| Term | Definition |
|---|
| quarter note | one beat |
| half note | two beats |
| dotted half note | three beats |
| whole note | four beats |
| dynamic signs | tell how loudly or softly to play |
| mezzo forte (mf) | moderately loud |
| octave | the distance from one key on the keyboard to the next key (lower or higher) with the same letter name |
| quarter rest | means rest for the value of a quarter note |
| half rest | means rest for the value of a half note |
| whole rest | means rest for the value of a whole note or any whole measure |
| piano (p) | soft |
| forte (f) | loud |
| time signature | top number = how many beats in a measure, bottom = which note gets 1 beat |
| staff | where music is written and it consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces some notes are written on spaces and others are written on lines |
| treble clef | locates the G above the middle c of the keyboard |
| bass clef | locates the F below the middle c of the keyboard |
| brace | joins the bass staff and treble staff |
| grand staff | consists of the brace, bass staff, and treble staff |
| leger line | used between two staves for for middle. also used above and below the grand staff to extend its range |
| crescendo | gradually getting louder |
| diminuendo | gradually softer |
| decrescendo | gradually softer |
| C position | RH = middle c to the g above middle c; LH = middle c to the f below middle c |
| step | the distance from any line note to the very next space note above or below it -- or from any space note to the very next line note above or below it |
| skip | the distance from any space note to the very next space not above or below it or from any line note to the very next line note |
| slur | curved line over or under notes on different lines or spaces. slurs mean play smoothly |
| legato | smoothly connected |
| phrases | a musical sentence or thought oftern divided by slurs |
| intervals | distances between tones |
| melodic intervals | intervals in between notes that make a melody |
| melody | notes that are played separately |
| harmonic intervals | the intervals between notes that make harmony |
| harmony | two notes played together |
| tempo | rate of speed |
| tempo marks | words indicating the tempo used in playing music |
| allegro | quickly, happily |
| moderato | moderately |
| andante | moving along |
| adagio | slowly |
| 2nd | distance from any white key to the next white key, up or down |
| 3rd | the interval when you skip one white key |
| 4th | the interval when you skip two white keys |
| 5th | the interval when you skip three white keys |
| transposition | playing music in a different key from the original |
| mezzo piano (mp) | moderately soft |
| tied notes | notes connected by a curve line which signifies that the key is held down for the combined values of both notes |
| sharp sign | play the next key to the right, whether black or white |
| flat sign | play the next key to the left, whether black or white |
| natural sign | cancels a sharp or flat |
| g position | RH = first finger on g fifth on d; LH = first finger on d fifth finger on g |
| staccato | these notes are played short, with a dot above the note indicating this |
| allegretto | moderately fast |
| half step | the distance from any key to very next key above or below it with no key being inbetween |
| chromatic scale | made up entirely of half steps, goes up and down using every key both black and white |
| whole step | skip one key, whether it be white or black |
| major five-finger patter | whole, whole, half, whole |
| eighth note | two are played in the time of one quarter note |
| triad | a three note chord playing in the first, third and fifth finger of the scale |
| root | the note from which the triad gets its name |
| tetrachord | series of four notes having a pattern of whole step, whole step, half step |
| major scale | two tetrachords joined by a whole step |
| key note | the note from which a major scale begins and ends |
| primary chords | the three chords that are most important in the key |
| binary (AB) form | piece which contains two sections |
| key signature | markings made in the beginning of the piece which indicates what scale the piece is being played in |
| dot | increases the length of a note by one half its value |
| dotted half note | half note tied to a quarter note |
| dotted quarter note | quarter note tied to an eighth note |
| damper pedal | right pedal that when you hold the pedal down, any tone you play continues after you release the key |
| minor chords | similar to a major chord, except the third note is lowered a half step |
| arpeggio | a broken chord, pitches are sounded successively rather than simultaneously |
| 8va | play the notes in one octave higher |
Combine with other sets
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