Music Midterm

octave

(1) the distance of eight musical steps, the interval size 8 (2) the particular part of the musical range where a pitch sounds

beat subdivision

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

beam

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

key signature

a pattern of sharps or flats (or none) that appears immediately following the clef on a staff, showing which notes, in any octave, are to be sharped or flatted consistently throughout the piece; it helps identify the key of the piece, but each signature is used for two keys- one major and one minor

swung eighths

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

whole-tone scale

a scale with the pattern W-W-W-W-W; it has only whole steps between adjacent scale members

diatonic half step

a semitone spelling that uses different letter names for the two pitches (e.g., D and E flat)

chromatic half step

a semitone spelling that uses the same letter name for both pitches (e.g., D and D sharp)

major tetrachord

a series of four notes that form an ascending W-W-H pattern; building block of a major scale

major scale

a seven-note scale beginning 1(do)-2(re)-3(mi) with the pattern of a whole and half steps W-W-H-W-W-W-H; it shares the same key signatures as its relative minor

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, that indicates the meter type (duple, triple, quadruple) and beat division (simple, compound); also called a time signature

solfège, fixed-do

a singing system in which a particular syllable is associated with a particular pitch (do is always C, re is always D, etc.) no matter what the key

solfège, moveable-do

a singing system in which a particular syllable is associated with a particular scale step (do is always 1, re is always 2, etc.) no matter what the key

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 heads

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

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

articulation

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

tempo

how fast or slow music is played

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 (x)

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

slur

an arc that connects two (or more) different pitches; they affect performance articulation, but not duration

metrical accent

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

whole step (whole tone)

an interval that spans two adjacent half steps

scale

an ordered collection of pitches

duplet

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

bass clef

clef positioned on a staff to indicate F; its two dots surround the F3 line

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)

two-beat triplet

in simple meter, a division of a half note into three equal quarter notes

triplet

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

augmentation

lengthening the durations of a rhythm, often by doubling them

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; top number is either 2, 3, or 4

symmetrical meter

meter with beat units of equal duration

asymmetrical meter

meter with beats of units of unequal duration; these irregular beat lengths are typically (though not always) 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

quadruple meter

meter with four beats in each measure

compound triple

meter with three beats in a measure, each beat divided into three

triple meter

meter with three beats in each measure

compound duple

meter with two beats in a measure, each beat divided into three

duple meter

meter with two beats in each measure

major key

music comprised of notes drawn from the major scale; the key is named by the first scale degree and type of scale

scale-degree numbers

numbers for the position of a note or triad in a scale, written with a caret over a number

enharmoinc

different names for the same pitch (eg. E flat and D sharp)

rest

duration of silence

ledger lines

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

tonic

scale-degree 1

supertonic

scale-degree 2

mediant

scale-degree 3

subdominant

scale-degree 4

dominant

scale-degree 5

submediant

scale-degree 6

leading tone

scale-degree 7; gets its name from its tendency to lead upward toward the tonic

diatonic scale

scales made by rotating the step pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H

accent

stress given to a note or some other musical element that brings it to the listener's attention

upbeat

the beat that precedes a downbeat; named for the upward lift of the conductor's hand

octave equivalence

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

dynamic level

the degree of loudness in performance. Extends from ppp (very soft) to fff (very loud)

half step

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 durations 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

the five parallel lines on which music is written

meter

the grouping and division of beats in regular, recurring patterns

letter name

the name of a particular pitch, employing letters 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 filled or 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

transpose

to renotate a melody or harmony at a different pitch level or in a different key while maintaining the intervals between its elememts

rhythm clef

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

grand staff

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

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

tendency tone

a chord member or scale degree whose relation to the surrounding tones requires a particular resolution (i.e., chordal sevenths must resolve down, and leading tones must resolve up)

circle of fifths

a circular diagram representing the relationship between keys; clockwise motion around the circle shifts a key up by a P5 and removes a flat or adds a sharp; counterclockwise motion shifts a key down by a P5 and removes a sharp or adds a flat

descending contour

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

ascending contour

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

pitch

a musical sound in a particular octave or register

chromatic scale

a scale consisting of all twelve pitches within the octave; the distance between each note and the next is a half step

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

scale-degree names

names for the position of a note pr triad in a scale; these include tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone, and subtonic

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

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 pithces