Musical Terms & Glossary

accent

> Play the note louder with a special emphasis.

Pitch

A musical sound

clef

A sign that helps organize the staff so notes can be easily read.

Sforzando

A sudden, strong accent

tempo

A word meaning "rate of speed". It tells how fast or slow to play the music.

coda

An added ending

Time signature

Appears at the beginning of the music after the clef sign. It contains two numbers. The upper number tells how many beats are in each measure; the lower number indicates what type of note receives 1 beat.

D.C.

Da Capo - repeat from the beginning

D.S.

Dal Segno - Repeat from the sign

Accelerando

Gradually faster

Crescendo

Gradually louder.

Ritardando

Gradually slower

Decrescendo

Gradually softer

diminuendo

Gradually softer

Tenuto

Hold the note for its full value.

Fermata

Hold the note for longer than its normal value.

dotted half note

In 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures, it receives 3 beats.

dotted quarter note

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 1 1/2 beats.

Quarter note

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 1 beat.

Eighth note

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 1/2 beat.

Eighth rest

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 1/2 beat.

Half rest

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 2 beats of silence.

Half note

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 2 beats.

Whole note

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives 4 beats.

Quarter rest

In time signatures with 4 as the bottom number, it receives one beat of silence.

Dynamic signs

Indicate the volume, or how soft or loud the music should be played.

Vivace

Lively and fast.

Forte

Loud

Mezzo

Moderately

Mezzo forte

Moderately loud

Mezzo piano

Moderately soft

1st and 2nd endings

Play or sing through the 1st ending to the repeat sign, then go back to the beginning. When repeating, skip the 1st ending and play the 2nd ending.

Staccato

Play the note short and detached.

Sharp

Raises the pitch by one half step.

D.C. al Coda

Repeat from the beginning and play to the coda.

D.C. al fine

Repeat from the beginning and play to the end. (Fine)

D.S. al Fine

Repeat from the sign and play to the end.

Repeat sign

Return to the beginning or previous repeat sign at the beginning of the section.

Ledger line

Short lines which are added to extend the range of the staff when the notes are too low or too high to be written on the staff.

adagio

Slow

Slur

Smoothly connects two or more notes of different pitches by a curved line over or under the notes.

Piano

Soft

Measure

The area between two bar lines

Grand staff

The bass staff and treble staff connected by a brace and a line.

Treble (or G) Clef

The clef used for notes in the higher pitch ranges.

Half step

The distance from any key on the keyboard to the very next key above or below, whether black or white.

Fine

The end.

Staff

The five lines and the four spaces between them on which music notes and other symbols are written.

Count-off

The introduction given before a piece of music is performed to indicate the tempo of the beat.

Middle C

The note in the middle of the grand staff and the C nearest the middle of the keyboard.

Notes

The oval shaped symbols that are placed on the lines and in the spaces of the staff. They represent musical sounds called pitches.

Treble Staff

The staff on which the treble clef is placed. The curl of the clef circles the line on which the note G is placed.

Tie

Tow notes of the same pitch joined by a curved line over or under the note. Each note joined by a tie is held for its full value but only the first note is played or sung.

Enharmonic notes

Two notes that sound the same but are written differently.

Fortissimo

Very loud

Pianissimo

Very soft

accidental

a flat, sharp, or natural sign that appears within a piece of music. An accidental sign affects the notes written on the same line or space following it for that measure only.

Dot after a note

increases the note's duration by half of the original value.

double bar

is written at the end of a piece of music.

Flat

lowers the pitch by one half step.

Whole rest

means to rest for a whole measure. In 3/4 it receives 3 beats; in 4/4 time it receives 4 beats; in 2/4 it receives 2 beats.

andante

moving along, walking speed

allegro

quickly, cheerfully

bass clef

the clef used for notes in the lower pitch ranges

bar line

the lines which cross the staff and divide it into measures or bars.

articulation

the manner in which a note is performed

bass staff

the staff on which the bass clef is placed. The two dots of the clef surround the line on which the note F is placed.

Legato

to play or sing 2 or more notes smoothly connected.

Largo

very slow