one beam.

Sixteenth note

A note that receives $\frac{1}{4}$ of a beat; normally connected with two beams.

Rest

A symbol representing a duration of silence.

Time signature

A symbol showing the meter of a piece; the upper number indicates beats per measure, and the lower number indicates which note type receives the beat.

Duple meter

A meter indicated by a $2/4$ time signature.

Triple meter

A meter indicated by a $3/4$ time signature.

Quadruple meter

A meter indicated by a $4/4$ time signature.

Melody

A series of single tones forming a recognizable whole, heard one after another.

Step

Movement between two adjacent tones of the scale.

Leap

Any musical movement larger than a step.

Legato

A smooth and connected performance style.

Staccato

A short and detached performance style.

Musical phrase

A shorter musical unit within a melody.

Climax

The highest tone of a melody, which usually serves as its most intense point.

Cadence

A resting or arrival point at the end of a musical phrase.

Incomplete cadence

A cadence that sounds like an unfinished question, creating expectation.

Complete cadence

A cadence that provides a conclusive answer or sense of finality.

Harmony

The way chords are constructed and how they follow one another, adding depth and richness to a melody.

Chord

Three or more tones sounded at the same time.

Consonance

A stable and restful combination of tones.

Dissonance

An unstable and tense combination of tones that demands movement toward stability.

Resolution

Movement from a dissonance to a consonance.

Triad

The simplest and most basic chord, containing three different tones (usually the $1st$, $3rd$, and $5th$ scale tones).

Tonic chord

A triad built on the first note of the scale; it is the most stable and conclusive chord.

Dominant chord

A triad built on the fifth note of the scale; it creates tension and is strongly pulled toward the tonic chord.

Arpeggio

Also called a broken chord; the tones of a chord sounded one after another rather than simultaneously.

Tonic

The central tone of a melody around which the piece is organized.

Tonality

Another word for key; involves a central note, scale, and chord.

Scale

The basic pitches of a piece arranged from low to high or high to low.

Semitone

Also called a half step; the smallest interval traditionally used in Western music.

Whole tone

An interval twice as large as a semitone.

Major-scale interval pattern

The specific sequence of intervals defined as $T-T-S-T-T-T-S$..

Natural-minor pattern

The specific sequence of intervals defined as $T-S-T-T-S-T-T$..

Key signature

Sharps or flats written after the clef to indicate the key and avoid repeated accidentals.

Chromatic scale

A scale consisting of the $12$ tones of the octave, each separated by a semitone.

Chroma

The Greek word meaning colour, from which the word 'chromatic' is derived.