Music Terms
Fermata
"Birds eye" symbol that tells you to hold a note longer than its normal length
Slur
A curved line connecting two or more notes of different pitches. You only tongue the first note of the slur.
Ostinato
A repeated musical phrase. Usually used as an accompaniment
Breath Mark
A sign telling you when to take a breath
Treble Clef
A sign written at the beginning of each staff which designates the letter names of the lines and spaces. Flute, oboe, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, and mallet percussion use this clef.
Bass Clef
A sign written at the beginning of each staff which designates the letter names of the lines and spaces. Tuba, trombone,baritone, bass, and timpani use this clef
Bar Line
A vertical line that divides the staff into measures
Common Time
Another way of writing 4/4
Accidental
Any sharp, flat, or natural sign in front of a note is called an
Staff
Collection of five horizontal lines on which music is written
Tie
Curved line connecting two or more notes of the same pitch. You only roungue the first nor of the tie.
D.C. al Fine
Da Capo which means, in italian, the head; Fine means end. It tells you to go back to the beginning and play until you see the word fine.
Repeat Sign
Defines a section of music to be repeated
Measure
Distance between two bar lines. Sometimes called a bar
Tutti
Everyone is playing at the same time
Allegro
Fast, cheerful and happy
Dolce
Gently, sweetly
Ritardando
Gradually slower
Tenuto
Hold full value, slight emphasis
Giocoso
Humorous
Cantabile
In a singing manner
Key Signature
List of sharps and flats appearing right after the clef sign that effect certain notes throughout the piece of music
Vivo
Lively
Vivace
Lively, quick
Flat
Lowers the pitch by one half step. Always appears before the note
Moderato
Moderately
Grace Note
Note printed in small type. It is counted in the rhythm; is played quickly, almost together with the other note.
Pick-Up Notes
Note that comes before the first full measure
Divisi
One person/group plays the bottom notes and another person/group plays the top notes
Scherzando
Playful
Sharp
Raises the pitch by one half-step. Always appears before the note.
A Tempo
Return to the original tempo
Ledger Line
Short horizontal line drawn underneath or above the staff for notes too low or high to appear on the staff.
Staccato
Short, detatched
Pedal Sign
Shows when to press and lift the damper (right) pedal
Natural
Sign cancels the sharp or flat. Always appears before the note
Articulation
Sign tells you how to touch and release the keys
Time Signature
Sign that appears right after the key signature. Top number tells you how many beats are in a measure and the bottom tells you what type of note gets one beat.
Multiple Measure Rest
Sign that indicates a rest of more than one measure. Number of measures rest is given in the symbol
Andantino
Slightly faster then andante
Lento
Slow
Legato
Smooth, connected
Allegretto
Somewhat fast, slower then allegro
Tempo
Speed of the music is determined by how many beats occur every minute.
Accent
Strong emphasis
Character or Style
These words help establish feeling, mood, or performance style
Andante
Walking tempo
Octave Sign
When the octave sign is placed over notes, play them one octave higher then what is written. When placed under the notes play them one octave lower then what is written
Con moto
With motion
Dynamics
Words or signs indicating how loud/soft to play
