AP Music Theory Unit 1 Foundations: Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements (copy)

Rhythm

The organized pattern of durations and silences in music.

Note Values

Proportional lengths of time represented in music notation.

Whole Note

The basic reference value for duration in music notation.

Half Note

A note that lasts half as long as a whole note.

Quarter Note

A note that lasts half the duration of a half note.

Eighth Note

A note that lasts half the duration of a quarter note.

Sixteenth Note

A note that lasts half the duration of an eighth note.

Rest

A measured span of silence that occupies time in music.

Dot

A symbol that adds half of the original note or rest value.

Tie

A symbol that connects two notes of the same pitch to combine their durations.

Beaming

A notation method that groups flagged notes into beat-based units.

Subdivision

The mental division of a beat into smaller equal parts.

Syncopation

When rhythmic emphasis contradicts the expected strong-weak pattern.

Anacrusis

A note or notes occurring before the first complete measure.

Meter

The recurring pattern of strong and weak beats in music.

Time Signature

Notation indicating how meter is structured in a piece of music.

Simple Meter

A meter where the main beat subdivides into two equal parts.

Compound Meter

A meter where the main beat subdivides into three equal parts.

Duple Meter

A meter with two beats per measure.

Triple Meter

A meter with three beats per measure.

Quadruple Meter

A meter with four beats per measure.

Common Time

The symbol 'C' indicating a 4/4 time signature.

Cut Time

The symbol 'C' with a vertical line through it indicating a 2/2 time signature.

Dynamics

Indications of volume and intensity in music.

Crescendo

A gradual increase in volume.

Decrescendo

A gradual decrease in volume.

Articulation

Markings that indicate how notes should be attacked and released.

Legato

Smoothly connected notes in music.

Staccato

Detached or short notes in music.

Phrase

A musical thought compared to a sentence in language.

Fermata

A symbol indicating a note or rest held longer than its written value.

Pitch

The perception of how high or low a sound is.

Staff

A set of five horizontal lines where notes are placed.

Clef

A symbol that assigns a reference pitch to specific lines on the staff.

Treble Clef

A clef that designates the G note above middle C.

Bass Clef

A clef that designates the F note below middle C.

Accidental

A symbol that modifies a pitch, such as sharp or flat.

Enharmonic

Two notes that sound the same but are spelled differently.

Key Signature

Set of sharps or flats at the beginning of a staff indicating altered notes.

Major Scale

An ordered collection of pitches that forms the basis of Western tonal music.

Circle of Fifths

A diagram that organizes keys by ascending perfect fifths.