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Mar 23, 2023 · 1. In a major key / scale the triad 135 of the root chord I is a major chord because of a major 3rd and a perfect 5th. The same with the minor keys and scales (minor third and perfect fifth.) This difference of the basic third gives the two qualities the typical melodic and harmonic character. – Albrecht Hügli.
Quasi: An Italian term meaning “almost” or “as if,” often used in musical directions, e.g., “quasi recitativo” means “like a recitative.”. Quaver: Another term for an eighth note, primarily used in British English. Quintet: A group of five musicians or singers, or a piece of music written for such a group.
- 12 Bar Blues
- A Capella
- Accelerando
- Acoustic
- Adagio
- Arco
- Arpeggio
- Articulation
- Ballad
- Bar
12 bar blues is one of the most common chord progressions in popular music and the most common one in the blues genre. The number 12 refers to the number of measures, or bars. Example of a 12 bar blues progression in the key of A:
Music performed without instrumental background. A capella is often performed with multiple voices with a choir but can be sung by a single singer as well. The word ‘a capella’ comes from Italian and means ‘in the style of the chapel’.
Accelerando is a term for the change of tempo where the composition is played at an increasing tempo. In other words, the tempo of the song or composition speeds up until the next tempo marking.
Acoustics is a wide concept with different meanings depending on what is referred to. Generally acoustics refers to the quality of sounds and the sonic qualities of a space, such as a concert hall. Acoustic music consists of instruments that don’t use electronics to produce the sound. These include the acoustic guitar and bass as well as drums, pia...
Adagio is one of the basic tempo markings, indicating that the composition is played at a slow speed.
Arco is a term used in music to indicate that a stringed instrument should be played with a bow rather than plucked with your fingers. A good example is the difference between strumming a guitar and playing a violin.
Arpeggio, also known as a broken chord, means that the notes of a chord are played in an ascending or descending order. The notes in an arpeggio can include only the chord’s notes in an ascending or descending order played back to back, or the notes can be played up and down. An example of a technique used to play arpeggios on a guitar is known as ...
In music, articulation refers to how individual notes are played. It’s like the musical equivalent of pronunciation. Articulation techniques, such as legato and staccato, are used to produce different sounds and effects.
Ballads aren’t necessarily songs and the definition of a ballad has changed throughout the centuries. However, today in music a ballad is a slow and often highly emotional form of narrative song. Common themes of ballads are love, loss and longing, making them often sad and sentimental at least in modern popular music. The AABA song structure is al...
A bar is the unit used to indicate how many beats are in a single segment of music. Bar is a synonym of measure.
A major chord contains the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the major scale. A minor chord contains the 1st, flattened (lowered) 3rd, and 5th notes of the major scale that it’s named for. When trying to determine what is the difference between major and minor scales and chords, you can apply this formula to figure out the notes in any major or ...
- AB. AB music refers to a musical composition with two distinct sections. Each letter is used to represent a distinct musical idea. These ideas may repeat in common song forms like ABAB, or they may not with a song form like ABC, where C represents a new musical idea.
- Acapella. Acapella refers to a musical piece performed with just the human voice, or without musical accompaniment. This can be used in a choral sense, where the choir is instructed to sing without musical accompaniment.
- Accelerando. This Italian tempo marking signals to the musician that they should gradually increase speed while performing a piece of music. With accelerando, musicians look to the conductor to see the speed at which they should accelerate.
- Accent. A marking used in a piece of music to create emphasis on selected musical notes. There are several different types of accent marks. Some examples include staccato or tenuto.
Musical terms dictionary: A glossary of key musical terms that you will come across on your classical music journey.
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A ‘key signature’ is the number of flats or sharps in the key. These are written on a musical staff to identify the key. This key signature has 3 sharps (C♯ F♯ G♯), making it either A Major or F♯ Minor. There are 15 Major Keys based off the Major Scale, and 15 Minor Keys based off the Natural Minor Scale. A few of these keys are ...
