ACCELERANDO
(shortened to accel.) An instruction to gradually increase the tempo, or speed, of the music.
ADAGIO
A tempo marking indicating a slow and stately pace (literally, “at ease”).
ALLEGRO
A tempo marking indicating a fast, quick, and bright tempo.
ARCO
An instruction for a string instrument (like a violin) to play with the bow, creating a smooth, sustained sound.
ARPEGGIO
Playing the notes of a chord one after another in a sweeping motion, rather than simultaneously.
BHANGRA
A lively, upbeat style of music and dance that originated in the Punjab region of India, often featuring energetic drum rhythms.
CADENCE
A sequence of chords that brings a musical phrase to a point of rest, like a punctuation mark at the end of a sentence (e.g., a “full stop” or a “comma”).
CALL AND RESPONSE
A musical conversation where one musician or group plays a phrase (the “call”) and another musician or group answers with a direct response.
CEILIDH
(pronounced KAY-lee) A social event with traditional folk music, dancing, and storytelling, originating from Ireland and Scotland.
CELLS
In music, a cell is a very short musical idea, often just a few notes, that is used as a building block to create a larger piece.
CHORD
A group of notes played together simultaneously. Chords provide the harmony and foundation that support a melody, creating the emotional landscape of a piece of music.
CHORD PROGRESSION
A sequence of chords (groups of notes played together) that forms the foundation of a piece of music, creating a sense of movement and structure.
CHORDAL
A term describing music that is built on or features chords, where notes are played together simultaneously.
CHROMATIC
Moving by the smallest steps possible in Western music (semitones), often creating a rich, colourful, or tense sound.
CLARINET QUINTET
A standard chamber ensemble consisting of a clarinet plus a string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello).
COL LEGNO
(pronounced kol LEN-yo) An instruction for a string player to strike the strings with the wooden stick of the bow, rather than the hair, creating a percussive, rattling sound.
CONSONANCE
A combination of notes that sounds stable, pleasant, and harmonious to the ear.
COUNTER-MELODY
A secondary melody that is played simultaneously with the main melody, complementing it and adding depth to the music.
CRESCENDO
A gradual increase in the loudness of the music.
DIATONIC
Notes that belong to a standard major or minor scale, creating a familiar and harmonious sound.
DIMINUENDO
A gradual decrease in the loudness of the music.
DISSONANCE
A combination of notes that sounds tense, clashing, or unstable, often used to create drama that then resolves into consonance.
DOMINANT
The fifth note of a major or minor scale, and the chord built upon this note. It has a very strong pull toward the Tonic chord, creating a sense of tension that needs to resolve, which helps define the key of a piece.
DRONE
A sustained or continuously repeated note, providing a constant harmonic background for a melody (e.g., the sound of bagpipes).
DYNAMIC
Relating to how loud or soft the music is.
ENSEMBLE
A group of musicians who perform together.
FORTE
(shortened to f) A dynamic marking meaning to play loudly or strongly.
GRIME
A style of electronic music that emerged from London, characterized by a fast, sharp beat and aggressive, rapid-fire lyrics.
HARMONY
The sound created when multiple notes are played at the same time, supporting and enriching the main melody.
HOMOPHONIC TEXTURE
A musical texture where one clear melody is supported by chordal accompaniment, and all parts generally move together in the same rhythm. (Compare with Polyphonic and Monophonic).
IMITATION
A technique where one musician or vocal part copies a musical phrase just played by another, creating an echoing effect.
IMPROVISATION
The art of creating music spontaneously, in the moment, rather than playing what is pre-written. Common in jazz and folk music.
INTERWEAVING
The layering of multiple independent melodies that fit together to create a complex musical texture, like threads in a fabric.
INVERSION
Changing the order of the notes in a chord, or flipping a melody upside down so it moves in the opposite direction.
KEY
The central set of notes that a piece of music is built on, which gives it a particular mood or feeling (e.g., a “happy” major key or a “sad” minor key).
LEADING NOTE
The seventh note of a major or minor scale. It is called “leading” because it lies just a semitone below the tonic and has a powerful tendency to resolve upwards to the tonic note, “leading” the music home.
LEGATO
An instruction to play notes smoothly and connected, with no silence between them.
MAJOR
A type of key or scale that is often described as sounding bright, happy, or triumphant. It is defined by a specific pattern of intervals between its notes.
MEDIANT
The third note of a major or minor scale. This note is crucial as it determines whether the scale and its key are major or minor, giving the music its characteristic happy or sad quality.
MELODY
A sequence of single notes that form the main, recognizable tune of a song.
MINOR
A type of key or scale that is often described as sounding sad, thoughtful, or mysterious. It is defined by a specific pattern of intervals, notably a minor third above the tonic.
MONOPHONIC TEXTURE
Music that has only a single melodic line with no harmony or accompaniment.
MOTIF
A short, recurring musical phrase or pattern that is significant to a piece, like a musical signature.
MOVEMENT
A self-contained section of a larger piece of music, like a chapter in a book.
MUSICOLOGIST
A scholar who studies music as a field of research, including its history, culture, and theory.
NOTEHEAD
The oval-shaped part of a written musical note.
OSTINATO
A short musical pattern (a rhythm or melody) that is repeated persistently throughout a section or whole piece of music.
PEDAL
A sustained or repeated note, usually in the lower part, that is held while the harmonies change above it.
PHRASE
A distinct musical unit, like a clause or sentence in language, that forms a complete musical thought. Phrases are often grouped together to form a melody.
PIANO
(shortened to p) A dynamic marking meaning to play softly and quietly.
PITCH
How high or low a note sounds.
PIZZICATO
An instruction for a string player to pluck the strings with their finger instead of using the bow.
POLYPHONIC TEXTURE
Music that combines two or more independent melody lines at the same time. (Compare with Homophonic and Monophonic).
PRESTO
A tempo marking indicating a very fast speed.
PULSE
The steady, underlying beat in music that you naturally tap your foot to.
RAGA
A pattern of notes in Indian classical music used as a framework for improvisation and composition, often creating a specific mood or time of day.
RELATED KEY
A key that shares a strong musical connection with the original (or “home”) key, typically because they have many of the same notes or chords in common. Modulating to a related key creates a smooth and natural sense of movement. The most common related keys are the Relative Major/Minor (which share the exact same key signature) and the Dominant (the key built on the fifth note of the scale).
RELATIVE MAJOR
The major key that shares the same key signature as a minor key. For example, C Major is the relative major of A Minor; both have no sharps or flats. The relative major is always a minor third above the tonic of the minor key.
RELATIVE MINOR
The minor key that shares the same key signature as a major key. For example, A Minor is the relative minor of C Major; both have no sharps or flats. The relative minor is always a minor third below the tonic of the major key.
RETROGRADE
A melody played backwards.
RHYTHM
The pattern of long and short sounds and silences in music that fits over the steady pulse.
RITARDANDO
(shortened to rit. or ritard.) An instruction to gradually slow down the tempo.
SCALE
A set of musical notes ordered by pitch, like a ladder of notes that a piece of music is based on.
SEMITONE
The smallest distance between two notes in Western music (e.g., from C to C# on a piano).
SEQUENCE
Repeating a melodic phrase at a higher or lower pitch.
STACCATO
An instruction to play notes in a short, sharp, and detached manner.
STRING QUARTET
A standard chamber ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello. Also refers to a piece of music written for this group.
STRING TRIO
A chamber ensemble typically consisting of a violin, a viola, and a cello.
STRUCTURE
The overall plan or organization of a piece of music, such as its verse-chorus format.
SUBDOMINANT
The fourth note of a major or minor scale, and the chord built upon this note. It provides a harmonic movement away from the tonic, often acting as a stepping stone to the dominant chord.
SUBMEDIANT
The sixth note of a major or minor scale. It serves as the relative major’s tonic in a minor key, and the relative minor’s tonic in a major key, making it a pivotal note for modulations.
SUPERTONIC
The second note of a major or minor scale. It often functions harmonically as a precursor to the dominant chord, helping to build tension in a progression.
SUL PONTICELLO
An instruction for a string player to bow very near the bridge of the instrument, creating a thin, eerie, and metallic sound.
SUL TASTO
(also called sulla tastiera) An instruction for a string player to bow over the fingerboard, far from the bridge, creating a soft, muted, and flutey sound.
TECHNO
A style of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive, mechanical beat, often created with synthesizers and drum machines.
TEMPO
The speed of the music, how fast or slow the pulse is.
TEXTURE
A term describing how the different layers of sound in a piece of music interact, such as thin (a single melody) or thick (many instruments).
TIMBRE
(pronounced TAM-bre) The unique quality or “colour” of a sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another, even when they play the same note at the same volume (e.g., the difference between a trumpet and a violin playing the same C).
TONE (INTERVAL)
A distance between two notes equal to two semitones (or two frets on a guitar).
TONE (TECHNIQUE)
The sound quality or character of a musical note, produced by an instrument or voice. Also refers to a musician’s control over the quality and color of their sound.
TONIC
The first and most important note of a major or minor scale, also called the “keynote.” The chord built on this note is the Tonic Chord, which acts as the central point of rest and resolution in a piece of music, providing a sense of “home.”
TRAP
A style of hip-hop music originating from the Southern US, characterized by crisp, rapid hi-hats, heavy bass, and layered synthesizers.
TREMOLO
The rapid repetition of a single note or the rapid alternation between two notes, creating a trembling or shimmering effect.
TRIAD
A chord consisting of three notes: a root note, a third, and a fifth. It is the most basic form of harmony in Western music.
UNISON
When multiple musicians or singers play or sing the same pitch or melody at the same time.
UNRELATED KEY (also called Distant Key)
A key that has a weak musical connection to the original (or “home”) key, typically because they share very few of the same notes or chords. Modulating to an unrelated key creates a striking, dramatic, or surprising shift in the mood of the music.
WIND QUINTET
A standard chamber ensemble, also known as a woodwind quintet, typically consisting of a flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and French horn.
