Music Review

measure, bar

A ____ or ____ signifies the smallest metrical divisions of a composition, containing a fixed number of beats , marked off by vertical lines on the staff.

blues (In the picture D and A are skipped.)

A ____ scale has six different pitches, but one letter name is repeated and two are skipped: G B♭ C C♯ D F G.

diatonic (In Pic: T stand for Tone; S stands for Semitone)

A ____ scale includes five whole steps and two half steps (semitones) in each octave. Almost all Western music is based on these scales and in these scale each letter name is only used once.

interval, octave

An ____ is the distance between two pitches. The interval from one pitch to its next repetition, for example from A220 to A440, is called an ____.

Western

In different cultures certain aspects of music are emphasized more than others. In ____ music, harmony is treated in a sophisticated manner, while rhythm and melody remain relatively simple.

fourth

Music is the organization of sound and time. Because it exists only in time, what some people call the ____ dimension, rather than in three-dimensional space, music is one of the more elusive art forms.

E, F, B, C

On a keyboard, a half step is between adjacent keys, such as between a black key and its neighboring white key. There are also two places on the keyboard where half steps exist between two white keys that have no intervening black key: between __ and __, and between __ and __. A whole step consists of two half steps, for instance the distance from C to D, and from C♯ to D♯ and so on.

sharp, flat

On a piano the black keys are named according to their relationship to the white keys. When the black key is named in relationship to the white key on its left, it raises the pitch of that key a half step and is called a ____ (♯). When the same black key is considered in relationship to the white key on its right, its pitch is a half a step lower and is called a ____ (♭). Thus the same pitch may have two different names, depending on the context. For example, C♯ is the dame pitch as D♭.

tone

Sound happens when somethings that is capable of vibrating, such as a taut string of a vocal cord, is set in motion by the movement of air. If the vibrations are irregular, the result is noise, such as the sound on wind in the trees, a car engine, or a cough. If the vibrations are regular, the result is a ____ that has the property of pitch.

moderato, lento, largo

Tempo refers to the speed of the pulse. If the beats are in the range of our heartbeats, around 72 pulses in a minuet, the tempo is ____ (moderate). If the beats are slower than our heartbeats, the tempo is ____ or ____.

vivace, presto

Tempo refers to the speed of the pulse. If the beats are in the range of our heartbeats, around 72 pulses in a minuet, the tempo is moderato (moderate). If the beats are faster than our heartbeats, the tempo is ____, or if very much faster, it is ____.

scale

The arrangement of pitches within an octave is called a ____, which comes from the Italian scala meaning ladder. Pitches are like rungs of a ladder going from one level to the next.

China

Timbre is particularly important in the music of ____. They have a large assortment of instruments that are classified according to the material of which they are made, such as silk, bamboo, brass, clay, wood, and so forth. Each timbre and each musical tone carries and extra-musical significance that is more important than any purely musical considerations. For example, a single tone may carry the connotation of autumn, winter, and the north.

upper, lower, circle, plus sign

Triads may be built on each step of the scale. Their position and quality are identified by roman numerals. ____ case for major, ____ for minor, a small ____ for diminished, and a ____ for augmented. For exampled, a tonic triad is indicated by the roman numeral I. In a major scale, the triads built on the first, fourth, and fifth steps of the scale are major, hence the uppercase Roman numerals. The triads built on the second, third, and sixth steps of the scale are minor, hence the lower-case roman numerals. And that built on the seventh step is diminished.

Simple

____ meter can be defined as a meter where each beat in a measure can be subdivided by two.

repetition, contrast

Melodies are organized according to the principle of ____ & ____. If a melody has too much repetition, it is dull; too much contrast sounds chaotic and unmemorable. So a good melody has the right balance between the two. As an example, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" is in four musical phrases. The second and fourth phrases are exactly like the first (repetition). The third is different (contrast). So the phrases of this simple tine could be diagrammed as: a a b a.

chromatic (Chromatic scale: a scale which divides the octave into its semitones. There are twelve semitones, or half steps, to an octave in the chromatic scale.)

There are many different kings of scales. A scale which contains all twelve half steps is called a ____ scale. A scale consisting of only whole steps is called a whole tone scale. Most scales, however, are a mixture of whole and half steps, and some have augmented 2nds, which is an interval of three half steps.

D

We name pitches according to the alphabet, from A to G, at which point the pitches repeat. On a piano keyboard, pitch ascends as we move from left to right. Only the white keys are given alphabet names. Notice that the black keys are arranged in a pattern of alternating twos and threes. This asymmetrical arrangement helps in identifying pitches. The white key between the pair of black keys is always ___.

Meter

____ is the measure of time; arrangement of poetical feet; the grouping of beats into regular patterns. The organization of the rhythmic patterns in a composition are done in such a way that a regular, repeating pulse of beats may continue throughout the composition.

Duration

_____ is an amount of time or how long or short a note, phrase, section, or composition lasts. It is the length of time a pitch, or tone, is sounded. A note may last less than a second, while a symphony may last more than an hour.

Frequency

_____ is the number of vibrations per second of a musical pitch, usually measured in Hertz (Hz). The higher the frequency, the more vibrations per second and the higher the pitch; fewer vibrations per second produce a lower pitch.

Rhythm (Rhythm is music's pattern in time)

_____ is the timing of events on a human scale; of musical sounds and silences that occur over time, of the steps of a dance, or the meter of spoken language and poetry. In some performing arts, such as hip hop music, the rhythmic delivery of the lyrics is one of the most important elements of the style.

Tempo

_____ refers to the speed of the pulse. The designation for different tempi are in Italian. A fast tempo conveys a mood of energy and excitement; a slow temp produces a more somber or thoughtful feeling.

Melodic motion

______ is how a tune gets from one pitch to the next. If the melody moves by small steps, it is said to be using conjunct motion. If it moves by leap, it is using disjunct motion. All of these factors together produce the mood of a melody. If a composer want to portray happy excitement, he will probably use much disjoint motion that mostly ascends over a wide range. Gloomy disappointment would be portrayed by conjunct motion, limping downward within a very narrow range.

Syncopation (Syncopation is used in many musical styles. It is the means by which jazz music conveys a feeling of swing.)

______ is the deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse of a composition by means of a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an off-beat.

Melodic direction

______ refers to the shape of the arrangement of pitches. A melody may be mostly amending, mostly depending, may seem to curl around itself, or, as is most often the case, use a mixture of all three.

semitone

A ____, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent notes in a 12-tone scale.

key signature

A _____ is a symbol at the beginning of a song that tells us which piano notes will be sharp or flat for the rest of the song, but even more than that, it tells us what scale the song got its notes from. For example, in the scale built on D, the key signature would have two sharps, one on F and one on C. For the scale on F, the key signature would have one flat on B (see picture).

Pentatonic

A _____ scale has only five different pitches and therefore skips some letter names. Much Japanese, Indonesian, Scottish, and folk music is based on these scales, as is the well known hymn "Amazing Grace."

metric

As rhythm in nature involves repeated patters, such as the tide moving in and out twice a day, so the beat in music is most often organized into Patterns. Patterns are formed when some beats are regularly stronger than others. Music in this fashion is said to be ____. In order to have meter, there must be both a steady pulse and a pattern of accented and unaccented beats.

melody

Chords are pitched that happen simultaneously, or vertically. Pitches that occur horizontally, that is, in succession over time, create ____. Melody is a succession of pitches in a particular rhythmic pattern. Melody is a broad term that included music that we may not consider very melodic. Melodies we can remember easily are "tunes." Each of us had hundreds of tunes stored in our memories.

decrescendo, crescendo

Dynamics are a big factor in contributing to the effect of a piece of music. The louder the music, the more extroverted and energetic; softer music is more intimate and tender. Music can also gradually go from loud to soft (____) or from soft to loud (____).

subito forte, subito piano

Dynamics are a big factor in contributing to the effect of a piece of music. The louder the music, the more extroverted and energetic; softer music is more intimate and tender. Music can be in a piano dynamic and suddenly become loud (____), or in a forte dynamic and suddenly go soft (____)

register

Frequency is the number of vibrations per second of a musical pitch. 440 vibrations per second produces the pitch to which instrumentalists tune, which is the note "A." When the number of vibrations is doubled or halved, the pitch that is produced is the same but in a different ____. That is to say, as pitches rise or descent, they repeat at a regular distance. Since 440 vibrations per second produce a note called "A," 220 will also produce an "A" but in a lower register; 800 will produce and "A" but in a higher register and so on.

tone

Given the abstract quality and the enormous variety of music that exists in the world, it is surprising to realize that there are only four ways that one sound can differ from another. Each individual ___ has four properties that give it particular character: duration, frequency, intensity, and timbre. Musicians make choices within each of these categories to create the effect they hope their music will have on its listeners.

Africa

In different cultures certain aspects of music are emphasized more than others. In the music of ____, rhythm is given a highly complex treatment, while harmony and melody are less developed.

Arab, India (And in China, the emphasis is placed on the subtleties of timbre.)

In different cultures certain aspects of music are emphasized more than others. In the music of the ____ world and ____, both melody and rhythm are more intricate, but there is little, if any, harmony.

brass

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method classifies them according to families in a symphony orchestra and is appropriate only for Western music. The ____ family comprises trumpets, French horns, tomboys, and tubas.

wind

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method classifies them according to families in a symphony orchestra and is appropriate only for Western music. The ____ family includes flutes, single-reed instruments like the clarinet, and double-reed instruments like the oboe and bassoon.

string

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method classifies them according to families in a symphony orchestra and is appropriate only for Western music. The ____ family includes violins, violas, cellos, and double bases.

percussion

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method classifies them according to families in a symphony orchestra and is appropriate only for Western music. The ____ section includes all drums and anything that is struck, such as the xylophone.

Aerophones

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method is bases on how the sound is produces and is useful for many different kinds of music. ______ are instruments that confine a column of air that is set in motion by breath. They include flutes, trumpets, and whistles.

Idiophones

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method is bases on how the sound is produces and is useful for many different kinds of music. ______ are instruments that themselves vibrate when struck, such as bells, symbols, and rattles.

Membranophones

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method is bases on how the sound is produces and is useful for many different kinds of music. ______ produce sound when a membrane that is stretched across a hollow cavity is struck. These are dramas of all kinds.

Chordophones

Instruments are categorized according to two different systems. One method is bases on how the sound is produces and is useful for many different kinds of music. ______ produce sound when a taut string or chord is set in motion, either by bowing, hammering, or plucking. Examples include violins, pianos, harpsichords, and guitars.

conjunct, disjunct

Melodic motion is how a tune gets from one pitch to the next. If the melody moves by small steps, it is said to be using ____ motion. If it moves by leap, it is using ____ motion.

western

Meter can be categorized as simple, compound, or complex. These three categories can explain all rhythmic patterns in _____ music. Each of the categories of meter is defined by the subdivision of beats. The number of beats per measure determine the term associated with that meter (duple, triple, quadruple).

Africa

Meter in much or the rest of the world is more complex that is even in the most sophisticated Western music. In the music of India and the Arab world, for instance, the patterns might eaten for over 20 beats, in contrast to our simple two-or-three-beat patterns. In the music of ____, many different patters are heard simultaneously, creating a layering of patters that produces a dense, highly complex meter.

pulse (Rhythm is how you inhabit the pulse. Rhythm is what results of combining notes of different durations, sometimes coinciding with the beat and sometimes not.)

Most of the music that we hear and all music to which we dance or march has a steady beat, a regular ____ that underlies the melody. Whereas the pulse is steady with an unchanging note value, melodic rhythm involves a variety of note values. If you sing any song and clap the pulse, you will notice that some of the beats have more than one melodic note to them and some melodic notes extend over several beat. For instance, in "Happy Birthday to You," both of the notes of "happy" occur on a single beat while "you" extends over two beats.

ametric

Music that does not have a steady pulse (such as recitative operas or some atonal music), or music that has a steady pulse but no accents at all (such as Gregorian chant) or has unpredictable accents that do not form a recognizable pattern (such as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring) is said to be ____. Most of the music in the world, however, is metric.

rhythm

Rhythm is built into the natural world. There is rhythm in the movement of the stars, the cycle of seasons, in the alternation of day and night, in our very heartbeats and breathing. If there were no rhythm, we would not be aware that ____ was happening.

monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic

Texture refers to how melodies are presented. If there is only a single melody with no accompaniment at all, the texture is _____. This is true even if many performers and singers are playing the same melody. If two or more melodies are happening at the same time and seem to be of equal interest and to be competing for the listener's attention, the texture is _____. If there is a single melody in the foreground with subsidiary melodies or chords accompanying it in the background, the texture is _____.

time signature

The ______ is a symbol placed at the left side of the staff indicating the meter of the composition. For example, a time signature of 3/4 would indicate that there are three quarter notes in each measure and the quarter notes receive the main pulse (or beat).

alto, soprano, mezzosoprano

The earliest musical instrument was undoubtedly the human voice. Using our voices in a musical manner seems to be universal in the human community. Voices are classified party according to their range and partly according to their tone color. The lowest female voice is an ____, the highest a ____, and in-between the two is the ____.

bass, tenor, baritone

The earliest musical instrument was undoubtedly the human voice. Using our voices in a musical manner seems to be universal in the human community. Voices are classified party according to their range and partly according to their tone color. The lowest male voice is a ____, the highest a ____, and in-between the two is the ____.

I, IV, V

The most common triads are __, __, and __. With only these three cords, many songs can be accompanied.

triad

The most prevalent chord is a ____. As the name suggests, this is a 3 note cord comprised of alternating scale degrees. Examples are C - E - G; D - F - A; E - G - B, and so on.

dominant, subdominant

The note on which a diatonic scale is built is called the tonic. All other notes of the diatonic scale are named in relation to the most important note. The note an interval of a 5th above the tonic (G in C major) is called the ____. The one a 5th below the tonic (F in C major) is called the ____.

mediant, submediant

The note on which a diatonic scale is built is called the tonic. All other notes of the diatonic scale are named in relation to the most important note. The note between the tonic and the dominant (E in C major) is called the ____; that between the subdominant and the tonic is the ____.

supertonic, leading tone

The note on which a diatonic scale is built is called the tonic. All other notes of the diatonic scale are named in relation to the most important note. The second step of the scale is the ____. And the note a half-step below the tonic in a major scale is called the ____.

tonic, in the key of

The note on which a diatonic scale is built is called. the ____. Music that uses the diatonic scale is said to be ______ the tonic note upon which the scale is built. Thus, music that uses the white notes beginning on C is said to be in the key of C major. Music that uses the scale beginning on C but with half-steps between 2 & 3 and 5 & 6 (C - D E♭ - F - G A♭ - B♭ - C) is said to be in the key of C minor. In both cases, C is the tonic, the home note, the goal of the music. Music that is in C major or C minor's will not sound finished until it arrives on its tonic note of C.

major, minor, perfect

The tonic triad in C major is spelled C - E - G. C is the root of the triad; E is the third and G is the fifth of the triad. From C to E are two whole steps, which is called the interval of a ____ 3rd (M3rd). From E to G is a whole step and a half step, an interval or ____ 3rd (m3rd). The distance from the root to the fifth is three and a half steps, the interval of a ____ 5th (P5th). This is the definition of a major triad. M3rd on bottom; m3rd on top; P5th from root to fifth.

major, minor, diminished, augmented

The tonic triad in C major is spelled C - E - G. C is the root of the triad; E is the third and G is the fifth of the triad. From C to E are two whole steps, which is called the interval of a major 3rd (M3rd). From E to G is a whole step and a half step, an interval or minor 3rd (m3rd). The distance from the root to the fifth is three and a half steps, the interval of a perfect 5th (P5th). This is the definition of a major triad. M3rd on bottom; m3rd on top; P5th from root to fifth. There are four possible kinds of triads, depending on the arrangement of major and minor thirds: M___, M___, D___, and A___.

whole tone

There are many different kings of scales. A scale which contains all twelve half steps is called a chromatic scale. A scale consisting of only whole steps is called a ____ scale. Most scales, however, are a mixture of whole and half steps, and some have augmented 2nds, which is an interval of three half steps.

quarter-steps

There are several ways of dividing up the octave into smaller intervals. In the music of the Arab world and India, for example, the octave is divided into two dozen different pitches producing ______. In Western music, the octave is divided into only twelve intervals of equal size. These are called half steps (see pic) and are the smallest intervals possible in Western music.

minor

There are two forms of diatomic scales: major and minor. A diatonic scale in the ____ mode is found on the white keys beginning on A. Here the half steps are between 2 and 3 and between 5 and 6 to produce the arrangement: 1 - 2 3 - 4 - 5 6 - 7 - 8.

major

There are two forms of diatomic scales: major and minor. If you play a scale from one C to the next using only white notes, you will produce a ____ scale. It consists of half steps between the 3rd and 4th notes and between the 7th and 8th notes. All other steps are whole steps. As long is this arrangement is kept intact, 1 - 2 - 3 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 8, a major scale can be built from any note.

cord

When 3 or more notes are played simultaneously, the result is a ___.

intensity

When we play an instrument, such as a piano or a guitar, we can distinguish less or more ____ depending on the energy or the delicacy that the musician applies to the note or the set of notes that he is playing, and also the interpretation techniques that the musicians are using during their song.

Timbre

____ is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. It distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musical instruments. It also enables listeners to distinguish different instruments in the same category (e.g., an oboe and a clarinet, both woodwind instruments). In simple terms, It is what makes a particular musical instrument or human voice have a different sound from another, even when they play or sing the same note. For instance, it is the difference in sound between a guitar and a piano playing the same note at the same volume.

Pitch

____ is the specific quality of a sound that makes it a recognizable tone. It defines the location of a tone in relation to others, thus giving it a sense of being high or low.

Complex

____ meter can be defined as a meter that does not fit into the usual duple, triple, or quadruple categories, including most odd numbers and unusual beats per measure.

Compound

____ meter can be defined as a meter where each beat in a measure can be subdivided by three. It is commonly distinguished by dotted note.

Triple (Beats Per Measure: 3 or 9)

____ meter: a metrical pattern having three beats to a measure.

Duple (Beast Per Measure: 2 or 6)

____ meter: a rhythmic pattern with the measure being divisible by two. This includes simple double rhythm such as 2/2 but also such compound rhythms as 6/8.

Quadruple (Beats Per Measure: 4 or 16)

____ meter: metrical pattern with four beats to the measure; 4/4 or common time, etc.

Range

____ refers to how far the highest note is from the lowest note in a given melody. The wider the range, the more energy the music seems to have.

Intensity, dynamics

____ refers to how loud or soft a tone is. The musical term for this is ____. As with tempo marking, the names for dynamics are in Italian.

texture (The use of harmony to accompany melody is what sets Western music apart from other kinds of music. Most of the music in much of the non-Western world is monophonic, but in the west the most prevalent texture is homophony. )

____ refers to how melodies are presented. If there is only a single melody with no accompaniment at all, the texture is monophonic. This is true even if many performers and singers are playing the same melody. If two or more melodies are happening at the same time and seem to be of equal interest and to be competing for the listener's attention, the texture is polyphonic. If there is a single melody in the foreground with subsidiary melodies or chords accompanying it in the background, the texture is homophonic.