| A | B |
|---|
| Pitch | Placement of a note (high or low) |
| Frequency | Rate of vibration of sound |
| Conjunct | Stepwise motion; connected |
| Interval | The distance between two notes |
| Phrase | Musical unit; a component of a melody |
| Meter | Organization of rhythm in time |
| Simple | When the pulse is evenly divided into two |
| Duple | Two beats per measure |
| Upbeat | or offbeat, the 2nd-half of the pulse |
| Syncopation | used to throw off the beat or pattern; used in jazz music |
| Chord | Three or more notes (usually in thirds) played at one time |
| Harmony | Simultaneous combination of notes, with ensuing relationship |
| Octave | Distance of 8, in a diatonic scale. |
| Tonic | The base of the scale |
| Dissonance | Sounds needing to be resolved, or maybe unpleasing to the ear |
| Diatonic | The eight notes of a scale (do-re-mi-etc.) |
| Major | Usually associated with a content or happy feeling |
| Monophonic | One sound, one melodic line |
| Homophonic | One melody with a chordal accompaniment |
| Canon | The same melody repeated at altering times, like in a round |
| Inversion | A melody changed to its upside-down position |
| Retrograde | A melody changed to be played backwards |
| Augmentation | Making the melody longer, notes with more duration |
| Repetition | Playing or doing something with exact duplication |
| Variation | Based on the melody, but with some alterations (rhythmic or melodic) |
| Binary | AB |
| Theme | The first iteration of the melody |
| Adagio | Slow |
| Largo | Realy Slow |
| Presto | Very Fast |
| Ritardando | Slow Down |
| Crescendo | Get Louder |
| Forte | Loud |
| Mezzo | Medium |
| Aerophone | Uses air to make sound |
| Membranophone | Uses a stretch membrane to make sound |
| Brass | Played with buzzed lips in a mouth piece |
| Strings | Uses strings, either plucked or bowed |
| Soprano | Highest female voice |
| Tenor | Highest male voice |
| Organ | The choir that never breathes |
| String Quartet | 2 Violins, Cello, & Double Bass |
| Chorus | Mixtured of male and female singers |
| Baroque | 1600AD - 1700AD |
| Romantic | 1820AD - 1900AD |
| Classical | 1750AD - 1825AD |
| Renaissance | 1450AD - 1600AD |
| 21st Century | 1900AD - 2000AD |
| Duration | Length of a note |
| Synthesizer | Electronic keyboard instrument |
| Harpsichord | Like a piano, but the strings are plucked |
| a cappella | In the style of the chapel; or unaccompanied |
| Chamber Music | Small group, with each person on their own part |
| Bass | Lowest male voice |
| Double Bass | Lowest string instrument |
| Viola | Second highest string instrument |
| Alto | Lowest female voice |
| Percussion | Idiophones/Membranophones (pitched and unpitched) |
| Woodwinds | Uses air across a reed or lip-plate to make sound |
| Idiophone | one-sound percussion instrument (triangle, cowbell, woodblock) |
| Chordophone | Uses strings to make sound |
| issimo | A suffix added to dynamics, means "very" |
| Piano | Soft |
| Diminuendo | Get softer |
| Accelerando | Move faster |
| Andante | Walking Tempo |
| Allegro | Fast |
| Vivace | Lively |
| Disjunct | Skipping motion, leaps |
| Motive | The smallest part of a melody/theme |
| Ternary | ABA |
| Imitation | Usuing the motion of the melody; used a lot in Fugues |
| Contrast | Different |
| Diminution | Make shorter, duration of notes is shortened |
| Heterophonic | Chaos; like a Dixie Land Band |
| Polyphonic | More than one melodic line |
| Minor | Associated with a sad feeling (today) |
| Shape | The up and down motion of a melody |
| Cadence | A resting point |
| Compound | When the pulse is evenly divided into three (when the beat is uaually a dotted note) |
| Triple | 3 beats per measure |
| Downbeat | The first pulse of the measure |
| Polyrhythm | More than one rhythm |
| Triad | Three base notes of a chord |
| Chromatic | All notes between "do" (black and white keys of the piano) |
| Melody | Succession of single pitches perceived in a unity |
| Consonance | Sounds pleasing to the ear, no resolution needed |
