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THE CONCEPTS OF MUSIC
DURATION
Rhythm: Refers to patterns of
long and short sounds. Rhythm
involves the grouping and
organisation of sounds, and how
the long and short notes are
arranged.
Beat: is the main time unit of a
composition. Best occurs on a
strong accent.
Pulse: refers to the underlying
pattern of strong beats.
Metre: is the way beats are
grouped together and measured.
Time Signature: are numbers
used at the beginning of a
composition to explain the
metre, or how many beats are in
each bar.
Simple time: is based on simple
or whole beats, like crotchets or
minims. E.g. most pop music use
4 beats per bar.
Compound time: is based on
dotted beats, such as dotted
crotchets.
Multimetre: some pieces use
numerous changes in time
signatures in quick succession.
Accent: Means emphasis or
stress. (One note or chord louder
than the others.)
Syncopation: Occurs when the
accent is on the weaker beats.
Backbeat: is a feature of rock,
popular and Rnb music. Instead
of occurring on the first and third
beats, the accent is on the
second and forth beats, also a
form of syncopation.
Polyrhythm: refers to the use of
two or more conflicting rhythm
patterns or accents at the same
time. (“Poly” means “many”)
Cross rhythm: is a type of
polyrhythm where two metres
are played at the same time.
Free rhythm: describes music
where the beat is indefinite.
Ostinato: refers to a repeated
pattern of pitch or rhythm, in all
or part of a piece.
Tempo: Speed
Accelerando: gradually getting
faster.
Ritardando: gradually getting
slower.
PITCH
Melody: is a series of pitches,
one after the other.
Harmony: is when three or more
pitches occur at the same time.
Tonality: are based on one pitch
which acts as a “home”.
Key: is the “home” pitch and
scale used in a composition.
Scale: is a series of pitches based
on a main, or “home” pitch.
High/Low: also refers to pitch,
meaning the high-ness or lowness of a sound.
Semitone: is the distance
between one pitch and another
pitch closest to it. E.g. steps
between a black and white notes,
C to C#
Tone: is a distance of two
semitones, e.g. from C to D
Major scale: tone, tone,
semitone, tone, tone, semitone.
Minor scale: tone, semitone,
tone, tone, semitone, tone, & a
half, semitone.
Mode: scales with different
patterns of tones and semitones.
Modulation: temporarily
changing the home key.
Pentatonic scale: consisting of
five notes (penta means five),
usually the scale degrees 12345.
Chromatic scale: consisting of all
semitones (every black and white
note on the piano)
Chords: consist of three or more
pitches played at the same time.
Chord Progression: is the name
of a pattern of different chords.
Blues scale: the blue scale is used
as the basis of the melody, and
the chord pattern is usually
based on a 12 bar progression,
called 12 bar blues.
Consonant:
Dissonance:
Range: Every instrument or voice
has a range – from the lowest
note it can produce to the
highest note it can produce,
Intervals: is the distance
between two pitches.
Contour: means the shape of a
melody
Ascending: going up
Descending: going down
Steps: a step is an interval of a
2nd (a tone or semitone)
Leaps: a leap is an interval of a
3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th etc.
Riff: solo in electric guitars.
Register: vocal range.
DYNAMICS & EXPRESSIVE
TECHNIQUES
Crescendo: gradually getting
louder
Diminuendo: gradually getting
softer
Loud (forte): (f) volume level
Soft (piano): (p) volume level
Moderately loud (mezzoforte):
(mf) volume level
Staccato: refers to a melody or
chords that are shorter than their
note value. E.g. short and
detached.
Vibrato: is a shaking sound,
creating a tiny variation in pitch.
This is also performed on
instruments and vocals.
Tremolo: is a quick repetition of
the same note. E.g. on the piano,
you press the same key as quickly
as possible, alternating fingers to
increase the speed.
Glissando: a rapid scale played a
sliding motion. On the piano, a
glissando is created by running
the thumb nail over the keys.
Pizzicato: plucked with the
fingers. E.g. guitars
Arco: played with a bow. E.g. the
violin sticks.
Legato: smoothly and well
connected. Refers to a melody or
chords that are played by moving
immediately from one note to
another, without a gap.
Scat: is a style of singing made
popular by the jazz singer.
Falsetto: is a method of singing
used by males.
STRUCTURE
Form: also known as structure
refers to how the composition is
constructed and how it is divided
into sections or parts.
Introduction: is the beginning
part of the piece before the main
musical events are introduced.
Binary form: refers to a
composition with two main
sections, called Section A and
Section B.
Ternary form: Has three sections,
Section A, Section B, then a
return to Section A.
Rondo form: has many sections.
The form is A B A C A D etc.
Theme and Variation: is similar
to rondo form. This is different to
rondo form because Section A
need not return exactly as it
appeared at the beginning.
Coda: means “tail” in Italian. It is
the ending of a piece. In popular
music, this is called an outro.
Verse: is the part of the song that
tells the story.
Chorus: the chorus contains the
main ideas, riffs and melodies.
This repeats several times during
the song.
Bridge: a contrasting section,
similar to a verse that has new
melodic material, new words (if
sung) and often new chords.
Solo: sometimes the electric
guitar, piano or saxophone will
take over, playing new melodic
material.
Outro: some songs have a coda,
or concluding section of 4-8 bars,
it’s the ending of the piece.
12 bar blues form: same pattern
of chords us used for each
section of the song. A A B
Strophic: is a form where there
are several verses, each with
different words but the same
basic musical accompaniment.
Hymns and blues pieces follow
strophic form.
TEXTURE
Thick: when several instruments
or melodic lines play.
Thin: when one instrument or
melodic line plays.
Graphic notation: it’s a graphical
drawing of each
instruments/vocal playing from
where it starts and when it stops.
Monophonic: a single layer, one
melodic line. (Mono – “alone”)
Homophonic: a melody line with
a chordal accompaniment.
(Homo – “Same”)
Polyphonic: many melodic lines
playing at the same time,
complex melodies and counter
melodies. (Poly – “Many”)
Unison: means when two or
more instruments play the same
note at the same pitch.
Doubling: occurs when the same
melody is played by more than
one instrument an octave apart.
E.g. high C and low C
Imitation: Occurs when a melody
or melodic fragment is copied by
another instrument.
Call and response: texture occurs
when a solo instrument makes a
melodic statement or “call” and a
larger group replies with a
different statement.
Similar motion: occurs when the
melodic contour of two melodies
is the same. If one ascends, they
both ascend, and if one
descends, they both do.
Contrary motion: means that
melodies move in opposite
directions. If one ascends, the
other descends.
TONE COLOUR
Timbre: means the quality of the
sound.
Chordophones: Stringed
instruments.
Idiophones: Percussion
Membranophones: drums
covered by a membrane
Aerophones: wind instruments
Electric sounds: this is added to
the group idiophones.
Strings: violin, viola, cello, double
bass, guitar, harp and piano
Woodwind: flute, oboe, clarinet,
bassoon, cor anglais, saxophone
Brass: trumpet, trombone, tuba,
French horn.
Percussion: woodblock, triangle,
bells, timpani, drums, gong,
xylophone, marimba etc.
Performing media: means the
sound source, or the instrument,
voice or object that create the
sound.