Music Key Terms

Pitch - How high or low a sound is. 

Melody - A single line of notes in a piece of music. 

Harmony - The combination of different notes played or sung simultaneously. 

Conjunct - A melody that moves in steps (by tones and semitones). 

Disjunct - A melody that moves by larger intervals or leaps. 

Pentatonic scale - A scale consisting of only 5 notes. 

Range - The span from the lowest to the highest note that an instrument or voice can produce. 

Interval - The distance between two pitches. 

Chromatic - A scale or melody that moves by semitones (half steps). 

Octave - An interval spanning eight notes, where the first and last note have the same letter name but different pitch (e.g., C to C). 

Forte - Loud. 

Pianissimo - Very soft. 

Crescendo - A gradual increase in volume. 

Diminuendo - A gradual decrease in volume (opposite of crescendo). 

Mezzo-forte (mf) - Moderately loud. 

Mezzo-piano (mp) - Moderately soft. 

Sforzando (sfz) - A sudden, strong accent on a note or chord. 

Subito piano - Suddenly soft, indicating an abrupt change in volume. 

 Allegro - A fast tempo. 

Andante - A tempo indicating a walking pace. 

Ritardando - A gradual slowing down in tempo. 

Adagio - A slow tempo. 

Presto - Very fast tempo. 

Largo - Very slow tempo. 

Moderato - A moderate tempo, not too fast or too slow. 

Accelerando - Gradually speeding up the tempo. 

Timbre - The quality or color of sound that distinguishes different instruments or voices. 

Bright timbre - A timbre that is sharp and clear (e.g., flute). 

Warm timbre - A rich, resonant sound often produced by string instruments (e.g., cello, violin). 

Pizzicato - A playing technique on string instruments where the strings are plucked, creating a sharp, percussive timbre. 

Muted - A softened or dampened sound produced by placing a mute on an instrument (e.g., trumpet or violin). 

Percussive - A sharp, rhythmic sound often produced by percussion instruments or techniques like pizzicato on strings. 

Monophonic texture - A single melody line without accompaniment. 

Polyphonic texture - Two or more independent melody lines played simultaneously. 

Homophonic texture - A melody with harmonic accompaniment. 

Antiphonal texture - A call-and-response style, where two groups or performers alternate musical phrases. 

Counterpoint - A compositional technique where two or more independent melody lines are combined harmoniously. 

Call and Response - when performer(s) do something and others respond. 

Rhythm - a series of note-durations. 

Syncopation - Shifting the emphasis from the strong beats to the weak or off beats. 

3/4 time signature - The time signature of a waltz, with three beats in a measure. 

Dotted rhythm - A rhythm in which a note is extended by half of its original value. 

Polyrhythm - The simultaneous use of contrasting rhythms, such as 2 against 3. 

Tuplet / triplet - A group of notes that fit into a space where a different number of notes would normally be placed 

Anacrusis - A note or group of notes that comes before the first full bar of music. 

Ostinato - A repeating rhythmic or melodic pattern. 

 Harmony - two or more pitches heard at the same time. Usually the sequence of chords that support the melody. 

Cadence - The ending of a musical phrase, often created by a chord progression. 

Perfect cadence - A cadence made by the chords V-I, which creates a sense of resolution. 

Dissonant chord - A chord that sounds unresolved or clashing. 

Major chord - A chord that sounds bright or happy, consisting of a root note, major third, and perfect fifth. 

Minor chord - A chord that sounds sad or melancholic, consisting of a root note, minor third, and perfect fifth. 

Pedal note - A sustained or repeated note, usually in the bass, over which harmonies change. 

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

Binary form - A two-part structure, typically A-B. 

Ternary form - A three-part structure, typically A-B-A. 

Rondo form - A musical form where a main theme alternates with contrasting sections (e.g., A-B-A-C-A). 

Strophic form - A form where the same music is repeated for each verse or stanza of text. 

Through-composed - A form in which the music is continuous and not based on repeated sections. 

Theme and variations - A form where a theme is stated and then altered in successive repetitions.