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7th/8th Grade Band Final Semester 1 2018

Terms in this set (61)

Melody
Succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity.
Range
Distance between the lowest and highest tones of a melody, an instrument, or a voice.
Duration
Length of time something lasts; e.g., the vibration of a musical sound.
Tone color
The quality of a sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.
Timbre
The quality of a sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.
Contour
The overall shape of a melodic line. It can move upward, downward, or remain static.
Interval
Distance and relationship between two pitches.
Conjunct
Smooth, connected melody that moves principally by small intervals.
Disjunct
Disjointed or disconnected melody with many leaps.
Phrase
Musical unit; often component of a melody.
Countermelody
An accompanying melody sounded against the principal melody.
Rhythm
The controlled movement of music in time.
Beat
Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time.
Accent
The emphasis on a beat resulting in its being louder or longer than another in a measure.
Meter
Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures.
Measure
Rhythmic group or metrical unit that conrains a fixed number of beats, divided on the musical staff by bar lines.
Downbeat
First beat of the measure, the strongest in any meter.
Duple meter
Basic metrical pattern of two beats to a measure.
Triple meter
Basic metrical pattern of three beats to a measure.
Quadruple meter
Basic metrical pattern of four beats to a measure. Also common time.
Simple meter
Grouping of rhythms in which the beat is subdivided into two, as in duple, triple, and quarduple meters.
Compound meter
Meter in which each beat is subdivided into three rather than two.
Upbeat
Last beat of a measure, a weak beat, which anticipates the downbeat.
Syncopation
Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse through a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an offbeat.
Harmony
The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords.
Chord
Simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony.
Dissonance
Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution.
Consonance
Concordant or harmonious combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation and stability in music.
Half step
Smallest interval used in the Western system; the octave divides into twelve such intervals; on the piano, the distance between any two adjacent keys, whether black or white. Also semitone.
Chromatic scale
Melody or harmony built from many if not all twelve semitones of the octave. A chromatic scale consists of an ascending or descending sequence of semitones.
Sharp (sign)
Musical symbol (#) that indicates raising a pitch by a semitone.
Flat (sign)
Musical symbol (b) that indicates lowering a pitch by a semitone.
Whole step
Interval consisting of two half steps, or semitones.
Tonic
The first note of the scale, or key; do.
Tonality
Principle of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale.
Key
Defines the relationship of tones with a common center or tonic. Also a lever on a keyboard or woodwind instrument.
Major scale
Scale consisting of seven different pitches that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-W-H-W-W-W-H). Differs from the minor scale primarily in that its third degree is raised half a step.
Minor scale
Scale consisting of seven different pitches that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-H-W-W-H-W-W). Differs from the major scale primarily in that its third degree is lowered half a step.
Diatonic
Melody or harmony built from the seven tones of a major or minor scale. A diatonic scale encompasses patterns of seven whole tones and semitones. A diatonic scale encompasses patterns of seven whole tones and semitones.
Chromatic
Melody or harmony built from many if not all twelve pitches of the octave. A chromatic scale consists of an ascending or descending sequence of half steps.
Pentatonic
Five-note pattern used in some African, Far Eastern, and Native American musics; can also be found in Western music as an example of exoticism.
Triad
Common chord type, consisting of three pitches built on alternate notes of the scale (e.g., steps --, or do-mi-sol).
Tonic chord
Triad built on the first scale note, the I chord.
Modulation
The process of changing from one key to another.
Transposition
The shifting of a piece of music to a different pitch level.
Texture
The interweaving of melodic (horizontal) and harmonic (vertical) elements in the musical fabric.
Monophony
Single-line texture, or melody without accompaniment.
Polyphony
Two or more melodic lines combined into a multivoiced texture, as distinct from monophonic.
Round
Perpetual canon at the unison in which each voice enters in succession with the same melody (for example, 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat').
Form
Structure and design in music, based on repetition, contrast, and variation; the organzing principle of music.
Repetition
A compositional technique whereby a passage or section is restated.
Improvisation
The creation of a musical composition while it is being performed, as in Baroque ornamentation, cadenzas of concertos, jazz, and some non-Western musics.
Binary form
Two-part (A-B) form with each section normally repeated. Also two-part form.
Ternary form
Three-part (A-B-A) form based on a statement (A), contrast or departure (B), and repetion (A). Also three-part-form.
Theme
Melodic idea used as a basic building block in the construction of a composition. Also subject.
Motive
Short melodic or rhythmic idea; the smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-harmonic-rhythmic unit.
Trill
Ornament consisting of the rapid alternation between one note and the next.
Genre
General term describing the standard character of a work.
Sacred music
Religious or spiritual music, for church or devotional use.
Secular music
Nonreligous music; when texted, usually in the vernacular.
Encore
An audience request that the performer(s) repeat a piece or perform another.
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