intro to music quiz 1

General Music Terms

• Ethnomusicology – The study of music in its cultural and social contexts.

• Culture (Tylor definition) – A complex whole including knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, laws, and customs acquired by humans as members of society.

• Vocables – Meaningless syllables used in singing (common in Indigenous and folk music).

• Society – A group of people with shared traditions and institutions.

• Nationalist Music – Music that expresses national pride and identity, often using folk traditions.

• Postcolonialism – A study of how colonial history affects cultures, including music.

• Diaspora – A community dispersed from its homeland, maintaining cultural traditions.

• Musical Syncretism – The blending of different musical traditions into new styles.

• Rituals – Formal events where music and performance express core cultural beliefs.

• Composition – The process of creating a piece of music before performing it.

• Interpretation – A performer's or listener’s personal take on a musical piece.

• Improvisation – Making up music in the moment, often following patterns or rules.

• Arranging – Changing a musical work while keeping its core identity.

Basic Properties of Sound (Tones)

• Duration → Rhythm – How long or short a note is.

• Frequency → Pitch – How high or low a sound is.

• Amplitude → Dynamics – How loud or soft a sound is.

• Timbre → Tone Color – The quality or texture of a sound.

Rhythm & Related Terms

• Rhythm – The pattern of sounds and silences in music.

• Beat – A steady pulse in music.

• Meter – The organization of beats into groups (duple, triple, etc.).

• Syncopation – Emphasizing weak beats or offbeats.

• Tempo – The speed of the beat.

• Free Rhythm – Music without a set beat or tempo.

Melody & Pitch

• Pitch – The perceived highness or lowness of a sound.

  • Determinate Pitch – Can be sung or played at an exact frequency (e.g., piano notes).

  • Indeterminate Pitch – Cannot be precisely matched to a note (e.g., snare drum sound).

• Melody – A series of pitches played in sequence.

• Melodic Range – The distance between the highest and lowest notes in a melody.

• Melodic Direction – Whether a melody moves up, down, or stays the same.

• Melodic Contour – The overall shape of a melody (smooth, jagged, etc.).

• Octave – The same note at a higher or lower frequency (e.g., C to C).

• Interval – The distance between two notes.

• Scale – A set of pitches arranged in order.

• Mode – A type of scale that gives music its character.

• Major Scale – A bright, happy-sounding scale.

• Minor Scale – A darker, sad-sounding scale.

• Microtones – Small pitch differences found in some non-Western music.

Harmony & Chords

• Chord – Three or more notes played together.

• Harmony – How chords are used together in music.

• Chord Progression – A series of chords played in a pattern.

Dynamics & Ensembles

• Dynamics – The volume of music (loud or soft).

• Dynamic Range – The range between the quietest and loudest parts.

• Ensemble – A group of musicians playing together.

Instrument Classification (Hornbostel-Sachs System)

• Chordophones – String instruments (violin, guitar).

• Aerophones – Wind instruments (flute, trumpet).

• Membranophones – Drums with stretched membranes.

• Idiophones – Instruments that vibrate themselves (xylophone, bells).

• Electrophones – Instruments that require electricity (synthesizer).

Music Technology

• Digital Sampling – Using a recorded sound in a new musical context.

• Multitrack Recording – Layering multiple recordings together to create a final track.

Texture (Layers of Sound)

• Monophonic – A single melody with no accompaniment.

  • Unison – When multiple voices or instruments play the same melody together.

• Polyphonic – Multiple independent melodies played together.

• Polyrhythm – Two or more different rhythms played at the same time.

Form (Structure of Music)

• Call and Response – A leader sings/plays a phrase, and a group answers.

• Ostinato – A repeating musical pattern.

• 12-Bar Blues – A common chord progression in blues music.

• Verse/Chorus – A song structure where verses change but the chorus repeats.