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Understanding Music
Concepts
National 3
National 4
National 5
Styles/Forms
(National 3)
Blues
Black American folk music developing from spirituals and
work songs. They are mostly based on a 12 – bar structure.
Jazz
music played by either a small jazz band or by a big band.
Rock/Pop
music played by either a rock or pop band.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
A style of music that originated in the late 1940’s. An early
example of this style is “Rock Around The Clock”.
Scottish
music played by either a Scottish Country Dance Band or a
traditional folk group.
Latin American
a style of dance music from South America, e.g. bossa nova,
tango.
Melody/Harmony
(National 3)
Ascending
becoming higher in pitch.
Descending
becoming lower in pitch.
Stepwise
melody that moves about in steps.
Leaping
melody that jumps about.
Repetition
a pattern or passage of notes that are repeated.
Sequence
a repetition of notes or chords at a different pitch from the
original.
Question
the opening phrase in a section of music that falls into two
balancing phrases.
Answer
the closing phrase in a section of music that falls into two
balancing phrases.
Improvisation
This is music that is made up during performance. This may
involve the musicians playing above the chord scheme of a
song, as in rock, blues or jazz music.
Chord
a combination of two or more notes played at the same time.
Dischord
This is a chord in which certain notes clash.
Chord change
moving from one chord to another.
Rhythm / Tempo
(National 3)
Accented
a note is accented if it is stressed – often the first beat of a bar.
Beat/pulse
the way of measuring time in music, e.g. beats in a bar.
Bar
the standard way by which blocks of music are measured. The
most common numbers of beats in a bar are 2, 3 or 4.
On the beat
the accent falls on the strong beat.
Off the beat
the accent falls on the weak beat.
Repetition
rhythmic patterns that are repeated.
Faster/slower
tempo changes that occur within rhythms.
Pause
a point in the music where everything stops.
March
music used for marching, usually containing 4 beats in a bar –
often played by a pipe band.
Reel
a traditional Scottish dance with the following features:


Waltz
quick tempo.
4 beats in a bar.
a traditional Scottish dance with the following features:


moderate tempo.
3 beats in a bar.
Drum fill
a break in the pattern where the drummer can play different
rhythms round the kit.
Adagio
to be performed slowly.
Allegro
to be performed at a lively tempo.
Texture / Structure / Form
(National 3)
Unison/Octave
a passage of music where the performers are singing or playing
either the same note, or notes one octave apart.
Harmony / Chord
two or more notes sounding together or an accompanying vocal
line.
Solo
a section of music played or sung by the main performer.
Accompanied
a melody is accompanied if there is at least one instrument
playing in the background.
Unaccompanied
a melody is unaccompanied if there are no instruments playing
in the background.
Repetition
a pattern or passage of notes that are repeated.
Ostinato
a short pattern of notes constantly repeated.
Riff
a short pattern of notes constantly repeated
- used in rock, jazz and other popular musical styles.
Round
a theme is started in one part and is then copied exactly in each
part in turn.
Timbre / Dynamics
(National 3)
Striking / hitting
producing a sound by hitting an instrument with a stick or
beater, e.g. drum.
Blowing
producing a sound by blowing into the instrument, e.g.
woodwind, brass.
Bowing
producing a sound by drawing a bow across the strings.
Strumming
producing a sound by playing many strings on a stringed
instrument, e.g. guitar, banjo, mandolin.
Plucking
producing a sound by playing the strings with the fingers
e.g. guitar, harp, violin.
Orchestra
The four sections of the orchestra are :
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

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strings
woodwind
brass
percussion
Strings
a section of the orchestra; mainly violins, violas, ‘cellos and
double basses.
Woodwind
a section of the orchestra; mainly flutes, clarinets, oboes and
bassoons.
Brass
a section of the orchestra; mainly trumpets, trombones, french
horns and tubas.
Percussion
a section of the orchestra; mainly timpani, bass drum,
xylophone, glockenspiel, triangle, cymbal and snare drum.
Instruments
You should be familiar with the sound of the following folk
instruments :
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

accordian
fiddle
bagpipes
You should be familiar with the sound of the following rock
and pop instruments :





acoustic guitar
electric guitar
piano
organ
drum kit
Steel Band
a band using oil drum tops, tuned to different pitches.
Dance Band
(Scottish)
a band playing traditional Scottish dances.
Folk Group
a group playing traditional folk songs and tunes.
Choir
a group of singers
Staccato
to be performed in a detached way
Legato
to be performed smoothly
Styles/Forms
(National 4)
Baroque
music for orchestra, small ensembles and soloist written by
composers such as J.S Bach, Handel and Vivaldi.
Ragtime
A style of dance music that features a strongly syncopated
melody against a steady vamped accompaniment. A well
known example of ragtime is “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin.
Romantic
A style of music associated mainly with composers in the 19th
century. This music is more openly emotional than the
classical music that came before it and the 20th century music
that followed it.
Swing
A popular style of dance music created in the 1930’s by Big
Bands. A well known example of swing is “In the Mood” by
the Glenn Millar Band.
Concerto
A work, usually in three movements, for soloist and orchestra.
Opera
A musical drama featuring vocal soloists and chorus
accompanied by an orchestra. Operas are often sung in foreign
languages such as Italian, French or German, but can be sung in
English also. In an Opera there is very little, if any speaking at
all. The words (i.e the libretto) are generally sung.
Scots Ballad
A traditional Scottish folk song that tells a story.
Mouth Music
Gaelic nonsense words sung in imitation of the sound of
bagpipes as an accompaniment to dancing.
African Music
Vocal and instrumental music from this continent. This oftens
features percussion, e.g. Ghanaian drum ensembles.
Rapping
This is spoken lyrics or poetry performed in time to a beat.
Rapping is often associated with reggae and hip hop music.
Melody/Harmony
(National 4)
Major tonality
a piece has major tonality if it is in a major key.
- this means that the home chord is a major chord.
Minor tonality
a piece has minor tonality if it is in a minor key.
- this means that the home chord is a minor chord.
Drone
a long held note in the bass, as played on bagpipes.
Arpeggio
to hear the sound of an arpeggio in C major, find the notes C,
E and G over the range of the keyboard, then play them
ascending and descending.
Broken Chord
a broken chord uses the notes of the chord in a similar manner
to an arpeggio, but can play then in any order.
Chords I, IV & V
in this exam, chords I, IV, and V have to be recognised.
- in the key of C major these chords are C major, F major
and G major.
Change of Key
this means that the home chord changes during a piece.
Pedal
a sustained or repeated note in the bass.
Scale
a succession of notes which usually move in stepwise motion.
Pentatonic Scale
a scale made up of five different notes.
Octave
notes which are played or sung 8 pitches apart.
Vamp
a simple accompaniment, usually played on piano, consisting of
repeated bass notes and chords.
Scat singing
a style of jazz singing where the lyrics are used for their sound
and are not intended to make sense.
Ornament
additional notes that are added to decorate a melody.
Rhythm / Tempo
(National 4)
Syncopation
accents occuring between the beats.
Scotch Snap
a short note on a beat followed by a longer one.
Strathspey
a traditional Scottish dance with the following features:
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

Jig
a traditional Scottish dance with the following features:
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

Simple Time
moderate tempo.
4 beats in a bar
contains a Scotch Snap.
quick tempo.
2 or 4 beats in a bar.
played in compound time.
2
4
two crotchets in a bar
3
4
three crotchets in a bar
4
4
four crotchets in a bar
Compound Time
each beat or pulse can be divided into 3, as in a jig.
Anacrusis
notes played before the first strong beat of the bar.
Andante
at a walking pace
Accelerando
gradually becoming faster
Rallentando
gradually slowing down
A tempo
returning to the original speed.
Dotted Rhythms
rhythms in which one of the notes in the grouping is dotted e.g.
a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver.
Texture / Structure / Form
(National 4)
Canon
repetition of a phrase previously played by another instrument
or sung by another voice - this phrase is played or sung at the
same pitch as the original.
Ternary
a musical form consisting of three sections, e.g. ABA.
Verse and Chorus
a simple structure involving repetition of musical materials
– often found in songs.
Middle 8
a section occurring in the middle of a song that is distinct from
either the verse or the chorus – usually lasts for eight bars.
Theme
&Variations
a piece of music consisting of a theme followed by variations
of that theme.
Cadenza
A passage of music that allows soloists to display their
technical ability in singing or playing an instrument.
Imitation
repetition of a phrase previously played by another instrument
or sung by another voice - this phrase can be played or sung at
a different pitch from the original.
Timbre / Dynamics
(National 4)
Brass Band
a musical ensemble consisting of brass instruments and
percussion.
Wind Band
a musical ensemble consisting of brass instruments, woodwind
instruments and percussion.
Instruments
You should be familiar with the sound of the following
orchestral and folk instruments :







violin, ‘cello, double bass, harp
flute, clarinet, saxophone, pan pipes, recorder
trumpet, trombone
timpani, snare drum bass drum, cymbals
triangle, tambourine, guiro
xylophone, glockenspiel
harpsichord, bass guitar
Distortion
An effect that gives notes an indistinct and harder edge to
electronic instruments.
Muted
The instrument is played with a mute or the sound is dampened
in some way.
Soprano
a high female voice.
Alto
a low female voice.
Tenor
a high male voice.
Bass
a low male voice.
Backing vocals
the voice or voices that sing the accompanying vocals.
Styles/Forms
(National 5)
Symphony
A large–scale orchestral work, usually written in four
movements.
Gospel
African American religious music characterised by strong solo
vocals and chorus. Many gospel music ensembles use rock and
jazz instruments, such as electronic organs, electric guitars,
bass guitars, and drums.
Classical
This is the period of music that we associate with Haydn,
Mozart, and Beethoven
Pibroch
The classical music of the solo bagpipe. It is always in
theme and variation form.
Celtic Rock
This is a style of music where distinctively Scottish lyrics and
tunes are performed using rock instruments.
Bothy Ballad
A traditional Scottish folk song about work. Often sung with a
pronounced dialect.
Waulking Song
A rhythmic song sung in Gaelic by women in the Western
Isles of Scotland while they beat cloth to soften and
shrinken it.
Gaelic Psalms
A religious song, sung in Gaelic, in which texts from the bible
are set to popular folk songs. Each phrase is started by a cantor
before the congregation joins in.
Aria
A song in an opera, oratorio, or cantata, with orchestral
accompaniment.
Chorus
This term has the following meanings



A group of singers with several people to each part.
The music written for these singers.
The refrain between verses of a song.
Minimalist
A style of composition based on repetition of rhythmic and
melodic figures .
Indian
Music from India that uses instruments such as the sitar and
tabla.
Melody/Harmony
(National 5)
Atonal
Music that is not based on a major or minor key.
Cluster
to hear the notes of a cluster, play a few notes from a
chromatic scale at the same time.
Chord progressions Different chord progressions using chords built from the
first,fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees of a major scale.
Perfect cadence
A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase.
A perfect cadence is the dominant to tonic chords (V – I).
Imperfect cadence
A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase.
An imperfect cadence is the tonic to dominant chords (V – I).
Inverted pedal
A long sustained note in an upper part.
Chromatic
to hear the sound of a chromatic scale, start at “C” and finish at
the “C” above, without missing out any white or black notes on
a keyboard. - on a guitar, play an open string then play each
fretted note in turn up the fretboard.
Whole tone scale
A scale built entirely of tones.
There are only two different whole tone scales.
Grace note
This is a quick note played before the main note of a melody.
Glissando
A slide from one pitch to another.
Modulation
A change of key.
Contrary Motion
two melodic lines moving in opposite directions.
Trill
Rapid and repeated movement between two adjacent notes.
Syllabic
Vocal music where each syllable is given one note only.
Melismatic
Vocal music where each syllable can be given many notes.
Descant
A melody that is sung above the main melody.
Countermelody
A melody played against the main melody.
Pitch bend
Making a small adjustment to the pitch of a note. This is done
on an electric guitar by pulling the string down while playing
the note.
Tone/
Semitone
two steps on a keyboard, or two frets on a guitar.
one step on a keyboard, or one fret on a guitar.
Rhythm / Tempo
(National 5)
Rubato
not played in strict time.
Ritardando
slowing down.
Moderato
at a moderate pace.
Cross rhythms
This term has the following meanings:
Compund time
groupings

Two notes being played against three.

The accents in a piece are different than those
suggested by the time signature. ( e.g the division of
4/4 into 3+3+2 quavers).
Each beat can be subdivided into multiples of three.
The beat is dotted.
Texture / Structure / Form
(National 5)
Strophic
A vocal/choral piece in which each verse has the same music.
Binary
a musical form consisting of two sections, e.g. AB.
Rondo
a piece of music consisting of a recurring rondo theme with
episodes in between – it has the following form:





A
B
A
C
A
rondo theme
first episode
rondo theme
second episode
rondo theme etc.
Episode
These are the sections that take place between the recurring
rondo theme.
Alberti bass
An accompaniment style consisting of broken chords.
Typically the pattern would be lower note, top note, middle
note, top note.
Walking bass
A type of bass playing where at least one note is played
every beat.
Ground bass
A repeated pattern played in the bass. See also riff and
ostinato.
Homophonic
This term has the following meanings:

Musical texture where you can hear melody with
accompaniment.

Musical texture where all the parts move together
rhythmically.
Polyphonic
Texture which consists of two or more melodic lines.
Music that contains imitation will be polyphonic.
Contrapuntal
This is a texture in which two or more musical lines are being
played or sung.
Coda
A short passage at the end of a piece of music that rounds it off.
Timbre / Dynamics
Instruments
(National 5)
You should be familiar with the sound of the following
orchestral and folk instruments:




piccolo, oboe, bassoon
french horn, tuba
viola
castanets, hi-hat, cymbals, bongo drums, clarsach, bodhran
Sitar
A plucked, stringed instrument from India.
Tabla
Two Indian drums tuned to different pitches, and often used to
accompany the sitar.
Arco
Instruction given to string players to use the bow.
Pizzicato
Instruction given to string players to puck the strings.
Con sordino
Played with a mute.
Flutter tonguing
A method of tonguing in which the player rolls the letter “r”.
It is particularly effective for flute and brass.
Rolls
A rapid succession of notes played an a percussion instrument
e.g. drum roll, cymbal roll.
Reverb
An effect that produces degrees of echo on electronic
instruments.
Mezzo soprano
A female singer whose range is between a soprano and an
alto.
Baritone
A male singer whose range is between a tenor and a bass.
A capella
Unaccompanied singing.