Beginning Band Music Terms

Front 1

1st and 2nd endings

Back 1

play the 1st ending the first time through; repeat the music, but skip over the 1st ending on the repeat and play the 2nd ending instead

Front 2

accent

Back 2

play the note with a strong attack

Front 3

sharp

Back 3

raises the pitch a half step

Front 4

flat

Back 4

lowers the pitch a half step

Front 5

natural

Back 5

undos the change caused by a sharp or flat

Front 6

alla marcia

Back 6

play in the style of a march

Front 7

allegro

Back 7

a fast tempo

Front 8

andante

Back 8

a moderate walking tempo

Front 9

arpeggio

Back 9

the notes of a chord played one after the another

Front 10

articulation

Back 10

indicates how a note should be played

Front 11

bass clef

Back 11

indicates the fourth line of a staff is F

Front 12

breath mark

Back 12

tells you to take a deep breath through your mouth

Front 13

chromatics

Back 13

a series of notes that move in half steps

Front 14

conductor

Back 14

leads group of musicians using specific hand and arm patterns

Front 15

courtesy accidentals

Back 15

help remind you of the key signature; occur after another accidental or recent key change; enclosed parentheses

Front 16

crescendo

Back 16

gradually play louder

Front 17

d.c. al fine

Back 17

repeat from the beginning and play to the fine

Front 18

d.s. al fine

Back 18

repeat from the sign (del segno) and play to the fine

Front 19

decrescendo or diminuendo

Back 19

gradually play softer

Front 20

divisi

Back 20

indicates where two notes appear at the same time

Front 21

dot

Back 21

increases the length of a note by half its value

Front 22

double bar line

Back 22

indicates the end of a section

Front 23

duet

Back 23

a composition for two preformers

Front 24

dynamics

Back 24

change in volume

Front 25

enharmonic

Back 25

refers to two notes that sound the same and use the same fingering but are written differently

Front 26

etude

Back 26

a "study" piece or an exercise that helps you practice a specific technique

Front 27

fermata

Back 27

hold a note or rest longer than its normal duration

Front 28

fine

Back 28

the end of a piece of music

Front 29

forte (f)

Back 29

play loudly

Front 30

harmony

Back 30

two or more notes played at the same time

Front 31

improvisation

Back 31

creating music you play

Front 32

interlude

Back 32

a short musical piece

Front 33

interval

Back 33

the distance between two notes

Front 34

key signature

Back 34

appears at the beginning of the staff, and indicates which notes will be played sharp or flat

Front 35

largo

Back 35

a slow tempo

Front 36

ledger line

Back 36

short, horizontal line used to extend the staff either higher or lower

Front 37

legato (-)

Back 37

an articulation or style of playing that is smooth and connected

Front 38

mezzo forte (mf)

Back 38

medium loud

Front 39

mezzo piano (mp)

Back 39

medium soft

Front 40

moderato

Back 40

a medium tempo

Front 41

multiple-measure rest

Back 41

indicates more than one full measure of rest; the number above the staff indicates how many measures get to rest

Front 42

octave

Back 42

the interval of an 8th

Front 43

one measure repeat

Back 43

play the previous measure again

Front 44

phrase

Back 44

a musical idea that ends with a breath

Front 45

piano (p)

Back 45

play softly

Front 46

pickup note

Back 46

occurs before the complete measure of a phrase

Front 47

rallentando

Back 47

becoming gradually slower

Front 48

rehearsal mark

Back 48

reference number or letter in a box above the staff

Front 49

repeat sign

Back 49

go back to beginning and play the piece again

Front 50

right-facing repeat

Back 50

indicates where to begin repeating the music

Front 51

ritardando

Back 51

becoming gradually slower

Front 52

round

Back 52

music in which players at different times, creating interesting harmonies and accompaniments

Front 53

scale

Back 53

a series of notes that ascend or descend stepwise within a key; the lowest and highest notes of the scale are always the same letter name and are an octave apart

Front 54

slur

Back 54

a curved line connecting two or more notes; tongue only the first note in a slur

Front 55

solo

Back 55

when one person is performing alone or with accompaniment

Front 56

staccato

Back 56

an articulation or style of playing that is light and separated

Front 57

style marking

Back 57

sometimes used instead of a tempo marking to help musicians understand the feeling the composer would like the music to convey

Front 58

syncopation

Back 58

occurs when there is emphasis on a weak beat

Front 59

tempo markings

Back 59

indicate the speed of the music

Front 60

theme and variation

Back 60

a compositional technique in which the composer clearly states a melody (theme), then changes it by adding contrasting variations

Front 61

tie

Back 61

a curved line that connects two or more notes of the same pitch; the tied notes are played as one longer note with the combined value of both notes

Front 62

time signature or meter

Back 62

indicates the number of beats (counts) in each measure and the type of note that receives one beat

Front 63

treble clef

Back 63

indicates the second line of the staff is G

Front 64

trio

Back 64

a composition in which three different parts are played by three performers at the same time

Front 65

tutti

Back 65

everyone plays together

Front 66

unison

Back 66

two or more parts play the same note

Front 67

waltz

Back 67

a popular dance in