Musical Terms

1
Musical Terms

• by
• Sue Michiels

2
Rhythm

• Beat is Boring!
• Rhythm is Interesting!
• Rhythm divides time in musical pieces, using
  unaccented and accented beats to create a
  readable pattern.

3
Notation

• q
• w
• e

• Notes are symbols that show a person how long to
  play and when to play.
• Any symbol may be used.
• In music notation each note stands for a specific
  length of time form a tone to be held.

4
Melody

• Melody is an organized group of tones.
• If it is a memorable tune, with lots of
  repetition students will readily hum it! (no
  matter if it is a multiplication table!)

5
Harmony

• Harmony is a combination of tones sounded
  together.
• The basic unit of harmony is a chord, where two
  or more tones are played at the same time.

6
Tone Color

• Tone color or timbre is the special sound of an
  instrument or voice.
• The use of different tone color is what makes a
  piece of music interesting.

7
Form

• Form is the structure of a piece of music.
• Songs are often ABA form where there is a chorus
  followed by a verse followed by the chorus etc.
• Other forms include rondo and sonata forms.

8
Pitch

• Pitch is the highness or lowness of a tone.
• Usually the bigger the instrument the lower the
  pitches it may be able to play.

9
Tempo

• Tempo is how fast or slow music is played.
• Accelerando is when music gets faster.
• Rubato is when music does not keep a steady beat.
• Italian is the language used for these terms
  vivace, lento, andante,etc.

10
Dynamics

• Dynamics are how loudly or softly the music is
  played.
• Italian terms are used in music piano, forte,
  mezzo forte etc.
• Music may get louder or softer gradually
  crescendo or diminuendo
• The conductor is the controller of the dynamics.

11
Types of Music

• There are many, many different types of music
  ..some you may like and others you do not!