Terminology/techniques Associated With Style

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tajwid

Back 1

-an Arabic word meaning proper pronunciation during recitation, as well as recitation at a moderate speed.
- tajwīd most often refers to proper recitation of the Qur'a

Front 2

drone

Back 2

a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout much or all of a piece, sustained or repeated, and most often establishing a tonality upon which the rest of the piece is built.

Front 3

ostinato

Back 3

Is a motif or phrase which is repeated over and over again at the same pitch (Kamien 2003, p.611). Ostinatos may be used as melody or accompaniment, may be purely rhythmic, and other parts and variations may be layered over or under an ostinato.

Front 4

strumming

Back 4

A strumming pattern is a preset pattern used by a rhythm guitar. Compare with pattern picking. Strumming patterns may be indicated through notation, tablature, up and down arrows, or slashes

Front 5

heterophony

Back 5

heterophony is a kind of complex monophony - there is only one melody, but multiple voices each of which play the melody differently, either in a different rhythm or tempo, with different embellishments and figures, or idiomatically different.

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monophony

Back 6

In music, monophony (base musical texture) is a texture with just one part (such as Gregorian chant)

Front 7

antiphony

Back 7

A piece of music which is performed by two semi-independent choirs interacting with one another, often singing alternate musical phrases, is known as antiphonal.

Front 8

homophony

Back 8

Homophony is a musical term that describes the texture of two or more instruments or parts moving together and using the same rhythm

Front 9

polyphony

Back 9

Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).

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Ornamentation and nuance

Back 10

-In music, ornaments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to the overall melodic (or harmonic) line, but serve to decorate or "ornament" that line. They are performed as "fast notes" around a central note.

Front 11

Circular breathing

Back 11

Circular breathing is a special technique utilized by players of some wind instruments used to produce a continuous tone without break, accomplished by the use of the cheeks as a reservoir of air while breathing through the nose rather than the mouth.

Front 12

maqam

Back 12

"a technique of improvisation" that defines the pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music and which is "unique to Arabian art music."

Front 13

melisma

Back 13

In music, melisma is the technique of changing the note (pitch) of a syllable of text while it is being sung. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic,

Front 14

qaflah (cadence)

Back 14

is a particular series of intervals or chords that ends a phrase, section, or piece of music. Cadences give phrases a distinctive ending, that can, for example, indicate to the listener whether the piece is to be continued or concluded

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mujawwad

Back 15

Elaborate and musical style of Quranic recitation, usually used for public performance by specialists

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murratal

Back 16

Private less elaborate style of recitation