This section is a list of musical terms and a brief but simple introduction to the building blocks of music or music theory.
This page can serve as a guide to additional research and study.
Dynamics are markings used to indicate to the players and singers how loud or soft to perform. Dynamics can greatly enhance the emotional and expressive impact of music.

A tonal center is generally the key the work is written in, although it can be simply a note or chord that is repeated or moved toward as a point of rest or cadence.

A modulation is a key change. This is accomplished in a variety of ways from simply shifting up or down to passing through a series of chords common to both keys or by establishing a new feeling by emphasizing certain tones, chords, rhythms or other musical device.

A key is the group of tones that form the tonal framework for a song or musical work. The key signature is a set of sharps or flats signifying which tones are raised or lowered ½ step. "Black notes" between "white notes" are "flat" (b or - is the symbol for flat) if they are refered to from the "white note" above. Conversely, they are "sharp" (# or + is the symbol for sharp) if they are refered to from the "white note" below. For example, C sharp is the "black note" above C. D flat is the "black note" below D. They are both the same "black note." The name the note is called is simply a form of music notation that allows the chord structure or key to be identified.

An obbligato is a melody line or motif that is subordinate to the main melody, but which enhances and supports it.

A brief melody and harmony lesson follows. A scale is an arrangement of whole and half-steps to form a pattern of notes. A whole step is two half steps. A half step is the distance between two adjacent notes on the piano keyboard. The distance between all white notes (except for E to F and B to C) on the keyboard is a whole step or two half steps. Between E-F and B-C is only a half step because there are no black notes between these notes. Where a black note lies between the white notes, it is one half step from the black note to the white note below it or above it The major, melodic minor, harmonic minor and chromatic scales, among others, are an octave (12 half steps) in length, for example, from C to C. A major scale built on C would consist of the following notes: C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C. If you look at an acoustic piano keyboard, the lowest note is an A and the highest note is a C. All the white notes up and down the length of the keyboard are simple repeating patterns of A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,A . . . As explained above, the black notes are either flat or sharp depending on the letter name given to them. A pure or melodic minor scale built on C would be C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb,C. The ascending harmonic minor scale is C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,B,C and descending the notes are C,Bb,Ab,G,F,Eb,D,C, which is the pure or melodic minor scale. The chromatic scale is simply all twelve chromatic (half-step) tones from C to C - here is a good opportunity to show that sharps and flats are the same tones, just different names - C,C#,D,D#,E,F,F#,G,G#,A,A#,B,C,B,Bb,A,Ab,G,Gb,F,E,Eb,D,Db,C. Going up (ascending) the black notes are sharp becasue they are above the tones below them. Coming down (descending) the black notes are flat because they lie below the tones above them. There are many more forms of scales and modes which are known by their particular arrangement of whole and half steps. The first note of the scale is the root tone. It is numbered "1". Omitting the octave above the root, the scale tones are numbered from 1 to 7. Intervals are simply distances between notes. Intervals are labeled as unisons (same note), seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths and octaves. A chord is a harmonic structure that is generally built on the interval of a third, for example, tones 1-3-5, 2-4-6, or 3-5-7. This simple, 3-note chord is called a triad. More complex chords add the 7th, 9th, 11th or 13th tones above the root. Chords may be altered. Alterations are sharped or flatted tones within the chord.

The piano keyboard. The keyboard is divided into octaves (12 half steps). Each octave's notes are referred to as belonging to that octave and written with special notation. The lowest notes of most keyboards are AAA, BBBb and BBB in the Contra Octave. Continuing upward is the Contra Octave (CC-BB), Great Octave (C-B), Small Octave (cc-bb), One Line Octave (c1-b1), Two Line Octave (c2-b2), Three Line Octave (c3-b3) and Four Line Octave (c4-b4). The topmost note of the keyboard is c5. Whenever specific notes are refered to in this text, they will be identified using this piano keyboard chart.

The harmonic series consists of a fundamental tone and a series of natural, acoustical overtones. The fundamental is the tone which is played. The overtone series was the basis for forming the major, minor, harmonic minor and chromatic scales in use during the common practice period. Overtones are heard above the fundamental at a lower volume. These overtones add richness and fullness to the sound. If the fundamental and overtones are played as a chord, each note at the same volume, the sound is dissonant or "off-key", but when the fundamental alone is played, the divine balance, at work in the physics of sound, gives a lovely, sonorous tone. The harmonic series is the combination of the fundamental and its overtones. The overtones are also referred to as harmonics. Using C as the fundamental (1), the overtone series is: (2) c, (3) g, (4) c1, (5) e1, (6) g1, (7) bb1, (8) c2, (9) d2, (10) e2, (11) f#2, (12) g2, (13) a2, (14) bb2, (15) b2, (16) c3.

A motive or motif is a melodic, harmonic or rhythmic idea, usually restated and varied throughout the piece. It may also be used as a starting point for the generation of new ideas and musical patterns.

Chord symbols. For example: C is the root note of the chord. Maj represents a major chord, mi stands for minor, dim for diminished and sus for suspended. Numbers indicate to add that interval above the root. The root of the chord is 1, so a Cmaj7 chord would include the root (C) and the note a seventh above it (B), along with, most likely, the third, E. Music theory is too lengthy a subject to take up here, but this brief explanation may help the reader without extensive musical training to better understand the chord structures. For a good theory text, see Robert W. Ottman's Elementary Harmony, published by Prentice Hall.

Chromaticism is movement by half-step. The chromatic scale is composed entirely of half-steps. For example, moving from C to C# to D is chromatic movement.

Fills are instrumental embellishments that "fill" the space between words of a verse or between the end of one verse and the beginning of the next.

Broken chord style is opposed to block chord style. Playing the chord in a rhythmic manner, breaking up the tones into groups (of one, two or more tones) and oscillating them is broken chord style. Block chord style suggests a block of sound, playing all the tones together, as a group, at the same time.

Time signatures indicate the number of beats to a measure of music and what type of note gets the beat. In 3/4 or waltz time, there are 3 beats to a measure and the quarter note gets the beat.

Pizzicato is a plucked style for stringed instruments. The string is simply plucked with the index finger or the fingernail.

A musical phrase is a short melodic idea. It may be a fragment, or a slightly longer passage (two to four bars or so), but the whole of it has its own logic and can be clearly separated, musically, from the next one.

A quartal or quintal harmonic structure is one built on intervals of fourths or fifths.

A measure, or bar, of music is a rhythmic unit based on the time signature. A measure is found on the page between two bar lines, hence "bar of music". In 3/4 time, the measure contains 3 quarter note beats.

Slurred notes are played smoothly joined with no break in between. The slide technique, common in blues music, begins a tone slightly below pitch (flat) and slides up to the pitch center. With a guitar or string instrument, notes are accented by starting below and sliding up to the center pitch. On the keyboard, this is accomplished by sliding from the note a half-step below.

The technique of sequence is widely used in music. A sequence is a melodic figure or harmonic structure immediately repeated at a different tonal level. Examples include a melodic pattern that is repeated as it moves up or down the scale or a chord progression (V-IV, for example) repeated in different keys.

A coda is a closing section of a movement or musical work that may be perceived as being added on or as something extra.

Contrabass, string bass, double bass and bass viol are interchangeable terms.

Pentatonic patterns are derived from the pentatonic scale. The basic pattern of the scale can be found by playing the black notes within an octave on the keyboard.

In a baroque concerto, the continuo was the part, written for harpsichord, that filled in the harmonies and added a rhythmic impetus to the piece. Harmonies were usually implied, the player having to supply them over a written "figured bass."

Counter melodies are simply melodic lines that run counter to, support or fill the main melody.

A cadence is a resting point, usually arrived at by a strong chord progression in the current key such as V-I or IV-I. Sometimes a cadence is found as part of a modulation (see # 8), employing chords common to both keys or in the new key.

Tempos - Andante is a moderately slow, walking tempo or speed. Allegro is a brisk and lively tempo.

Modes - The Dorian mode is a scale pattern. The pattern of half and whole steps can be seen by playing the white note keys from D to D on the keyboard. The mixolydian mode is a scale that has half-steps between tones 3-4 and 6-7. When built on F, the scale is F, G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb and F.

Syncopation is a rhythmic device noted by irregular and offbeat rhythms, common to jazz.

Chords are said to be in root position when the bottom note of the chord is the root. Inverted triad chords (1-3-5) have the third (1st inversion) or fifth (2nd inversion) in the bass. More complex chords may have the seventh or other note as the lowest.

Unmeasured bowed tremolo is accomplished by moving the bow back and forth over the string as rapidly as possible. This technique adds energy and excitement to the sound.

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