Music Appreciation 153 - Unit 2 Study Guide

Rhythm

The controlled movement of music in time (Flow of music; Sounds, Starts and Stops)

Pulse/Beat

A basic unit of measurement

Tempo

How fast or slow beats occur

Meter

The organization of rhythm in time (Arrangement of Strong/Weak Beats)

Measure/Bar

AKA Time Signatures, counted by the number of beats from one strong beat to the next.

Ex. Duple (2/4) — Marches (Strong-Weak)
Triple (3/4) — Waltzes (Strong-Weak-Weak)
Quadruple (4/4) — Classical/Pop (Strong-Weak-Strong-Weak)

Separate from TEMPO

Syncopation

The rhythmic effect that deliberately upsets the meter or pulse through a temporary shift of the accent to a weak beat (offbeat)

Pitch/Frequency

Pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies

Higher Pitch = Higher Frequency

Overtone

One of the higher tones produced simultaneously with the fundamental and that with the fundamental comprises a complex musical tone

In other words, overtones are all pitches higher than the lowest pitch within an individual sound; the fundamental is the lowest pitch

Timbre

Tone color, sound quality

Instruments

Aerophone — Sound produced from air (Ex. woodwinds, brass)

Chordophones — Sound produced from vibrating strings by bowing, plucking, or striking (Violin, guitar, etc.)

Idiophones — Sound produced from the substance itself (Steel drums, rattles, mbira)

Membranophones — Sound produced from tightly stretched membranes (Drum-type instruments)

Melody

A succession of single pitches perceived by the ear as a unity

Think of what you hum along to during a song

(Contour — the overall shape)
(Range — the distance from the highest to lowest note in a melody)
(Conjunct — Step-by-Step)
(Disjunct — Leap)

Phrase

A component of a melody

Antecedent/consequent relationship

Cadence

Points of rest within a musical phrase

Like punctuation in a sentence — where breaths would normally occur

Register

The melodic range (lowest to highest note) of an instrument or voice

Interval

The distance and relationship between two pitches

Consonance

Concordant or pleasing combination of pitches

Dissonance

A combination of tones that sound displeasing or discordant

Octave

A span of eight (8) notes

Think about the prefix Oct- meaning 8

Scale

Major and Minor

Patterns of whole & half steps

Chromatic Scale

Uses all 12 notes in the octave, separated by half-steps

(i.e. both white & black keys of a keyboard)

Diatonic

A melody or harmony built from the seven pitches of a major or minor scale

Key/Tonic

The centering of melody or harmony around a central note (tonic)

Tonics are the central note, AKA the “Home” Key

Harmony

Simultaneous combination of sounds

(Vertical aspect of music, adds depth)

Chord

Three or more notes played at the same time

Modulation

The process of changing from one key to another within a piece

Dynamic/Volume Markings

a. pianissimo (pp): very soft
b. piano (p): soft
c. mezzo piano (mp): moderately soft
d. mezzo forte (mf): moderately loud
e. forte (f): loud
f. fortissimo (ff): very loud

Form

The structure and design of music, based on repetition, contrast, and variation

Motive

Small fragment of a theme

Theme

The main melodic idea used as a building block in construction of a larger work

A smaller fragment is called a motive

Musical Texture

How the music “feels”
Four types:

Monophony — Single voice, sung or instrumental (One focus, one line of melody)

Heterophony — Melody combined w/ ornamented version of itself (Several musicians play the same line, each varies in some element like pitch or rhythm)

Polyphony — Two or more melodic lines combined

Homophony — All voices move in the same rhythm (ex., hymns)

Call and Response

A singing leader answered by a chorus of followers

Ostinato

A short, repeated musical pattern