Glossary
How To Listen To Music
Bar - Same as measure. See below.
Beat - The term “beat” is used in two different ways. Sometimes "beat" means the count within the “measured metrical unit.” But often, non-musicians speak of the beat as the rhythmic feeling of a piece of music. Sophisticated listeners distinguish between the beat of the music and the pulse of the music. Sometimes musicians refer to the pulse of the music as the groove. In the simplest terms, “beat” is what comes out of a metronome and “pulse” ” is what you feel when you hear the music.
Chord - The simultaneous occurrence of three different tones. Sometimes a chord is implied by only two tones.
Complex Meter - Some tunes are neither in duple or triple meter. These tunes usually have an odd number of beats in each measure. Think of them as the union of simple and compound time. Most of all think of David Brubeck’s famous jazz piece Take 5. This was written in the time signature of 54. To count the measure musicians say 1 – 2 – 3 – 1 – 2. So this is a compound meter followed by a duple meter. Other complex meters work the same way.
Compound Time - When the basic beat can be subdivided into three divisions, the tune is said to be in compound time.
Counterpoint - The word comes from the Latin “punctum contra punctum” which means, “point against point.” Counterpoint once meant “note against note.” The easiest way to think of counterpoint is to consider it a technique of contrast. Good counterpoint allows ideas to be expressed and then introduces opposing voices that may support or oppose the idea. Counterpoint moves music ahead and clarifies original themes within a work. Counterpoint can take the form of melody, harmony or rhythm and it may be any possible combination of these three.
Toch wrote that “counterpoint is one of the most powerful shaping forces in music; we might even go so far as to say, one of the most powerful shaping forces in art altogether.” One of the greatest joys of listening to good music is the discovery of good counterpoint and then the realization that counterpoint can evoke emotions and meaning like no other tool in music.
Duple Meter- When the basic beat of a tune can be naturally subdivided into two divisions, the tune is said to be in duple meter or simple time
Form - Music can be divided into five basic forms.
1. Sectional forms – songs, fiddle tunes, old time music, rondos, ragtime, early jazz
2. Variation forms – basso ostinato, passacaglia, chaconne, theme and variations
3. Fugal forms – the fugue, Concerto Grosso, chorale, prelude, motets and madrigals
4. Sonata forms – sonata, symphony, concerto
5. Free forms – the prelude, symphonic poem, contemporary jazz
Germ - A germ is a basic unit within a motif. Musical germs are often recognized because they are repeated within a motive or shared either rhythmically or melodically among several motifs.
Groove - Same as pulse
Harmony - Harmony is the simultaneous occurrence of two or more different tones. If three or more different tones happen at the same time, a chord is produced.
Key - A Musical Key is the result of an agreement among the musicians playing a piece of music to use a specific collection of tones (a scale). The difference between a scale and a key is that a scale requires a specific ascending and descending order within the tones. A key places no requirements on how or when the tones of a scale are used. A scale is about order (Do Re Me Fa….). A key is about population (which tones) and limits (only the tones say, on the scale of "C"). Thus, a scale defines a musical key.
The concept of a musical key is important because often a work will be referred to by its key. For example, Beethoven’s 5th symphony is sometimes called his symphony in C minor.
Measure - A measure is a unit of time defined by a specific number of beats. The time unit is described by the time signature. A measure in a 44 composition lasts for four beats of a quarter note.
Melody - a temporal succession of music tones.
Meter - This term has to do with what Copland calls “measured metrical units”. To convey meter to musicians, composers use a “time signature”. Two numbers are placed, one above the other, like a fraction but without the separating bar. The top number tells the musician how many counts, or beats, occur before the count starts over. The bottom number tells the musician what type of note form (whole, half, quarter, eighth, etc.) receives one count.
Motif or Motive - A motif or motive or theme is generally considered to be the basic unit of a complete musical thought. Think of a motif in the same way you think of a phrase in the English language.
Musical Key - The result of an agreement among the musicians playing a piece of music to use a specific collection of tones (a scale). A key is about population (which tones) and limits (only the tones say, on the scale of "C"). Thus, a scale defines a musical key.
Note - A specific music tone with a specific duration.
Polyphony - means “many sounds.” Whether the ensemble is a jazz trio or a hundred or more classical musicians playing in a symphony orchestra, the voices play different melodies, different rhythms and different harmonies. These combine to create polyphony. The art of a composer or arranger lies in how effective they become at devising good polyphony.
Polyrhythm - The simultaneous playing of two or more different rhythms.
Pulse - You feel pulse in music. You count the beat in music. Pulse gives the music life. In the hands of a good musician, pulse gives music an organic quality - as though the music was breathing.
Rhythm - Five components define the rhythm of music: tempo, meter, beat, pulse and polyrhythm.
Scale - A scale is about the order of musical tones [do, re, me, fa, so, la, ti, do] . The difference between a scale and a key is that a scale requires a specific ascending and descending order within the tones. A key places no requirements on how or when the tones of a scale are used.
Simple time - Same as duple meter.
Tempo - This term describes how fast or slow a piece of music is played. Fast tunes are called fast tempo or “up beat” tunes.
Timbre - This French term (pronounced tam-ber) means color and is used to describe unique instrumental voices. If the violinist plays a concert pitch “A” and then the trumpet player produces that very same “A,” no one can be in doubt as to which tone came from which instrument. Musicians say that the timbre of the violin is different than the timbre of a trumpet. The human ear is very effective in making the distinction of musical voices.
Time Signature - The time signature appears at the beginning of a musical piece and specifies how many beats are in each measure and what note value receives one beat. Time signatures may change within a composition.
Tonal color - Tonal color has to do with the quality of sound produced by an ensemble. It is the affect the collective sound of the orchestra has upon a listener. The general tonal pallet has four divisions: strings, reeds, brass and percussion. These orchestral voices are brought together by composers and arrangers to produce the overall tonal color of a piece of music
