Search results
comping (jazz) 1. to comp; action of accompanying. con. With; used in very many musical directions, for example con allegrezza (with liveliness), con calma (calmly lit.'with calm'); (see also col and colla) con dolcezza. See dolce. con sordina or con sordine (plural) With a mute, or with mutes.
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.
Music is its own language, and it can be confusing. That’s why we’re creating this glossary of music terms. From basic terms like ‘melody’ and ‘rhythm’ to more complex ones like ‘negative harmony,’ we break things down in a way that’s easy to understand.
- 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.
- 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.
Oct 13, 2022 · C. Cadence: a musical phrase that comes to a rest. Call and response: musical form consisting of a melodic phrase (the call) answered by another (the response), used often in jazz and blues music. Canon: musical composition in which a melody is imitated by one or more voices at a fixed interval.
People also ask
What are music terms?
What is an example of a musical instrument?
What is a musical phrase?
What is the structure of a piece of Music called?
What is a melody in music?
What is a score in music?
Mar 29, 2018 · Syncopation. A disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of downbeat rhythm with emphasis on the subdivision or off-beat. Observe this excerpt of music. Now look at the same excerpt wit the beats drawn in and notice all of the notes being played outside of the beat (on the off-beat).
