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A glossary of musical terms. A cappella: Music sung without instrumental accompaniment. ABA form: A musical structure consisting of three sections, where the first and third sections are the same or closely related and the middle section is contrasting. Accelerando: A musical direction indicating a gradual increase in tempo.
Sep 25, 2024 · Cheatsheet of common and more obscure music terminology terms and definitions. Understanding music terms makes it easier to collaborate with other musicians – it really does help if you’re all singing and playing from the same hymn sheet! ADDucation’s glossary of music terminology compiled by Robert Junker was last updated 25 Sep 2024.
Music TermsMusic Terminology Terms ExplainedAccentA specific note is emphasized above other ...AccidentalAccidentals indicate notes that are ...AdagioAdagio (Italian for “at ease”) indicates ...AllegroAllegro (Italian for “cheerful”) is a ...Glossary of music terminology. A variety of musical terms are encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings.
- 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.
- 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.
Sep 17, 2024 · No matter your preferred genre (whether it's classical masterpieces or modern pop hits), understanding the language of music past and present deepens your understanding of and connection to your favorite songs and the artists who create them. Explore these music terms and more on the MuseFlow blog.
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Oct 13, 2022 · Use the Table of Contents to zoom around, or CTRL+F/CMD+F to find the term you’re looking for. Of any artistic discipline, music has some of the most complex and varied terminologies, from a bevy of fancy Italian words to essential slang tossed around in jazz circles.
