Basic Music Vocabulary

Terms in this set (25)

The five lines and four spaces that music is written on.

The symbol placed at the beginning of the staff that indicates the note names of each line and space.

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.

A well-defined pattern of tones usually organized around a pulse or beat.

How high or low a tone sounds.

A succession of tones or the dominant tune.

A combination of tones sounded simultaneously to produce a chord.

The sounding of two or more notes (usually at least three) simultaneously.

A chord made up of three notes based on the interval of a third.

The fundamental note of a chord that gives the chord its letter name.

The distance between two pitches.

A minor second, this is the smallest interval in Western music.

A major second, it's made up of two half steps.

Any interval bigger than a whole step.

An interval that spans two steps, it can be major or minor.

An interval that spans four steps, it's one of two perfect intervals.

A series of tones in ascending or descending order that present the pitches of a key, beginning and ending on the 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.

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.

When present, the sharps or flats placed at the beginning of the staff between the clef and time signature.

The specific scale that defines a particular tonality (or sound).

A sharp, flat, or natural that is placed before a note within a measure.

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