Professional Documents
Culture Documents
REPETITION Musical idea heard more than once in exactly the same
way by exactly that same instrument/voice
MORDENT An ornament. Played as: the main note – the note above
– the main note again. (upper and lower mordents)
HARMONIC MINOR Scale sharing the same key signature as its relative
major but raises the 7th note by one semitone
MELODIC MINOR Scale sharing the same key signature as its relative
major but raises the 6th and 7th notes by one semitone
ascending and similarly lowers them when descending.
BLUES SCALE A scale used in Blues music. In the scale of C the main
blues scale uses the notes C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb, and high C.
MODULATING Moving from a higher key to a lower key and vice versa
RELATIVE MAJOR A change from a minor key to the major key with the
same signature. The major key is found 3 semitones
higher
RELATIVE MINOR A change from the major key to the minor key with the
same key signature. The minor key is found 3 semitones
lower.
WORD PAINTING The music can illustrate the word or the phrase, (eg the
words ‘running down the hill’ may be sung as a
descending scale)
MINOR The music sounds in a minor key – sad and dull sounding
POLYTONALITY Two or more keys played at the same time. (eg. 1 part in
C major/1 part in F major)
PASSING NOTE A note moving between 2 notes from the same chord,
(eg. D is the passing note between C and E)
Chords:
DOMINANT 7TH Chord built upon the dominant (5th) note of the key
which adds the 7th note above the root (the 7th note of
the scale).
AUGMENTED CHORD Chord formed from the major chord where the 5th is
raised a semitone.
ADDED 6TH Chord made from a major chord with the 6th note added
to the top.
MODULATION TO THE RELATIVE A change from the major key to the minor key
with the same key signature (or visa versa)
TIERCE DE PICARDIE The final chord in a piece of music played in the minor
key is changed to major.
RUBATO The performer plays in a very free way and is able to pull
the music about to suit the situation
OFF THE BEAT The main accents are on the weak beat or against the
beat.
DOTTED RHYTHMS Long notes followed by short notes and vice versa giving
a jolty effect
DOWN BEAT The first beat of each bar, which the conductor would
show with a downward stroke.
UP BEAT The last beat in the bar, which the conductor would
show with an upward beat
ANACRUSIS Notes which appear before the first strong beat of the
bar. Almost like a very short lead-in
THREE AGAINST TWO One line or part playing quavers in groups of two while
another part plays triplets
AUGMENTATION The note values are increased affecting the length of the
notes. The music sounds slower when repeated.
DIMINUTION The note values are decreased. The music sounds faster
when repeated.
ARPEGGIO Notes of the chord played one after the other – can be
spread beyond an octave
REAL ANSWER Found in a Fugue after the subject is played, the same
tune appears in another voice or part in the dominant
key. This is called the answer. If the intervals are
exactly the same as the subject then this is called a Real
Answer.
TONAL ANSWER Found in a Fugue. If the intervals in the answer are not
exactly the same as the subject then this is a Tonal
Answer.
STRETTO Where the voices or parts enter very quickly one after
another as in a Fugue
THEME AND VARIATIONS A form in music where each section changes the main
theme through speed, tonality, time signature or rhythm
ROUND Each part sings or plays the melody entering one after
the other
MINUET & TRIO A dance with 3 beats in the bar. The trio is a contrasting
minuet after which the first minuet returns
WALKING BASS A moving bass line with notes of the same value. They
usually move in step.
GROUND BASS A theme repeated in the bass many times while the
upper parts are varied
ALBERTI BASS Broken chords played in the left hand while the right
hand plays the melody. Usually found only on piano
BACKING VOCALS Singers who support the main singer usually by singing
in harmony in the background
CHORAL Music for voices with more than one singer on each part
STRINGS:
COL LEGNO Sound produced by bouncing the wooden side of the bow
on the strings – gives a clicking sound
WOODWIND:
FLUTTER TONGUING The method of tonguing in which the player rolls the
letter ‘r’. it is particularly effective on flute but also
used on brass
BRASS:
PERCUSSION:
ORCHESTRA SECTIONS:
SCOTTISH INSTRUMENTS:
Individual instruments:
12-STRING GUITAR A guitar that is double strung having 2 notes per pitch
FRELESS BASS GUITAR A bass guitar with no frets – closer in tone to a double
bass
PAN PIPES Pipes which are graded in size and bound together with
the sound produced by blowing across the top of the
pipes
SCOTTISH DANCE BAND A band containing fiddle, accordion, piano and drums
Musical Periods:
LATE ROMANTIC Music of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century
which retains the dramatic intensity of the earlier 19th
Century. Music contains vast instrumental forces and
large scale compositions.
Vocal styles/forms:
DA CAPO ARIA An aria in ternary form. The 3rd section is not written
out but the instruction Da Capo (from the beginning) is
given instead. The first section is repeated in a highly
ornamented fashion.
LIED From the Romantic period, music for solo voice and
piano sung in German
Instrumental styles/forms:
Scottish styles/forms:
BOTHY BALLAD Folk song with many verses telling a story of rural or
farming/working life
WAULKING SONG Gaelic work song by women. One woman leads and the
others follow. The sound of the tweed being ‘waulked’ or
hit against the work surface is heard in the background
JIG A fast Scottish dance in compound time
MARCH Music with a strong steady pulse with two or four beats
in the bar
Jazz styles/forms:
BOOGIE-WOOGIE Blues style for the piano where the left hand plays an
Ostinato with the right hand improvising freely
General styles/forms:
INDIAN Music from India using instruments such as the sitar and
tabla