Orchestra Semester Exam Review- Exam 1 7th Grade

Accent

(>) emphatic bow strokes

Clef Sign

(Bass Clef) located at the beginning of each line of music, the clef sign defines the letter names for the lines an spaces on the staff for your instrument. (F clef)

Pizzicato

(pizz.) pluck the string with the index finger of the right hand

Ritardando

(rit.) gradually getting slower

Accidentals

(♯,♮,♭) sharp, natural, and flat symbols for altering pitch

Tetrachord

4-note pattern of pitches that occurs in alphabetical order (up and down). For example, D-E-F#-G, G-F#-E-D

Staff

5 lines and 4 spaces, used for writing music

Caesura

a complete stop

Variation

altered melody

Spiccato

bouncing the bow near the balance point

Natural

cancels out a sharp or flat that is in the key signature, or a preceding sharp or flat in a measure

Détaché

change of bow direction

Slur

connecting different pitches on the same bow direction

Improvise

creating music spontaneously without using written notes

Minor Scale

eight notes using this pattern of whole and half steps (upwards): W-H-W-W-H-W-W

Major Scale

eight notes using this pattern of whole and half steps (upwards): W-W-H-W-W-W-H

Ledger Lines

extend the staff with small lines written above or below the staff

Repeat Sign

go back and play the section of music again

D.C al Fine

go back to the beginning, stop at Fine

Crescendo

gradually playing louder

Diminuendo

gradually playing softer

Martele

heavy bow strokes

Key Signature

identifies notes that are raised or lowered

Time Signature

indicates how many beats are in a measure (top number) and what kind of note gets one beat (bottom number)

Hooked Bowing

interrupted bow

Retake

lift the bow from the string and return to the frog on a circular motion

LH

lower half of bow

Flat

lowers a pitch by 1/2 step

Melody

main tune

Maestoso

majestically

Tie

marking that connects notes of the same pitch together without a break.

Mezzo

medium

Mezzo-forte

medium loud

Mezzo-piano

medium soft

Theme

melody

Syncopation

misplaced accent; emphasis is placed "off" the beat

Down Bow

moving bow from the frog to the tip

Up Bow

moving the bow from the tip to the frog

Shifting

moving the left hand to a new location on the fingerboard

Chromatic

moving up or down by half steps

Duet

music in two parts

Upbeat

note(s) that appear before the first barline. The upbeat is subtracted from the last measure of music

Arpeggio

notes of a chord played separately

Octave

pitch that is eight notes higher or lower and has the same letter

Harmony

pitches that accompany the melody or tune

Forte

play loudly, with a full sound

Piano

play softly

First ending

play this ending the first time through a piece

Second Ending

play this ending the second time

Legato

play with smooth bow strokes

Double Stop

playing two strings at the same time

Left-Hand Pizz.

pluck the string with the left hand

Bow Lanes

point of contact of the bow, near the bridge or near the fingerboard

Sharp

raises a pitch by 1/2 step

Tremolo

rapid bow changes on the same pitch

Glissando

sliding between pitches (use any finger)

Staccato

stopped bow stroke

Fermata

symbol indicating to hold a note longer

Dynamics

symbols indicating how loudly or softly to play

Scale

tetrachord + tetrachord. A scale begins and ends on the same letter

Interval

the distance between two notes

Harmonic

the pitch that is produced by lightly touching the string at the halfway point

Beat

the pulse of the music

Round

the same music starting at different times

Measure

the space between barlines

Triplet

three notes in one beat

Arco

to play using the bow

UH

upper half of bow

WB

whole bow

Con sordina

with mute