Music 101

Progression of chords leading to a feeling of repose at the end of a phase; musical punctuation mark.

Combination of three or more tones sounded at the same time.

Stable combination of tones; points of rest

unstable combination of tones; tension demanding onward motion.

triad built on the fifth step of the scale

degrees of loudness and softness in music; intensity of sound

how chords are constructed and follow each other

distance in pitch between any two tones

series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole; musical sentence.

organization of beats into regular grouping; time signature.

shifting form one key to another within a musical composition

part of a melody

relative highness or lowness of sound; frequency of vibrations

particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music; ordered flow of music through time.

repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch

placing an accent in music where it would not normally be expected (used in jazz)

speed of a beat

melody that serves as the starting point for a extended piece of music

tone color; quality of sound

chord built on the first step of the scale; central key around which a musical composition is organized.

brass

woodwinds

strings

woodwinds

percussion

brass

strings

woodwinds

percussion

woodwinds

tempo marking for fast

tempo marking for moderately slow; a walking pace

sounding the individual tones of a chord one after another, instead of together; broken chord.

gradual increase in loudness

texture in which one main melody predominates over a subordinate chordal accompaniment

smooth, connected, style of playing or singing a melody.

texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment

plucking the strings of a string instrument instead of using a bow.

texture in which two or more melodies of equal interest are performed at the same time.

short, detached style of playing or singing a melody.

medieval

renaissance

baroque

classical

romantic

contemporary