Rhythm, Melody and Harmony
meter
a consistent pattern of emphasis
octave
a duplication of a pitch that is either higher or lower than the previous pitch
scale
a fixed pattern of tones within the octave that ascend and descend
chord
a group of 2 or more pitches that sound at the same time
canon
a round
pickup
an upbeat at the beginning of a piece
ostinato
any element that continually repeats
quarter note
carries on beat in music
measure bar
each group of beats
allegro
fast
major scale
follows a 7 pitch patter moving upward
chromatic scale
makes use of all 12 pitches which are equally divided within the octave
consonance
pitches sounding agreeable and stable
dissonance
pitches sounding momentarily disagreeable and unstable
clef
shows the range of a pitch
lento
slow
mode
switching from a major scale to a minor scale or vice versa
staff
tells the performer how high the pitch is. the higher the note on the staff, the higher the pitch.
meter signature
tells the performer how the beats are grouped to form a meter
beat
the basic pulse of music
chord progression
the change of chords in a purposeful fashion beneath a melody
rhythm
the division of time into compelling patterns of long and short sounds
cadence
the end of a chord progression
downbeat
the first beat in each unit
tonic
the first of 7 pitches of a scale
modulation
the movement from the home scale and tonality to another
tonality (key)
the organization of music around a central pitch
pitch
the relative position of a musical sound
harmony
the sound of one or more pitches that support and enhance a melody
tempo
the speed at which a beat sounds
melody
the tune of music that can stand alone
presto
very fast
grave
very slow
melodic interval
what a tune moves across when it comes from one pitch to another
ritard
when the tempo slows down
accelerando
when the tempo speeds up