| Term | Definition |
|---|
| C Major | no sharps/flats;relative to a minor |
| G Major | F#; relative to e minor |
| D Major | F# and C#; relative to b minor |
| A Major | F#, C#, and G#; relative to f# minor |
| E Major | F#, C#, G#, and D#; relative to c# minor |
| B Major | F#, C#, G#, D#, and A#; relative to g# minor |
| F# Major | F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#; relative to d# minor |
| C# Major | F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, and B#; relative to a# minor |
| F Major | Bb; relative to d minor |
| Bb Major | Bb, Eb; relative to g minor |
| Eb Major | Bb, Eb, Ab; relative to c minor |
| Ab Major | Bb, Eb, Ab, Db; relative to f minor |
| Db Major | Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb; relative to bb minor |
| Gb Major | Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb; relative to eb minor |
| Cb Major | Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb; relative to ab minor |
| scale | eight notes, all a step apart, ending w/ the same lettered note |
| natural minor | the original minor scale |
| harmonic minor | minor sca;e in which the seventh note is raised a half-step |
| melodic minor | minor scale in which the sixth AND seventh notes are raised a half-step. However, the descent of the scale is natural |
| chromatic scale | a scale w/ thirteen notes, each a half-step away. write sharps on the ascent, and flats on the descent. |
| Tonic | I chord (in major) |
| Supertonic | ii chord (in major) |
| Mediant | iii chord (in major) |
| Subdominant | IV chord (in major) |
| Dominant | V chord (in major) |
| Submediant | vi chord (in major) |
| Leading Tone | vii0 chord (in major) |
| V7 | Root position of dom. seventh chord |
| V6/5 | First inversion of dom. seventh chord |
| V4/3 | Second inversion of dom. seventh chord |
| V2 | Third inversion of dom. seventh chord |
| Authentic cadence | (Cadence) A dominant/ V7 chord, followed by a tonic chord |
| Plagal cadence | (Cadence) A subdominant chord, followed by a tonic chord |
| Half Cadence | Cadence ending w/ a dominant/V7 chord |
| Deceptive cadence | (Cadence) A dominant or subdominant chord, followed by a submediant chord |
| upbeat | an incomplete measure that begins the piece |
| A tempo | return to original tempo |
| Accent | play that note louder than others |
| Accelerando | gradually faster |
| Accidentals | sharps, flats, or natural before notes not in the key signature |
| Adagio | slowly |
| Allegro | fast; quick |
| Allegretto | a medium tempo between Andante and Allegro |
| Andante | moderate walking tempo |
| Andantino | slightly slower/ faster than Andante, though the latter is used more often |
| Animato | animated; w/ spirit |
| Appoggiatura | play first note half the value as the second |
| Arpeggio | continuous broken chord |
| Cantabile | in a singing style |
| Con Brio | w/ brilliance |
| Con Moto | w/ motion |
| Crescendo | gradually louder |
| Damper Pedal | pedal located on right |
| Decrescendo | gradually softer |
| Dolce | sweetly |
| Doloroso | sorrowfully |
| Double Flat | 2 flats before a note which lowers the note a whole step |
| Double Sharp | the symbol x which raises the note a whole step |
| Expressivo | expressively |
| Forte | loud (f) |
| Fortissimo | very loud (ff) |
| Fortississimo | very, very loud (fff) |
| Forte-piano | loud followed by soft, immediately (fp) |
| Fermata | hold note longer than its value |
| Largo | very slow tempo (starting w/ la) |
| Leggiero | lightly |
| Lento | slow tempo (starting w/ le) |
| Marcato | stressed, marked |
| Mezzo Forte | medium loud (mf) |
| Mezzo Piano | medium soft (mp) |
| Moderato | moderate, medium tempo |
| Molto | much, very |
| Mordent | ornament which written note, note below written note, then written note is played |
| Opus | used to indicate order in which a composer wrote works |
| Ostinato | repeated pattern in music |
| Parallel Major/ minor | major/ minor keys w/ same letter name |
| Piano | soft (p) |
| Pianissimo | very soft (pp) |
| Pianississimo | very, very soft (ppp) |
| Phrase | four measures long |
| Presto | very fast tempo |
| Poco | little |
| Rallentando | gradually slower (rall) |
| Ritardando | gradually slower (rit) |
| Robusto | boldly |
| Scherzando | playfully, jokingly |
| Sforzando | sudden, sharp accent |
| Simile | continue in the same style |
| Spiritoso | spirited |
| Sostenuto | sustained |
| Subito | suddenly, @ once |
| Syncopation | contradiction of the original beat/ rhythm by varying the strong/ weak beats in the measure |
| Tranquillo | peacefully, tranquilly |
| Tre Corda | release the soft pedal |
| Trill | ornament in which written note is alternating with the note above it |
| Turn | (ornament) written note is played along w/ surrounding notes (i dunno if you got that) |
| Una Corda | press the soft pedal |
| Vivace | lively, quick |
| Vivo | brisk, lively |
Combine with other sets
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