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Basic Music Vocabulary

Terms in this set (25)

Staff
The five lines and four spaces that music is written on.
Clef
The symbol placed at the beginning of the staff that indicates the note names of each line and space.
Time Signature
The symbol placed at the beginning of the staff that indicates how many beats are in a measure and what kind of note receives one beat.
Rhythm
A well-defined pattern of tones usually organized around a pulse or beat.
Pitch
How high or low a tone sounds.
Melody
A succession of tones or the dominant tune.
Harmony
A combination of tones sounded simultaneously to produce a chord.
Chord
The sounding of two or more notes (usually at least three) simultaneously.
Triad
A chord made up of three notes based on the interval of a third.
Root
The fundamental note of a chord that gives the chord its letter name.
Interval
The distance between two pitches.
Half Step
A minor second, this is the smallest interval in Western music.
Whole Step
A major second, it's made up of two half steps.
Skip
Any interval bigger than a whole step.
Third
An interval that spans two steps, it can be major or minor.
Fifth
An interval that spans four steps, it's one of two perfect intervals.
Scale
A series of tones in ascending or descending order that present the pitches of a key, beginning and ending on the tonic.
Tonic
The note upon which a scale or key is based, it is always the first note in a scale and gives the scale its letter name.
Repeat Sign
The symbol with two bar lines and two dots that tells you to repeat a section of music.
Multi-measure Rest
The particular symbol and number placed within one measure that indicates multiple measures of rest.
Dynamic Markings
The symbols below the staff that tell you at what volume you should be playing.
Multiple Endings
When present, most commonly a first then second ending of a song.
Key Signature
When present, the sharps or flats placed at the beginning of the staff between the clef and time signature.
Key
The specific scale that defines a particular tonality (or sound).
Accidental
A sharp, flat, or natural that is placed before a note within a measure.
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