Theory Ch. 1-5

transcription

(1) rhythmic pattern rewritten in a different meter, where it sounds the same if played at the same tempo, (2) a piece written for one instrument or ensemble arranged to be payed by another

octave

(1) the distance of eight musical steps; the interval size 8, (2) the particular part of the musical range where a pitch sounds (e.g. C4, or middle C, is a C in a particular octave)

middle C

C4; the C located at the center of the piano keyboard

anacrusis

a beat that precedes a downbeat, sometimes shown in an incomplete measure (the rest of the measure is notated at the end of the section); also called a pickup or upbeat

rest

a duration of silence

beat subdivision

a further division of the beat division into two parts; for example, for a quarter note in simple meter, the beat divides into two eight notes and subdivides into four sixteenths

beam

a line that connects two or more note stems within a unit beat

metronome

a mechanical device that clicks at an even rate, where the number of clicks per minute may be adjusted; used to establish a tempo for musicians to practice with a steady beat

descending

a melodic line that generally goes down, from higher pitches to lower ones

ascending

a musical line that generally goes up, from lower pitches to higher ones

pitch

a musical sound in a particular octave or register

swung eighths

a performance practice where a rhythm notated with even eight notes is performed unevenly, with more time allotted to the first eighth and less to the second in each pair

diatonic half step

a semitone spelling that uses different letter names for the two pitches

chromatic half step

a semitone spelling that uses the same letter name for both pitches

flag

a short arc attached to the right side of a note stem, at the opposite end from the note head; each flag divides the duration of a note in half

meter signature

a sign that appears at the beginning of a piece, after the clef and key signature: the upper number indicates the meter type and the lower number indicates which note gets the beat; also called a time signature

tie

a small arc connecting note heads of two (or more) identical pitches to indicate the durations are to be combined together, without rearticulating the pitch; used to notate durations extending across a bar line and for durations that cannot be represented with dotted notes

note head

a small oval used to notate a pitch on the staff

conducting patterns

a specific pattern, one for each meter, that conductors outline by moving their arms in the air to help keep performers playing together in time

metrical accent

a strong emphasis on a note resulting from its placement on a strong beat

clef

a symbol on the far left of a staff that shows which pitch (and octave) is represented by each line and space

accidentals

a symbol that appears before a note to raise or lower its pitch chromatically, without changing its letter name

bar

a unit of grouped beats, beginning and ending with bar lines

measure

a unit of grouped beats, beginning and ending with bar lines

stem

a vertical line attached to a note head; it generally extends upward if the note is written below the middle line of the staff and downward if the note is written on or above the middle line

bar line

a vertical line, extending from the top of the staff to the bottom, that indicates the end of a measure

natural

an accidental that cancels a sharp or flat

flat

an accidental that lowers a pitch by one half step without changing its letter name

double flat

an accidental that lowers a pitch two half steps without changing its letter name

sharp

an accidental that raises a pitch a half step without changing its letter name

double sharp

an accidental that raises a pitch two half steps without changing its letter name

slur

an arc that connects two (or more) different pitches; slurs affect performance articulation but not duration; in piano music, they tell the performer to play the slurred note smoothly; in vocal music, the slurred notes are sung on one syllable or in one breath

whole step (whole tone)

an interval that spans two adjacent half steps

pickup

anacrusis

bass clef

clef positioned on a staff to indicate F; its two dots surround the F3 line (also known as F-clef)

treble clef

clef positioned on a staff to indicate G by means of the end of its curving line; it circles the line that represents G4 (also known as G clef)

timbre

describes the instrumentation or quality of a musical sound

enharmonic

different names for the same pitch

ledger line

extra lines drawn through the stems and note heads to designate a musical pitch located above or below the staff

articulation

how a pitch is sounded, including various ways of bowing or plucking stringed instruments and tonging wind and brass instruments

tempo

how fast or slow music is played

duplet

in compound meter, a division of the beat in two, instead of three, equal parts

triplet

in simple meter, a division of the beat into three, instead of two, equal parts

changing meter

meter that changes from measure to measure

compound meter

meter where the beat divides into threes and subdivides into sixes; the top number of compound meter signatures is 6,9, or 12

simple meter

meter where the beat divides into twos and subdivides into fours; the top number of simple meter signatures is 2,3, or 4

symmetrical meter

meter with beat units of equal duration

asymmetrical meter

meter with beat units of unequal duration; these irregular beat lengths are typically created by five or seven beat divisions grouped into unequal lengths such as 2+3 or 2+3+2

compound quadruple

meter with four beats in a measure, each beat divided into three (e.g. 12/8 or 12/4)

quadruple meter

meter with four beats in each measure

compound triple

meter with three beats in a measure, each divided into three (e.g. 9/8/ or 9/4)

triple meter

meter with three beats in each measure

compound duple

meter with two beats in a measure, each divided into three (e.g. 6/8 or 6/4)

duple meter

meter with two beats in each measure

score

notated music

syncopation

rhythmic displacement of accents created by dots, ties, rests, dynamic markings, or accent marks

dot

rhythmic notation that adds half of a note's own value to its duration (e.g. the duration of a dotted note equals a half note plus a quarter note)

accent

stress given to a note or some other musical element that brings it to the listener's attention; accents can be created by playing louder or softer, using a different timbre or articulation, speeding up or slowing down, or slightly changing rhythmic duration

upbeat

the beat that precedes a downbeat; named for the upward lift of the conductor's hand; also known as an anacrusis

octave equivalence

the concept that pitches eight steps apart (sharing the same number) sound similar

dynamic level

the degree of loudness in performance; extends from ppp (very soft) to fff (very loud)

half step (semitone)

the distance between a pitch and the next closest pitch on the keyboard

interval

the distance between two pitches

beat unit

the duration assigned to the basic pulse

rhythm

the duration of pitch and silence (notes and rests) used in a piece

downbeat

the first beat of a measure, which has the strongest accent or emphasis; named for the downward motion of the conductor's hand

staff (staves)

the five parallel lines on which music is written

meter

the grouping and division of beats in regular, recurring patterns

register

the highness or lowness of a pitch or passage; the particular octave in which a pitch sounds

musical alphabet

the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, which are used to name musical pitches

letter name

the name for a particular pitch; A-G, that corresponds to its place on the staff or a musical instrument

beat

the primary pulse in musical meter; normally represents an even and regular division of musical time

note

the representation of a musical sound with a note head on the staff; the position of the note head indicates the pitch; whether the note head is black (filled) or white (hollow) and the presence of a stem, beam, or flag indicates duration

beat division

the secondary pulse in musical meter; beats may be divided into two parts (simple meter) or three parts (compound meter)

contour

the shape of a melody; its motion up and down; common contours include ascending, descending, arch, V-shape, and wave

rhythm clef

two short, thick, vertical lines at the beginning of a single-line staff; used to notate unpitched percussion

grand staff

two staves, one in treble clef and one in bass clef, connected by a curly brace; typically used in piano music