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19 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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accent
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- a sudden change in dynamics, timing, or expression that makes a note stand out from other notes before and after it. (Indicated in written music by various words and markings.)
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consonance
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- the pleasing sound of two or more notes. Consonant sounds are stable and do not create tension.
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dissonance
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- a combination of notes that seems unrelated or harsh; too many dissonant sounds may make most listeners uncomfortable.
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envelope
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- the four elements that make up the sound of a note: attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR). Attack is the sound of a note as it begins; decay is the sound of a note as it softens immediately after the attack; sustain is the quality of the note before it stops or “releases.”
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fundamental pitch
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- the lowest and main pitch heard in an overtone series. The fundamental pitch is also the loudest.
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harmony
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- the result of sounding two or more different notes at the same time to build chords; also refers to the progression of chords and their relationship to one another.
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interval
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- the distance between two notes.
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melody
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- a series of notes that expresses a musical thought. It is made of both rhythm and pitch. There are two basic types of melodies: conjunct melodies move by step and small intervals, disjunct melodies move by larger skips. Both angular melodies, which are not very singable, and tuneful melodies, common to simple folk songs, are considered melodic.
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meter
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- the number of beats grouped in each measure. For example, 3/4 meter means three quarter notes per measure, 6/8 means six eighth notes, and so on. Various meters form the basis of dance forms. For example, a waltz is written in groups of three (3/4 time), cha-cha is in groups of four (4/4 time).
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music
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- sounds expressively placed in time.
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octave
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- the distance (in terms of pitch) between two notes with the same letter name. It is the interval between the first and eighth note of a major or minor scale. (There are only seven of these notes inside the octave, the eighth being called by the same letter name. For example, a note C up to the next note name C is one octave)
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overtone series
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- the combination of pitches that are based on the same fundamental pitch. Every note has several related pitches, or overtones, from low to high, that vibrate at the same time.
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range
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- the distance between high notes and low notes on a instrument. It is also the distance between loud and soft, fast and slow.
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rhythm
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- pulses or beats that are arranged into regularly recurring groups that establish a pattern or meter (usually consisting of multiples of two or three pulses). Rhythm can also refer to the frequency of chords and/or the activity of the melody (harmonic rhythm and melodic rhythm).
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scale
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- any of several sequences of pitches dividing an octave into whole-steps and half-steps. The octave has 12 half-steps, which is the chromatic scale. Major and minor scales are built by using specific combinations of whole-steps and half-steps.
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sine wave
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- a graphical waveform that is shaped like a sideways S. It represents the basic building block of all sound.
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synthesizer
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- a tone generator, often a keyboard. Sounds imitating acoustic instruments or new and unique waveforms are created and reproduced using a synthesizer.
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timbre
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- the tonal quality of a musical sound. Created by the number and volume of the many overtones that make up the sound, it is the timbre of musical instruments that helps us distinguish between them.
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tonality
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- the key or tonal area that a piece of music is played in. It conveys the sense that notes are in relation to a main/most stable note.
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