Music Dictionary A-Z

A
a - for, at, in, etc.
a cappella - choral music without instrumental accompaniment.
a capriccio - in a capricious style
accelerando - gradually getting quicker
accent - emphasis placed on a tone or chord.
accidental - a sharp, fiat, or natural sign.
accompaniment - subordinate harmonic and/or rhythmic material supporting a principal melody.
accrescendo - getting louder
adagio - very slow
ad libitum - at the performer's liberty
affabile - in a pleasing manner
affettuoso - affectionate, with tender warmth
affrettando - hurrying
agitato - excited
air (ayre) - a melodious composition used in some classic suites, which was designed to accompany dancing, but it was not one of the standard dance forms such as the Gavotte or the Minuet. a vocal or instrumental melody.
al fine - to the end
al, alia, alle - to the - in the style of
allargando - gradually slower and broader
allegretto - slightly slower than allegro
allegro - lively, rather quick
allegro assai - very quick
allegro giusto - quick, with exactness
allegro modetaro - moderately quick
allemande - the first of the dances in the classic suite, written in duple time and played at a moderate tempo.
al Tedesca - in the German style
areabile - sweet, loveable
areore - tenderness and affection
ambitus - the range of a plainsong from its highest to its lowest tone.
amoroso - loving
andante - rather slow, at a moderate pace.
andantino - generally a little quicker than andante
andare - go on
Anglaise - an English country dance, sometimes part of the suite, in quick duple time, always starting on a strong beat.
anima (con) - with life
anime - lively , spirited
animoso - in a lively manner
anticipation - an unaccented nonharmonic tone which resolves by repetition.
antico - ancient
antiphonal - alternating choirs.
a piacere - at pleasure
a poco - by degrees, gradually
a poco a poco - little by little
appassionato - impassioned
appenato - grieved, distressed
appoggiato - leaning upon, drawn out
arabesque - a light and graceful piece with florid ornamentation in the melody.
arcato - played with the bow
ardente - with fire, vehemently
ardore - with love and warmth
aria - a melodic composition for solo voice with accompaniment - or, a song-like composition written in ABA form, in an opera, oratorio, or cantata.
arietta - a small aria in binary form, that is not having the middle section of the aria.arioso - in the style of an air
arpeggio - the notes of a chord played consecutively in a consistently ascending or descending direction.
assai - very, extremely
assai piu - much more
a tempo - in time
atonality - absence of key or central tonality.
attacca - go on to the next
augmentation - to double the note values of a melody.
augmented triad - a three-note chord consisting of two major thirds.
authentic cadence - a cadence concluding with the progression dominant to tonic (V I).
authentic mode - in plainsong, a mode which ranges above the final.
auxiliary tone - an unaccented nonharmonic tone approached step-wise from above or below a chordal tone to which it returns.
ayre - a song or polyphonic vocal composition; old English spelling of air.



B
bagatelle - literally, a "trifle" - a short unpretentious composition.
ballade - a piece of a romantic type, usually in ABA form, combining dramatic and lyrical characteristics.
band - a large ensemble consisting mainly of wind instruments. barcarolle - a lyrical boat song usually in moderate 6/8 or 12/8 time, and ABA form, supposed to be derived from the songs of the Venetian Gondoliers.
bar, barline - a vertical line drawn through one or more staves to indicate a measure. Bar also means measure (e.g., a four-bar phrase).
bar form - a form in three sections, the first of which is ( AAB ).
barocco - eccentric, bizarre
bass - a voice, instrument, or part in the low register.
bassa - low, deep
basso - the bass part, the lowest male voice
basso continuo - the instrumental figured-bass part in an ensemble played by one or more bass instruments and a keyboard instrument.
basso ostinato - a persistently repeated theme in the bass register.
beat - the unit of time in metric music. In time signatures, the upper numeral indicates the number of beats per measure.
ben, bene - well, good
bene placito - at will, at pleasure
ben marcato - well marked or accented
berceuse - a lullaby, a quiet piece generally in moderate 6/8 time, with a rocking movement in the accompaniment.
binary two-fold/binary form - a form of two divisions or sections (AB)
bis - twice - (the passage is to be repeated)
bitonality - use of two different keys simultaneously.
bolero - a quick Spanish dance in 3/4 time with accompaniment of castanets.
bourree - a French or Spanish dance, usually in quick duple time, starting on an upbeat; similar to the Gavotte, and often found in the old suites.
brass - wind instruments which produce tone by vibration of the lips,
bravura - spirit, skill
breve - a double whole note equal to two semi-breves or whole notes
brillante - bright, sparkling
brio - vigor, spirit
broken chord - the tones of a chord played consecutively, usually according to some pattern.
buffa, buffo - comic, humorous
burlando - in a playful manner



C
cadence - the harmonic or melodic progression which concludes a phrase, section, or composition.
cadenza - an ornamental passage near the end of a solo
calando - gradually decreasing the time and tone
calcando - hurrying the time
calmato - tranquility
caloroso - warmth, animation
cambiata - in the Renaissance, an unaccented nonharmonic tone approached downward by step and resolved, on downward, by skip of a third to a chordal tone, followed by stepwise upward progression.
canon - a composition in which each part has exactly the same melody throughout the piece, starting at different points. The strictest form of imitation.
cantabile - in a singing style
cantando - in a singing style
cantata - a work for choirs and soloists with orchestral accompaniment.
canto - song, melody
cantus firmus - a "borrowed" melody (plainsong, chorale, folk tune) to which other melodic lines are added in a contrapuntal texture.
canzonet - a little song or piece with passages of imitation, something like a madrigal.
capo - the beginning, the top
cappella - a church, a band of musicians that play in a church
capriccio (caprice) - a piece of light and humorous style, usually in irregular form.
carezzando - in a tender manner
carita - tenderness, feeling
celere - quick, rapid
cembalo - a harpsichord
chaconne - a slow dance, very similar to a Passacaglia, probably originally from Spain. Usually in a major key, in 3/4 time, with a ground bass and generally in the form of variations.
chamber music - an ensemble consisting of only a few instruments and usually only one instrument to a part.
chanson - French term for song.
chant - general term for liturgical song similar to plainsong.
choir - vocal ensemble, usually small church choruses. Also applied to groups in an orchestra: e.g., brass choir, woodwind choir.
choral - music for chorus or choir.
chorale - a German Protestant hymn tune, upon which larger compositions such as the CHORAL PRELUDE were based.
chorale prelude - organ composition based on a chorale melody.
chord - a combination of three or more tones.
chordal style - in vocal polyphony, a texture in which all the parts have the same rhythm and sing the same syllables simultaneously. Also called familiar style.
chorus - a large vocal ensemble.
chromatic, chromaticism - extensive use of accidentals in melody and harmony.
chromatic scale - twelve consecutive tones within an octave, one half step apart.
col - with the
colla voce - with the voice
coll'arco - with the bow
coloration - written-out ornamentation.
coloratura - ornamental passage in vocal music
come - as, like
come prima - as before
comodo - quietly, easily
compiacevole - agreeable
con - with (for various phrases beginning with con see other words)
concento - harmony of voices and instruments
concerto - a composition for one or more solo instruments with orchestral accompaniment, usually written in three movements.
conjunct - stepwise progression in melody.
consonance, consonant - harmonic intervals (thirds, forths, fifths, sixths, and octaves) which produce a sense of repose; harmony which consists only or mainly of these intervals.
con sordini - in strings, with mutes; in piano, with dampers, that is the damper pedal is not to be used.
continuo - without cessation
contralto - the deepest female voice
contrary motion - simultaneous melodic progression in opposite direction between two parts.
counterpoint, contrapuntal - texture consisting of two or more independent melodic lines.
courante (corrente)- an old dance in AB form, literally meaning "running". Usually in triple time, and the second of the standard movements of the suite. The Italian Corrente is much quicker than the more refined French Courante, which frequently shifted from 3/2 to 6/4 time.
crescendo - gradually getting louder



D
da - by, from, for, etc.
da capo - a sign at the end of a movement indicating that the player must return to the beginning. abbreviation: D.C.
da capo al fine - return to the beginning and play to the word "fine"
dal, dalle, dalla - from the, by the, etc.
dal segno - repeat from the sign
debile - weak, feeble
deciso - in a bold manner
decrescendo - gradually getting softer
delicato - delicately
deritta, deritto - the right hand
destra - the right hand
devoto - religious
di - of, with, from, etc.
diatonic - melody or harmony confined to the tones of the scale; the opposite of chromatic.
difficile - difficult
dignita - grandeur
diluendo - gradual dying away until no sound is left
diminished triad - a three-note chord consisting of two minor thirds.
diminuendo - gradually getting softer
diminution - to halve the note values of a melodyú Also, a form of ornamentation.
di molto - very much
disciolto - skillful, dexterous
discreto - discreetly
disjunct - melodic progression dominated by wide skips.
dissonance, dissonant - harmonic intervals (seconds, sevenths, ninths, augmented and diminished intervals) which produce the effect of action or tension; chords which contain one or more of these intervals.
di sopra - above
disperato - with desperation
divisi - separated (half the players play the upper notes, and the others play the lower notes.
dolce - sweetly
dolente - sorrowful
dolore - grief, sorrow
doloroso - sorrowfully
dominant - the fifth tone of a diatonic scale, and the chord buik on that tone.
dopo - after
doppio movimento - twice as fast
dotted rhythm - rhythmic patterns consisting of a dotted note followed by a note of the next smaller denomination (e.g., a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note).
double bar - two vertical lines drawn through one or more staves to indicate a major sectional division or the conclusion of a composition.
double fugue - a fugue with two subjects and, correspondingly, two expositions.
double stopping - playing two notes simultaneously on a bowed string instrument.
drammatico - dramatic
due corde - two strings - the una corda pedal is to be put half-way down
duo - two, in two parts
duolo - sorrow, sadness
duple meter - two or four beats to the measure.
duro - harsh, rude
dynamics - levels of soft and loud.



E
e, ed. - and
ecclesia - church
ecossaise - originally a slow dance in 3/4 time, allegedly of Scottish origin but not at all similar to the Scottish dance music, such as the reel. Later it became livelier and was written in duple time.
effretto - the effect of music on an audience
eighth note - one eighth the value of a whole note
equalmente - evenly, alike
elegante/eleganza - graceful, elegant
elegiaco - plaintive
eleventh chord - a chord of six tones, five superimposed thirds.
embellishment - short, fast ornaments such as trills, mordents, and turns.
emozione - agitation
energico - forcibly
enfactico - with earnestness
entre'acte - music played between acts of a drama
entree - an introduction, a march-like piece played during the entrance of a dancing group, or played before a ballet. Usually in 4/4 time.
ensemble - a performing group consisting of two or more players or singers.
epico - heroic
equabitmente - mostly, evenly
espirando - gasping
espressivo - to be played or sung with expression
estinto - becoming extinct
estramamente - extremely
ethnomusicology - the study of music of different cultures, especially non-Western or non-European music.
etude - a study written for the purpose of practising and developing facility in a special problem of technique, or for displaying the technical skill of the performer.



F
facile - light, easy
familiar style - chordal style in polyphonic music.
fantasia - a movement free in spirit and form, rather like an improvisation.
fantastico - whimsical
fastoso - proudly, stately
fauxbordon - parallel first inversion chords in 15th-century music.
ferma - resolute, steady
fermata - a pause or hold
fermato - firmly, resolutely
feroce - fierce
fervente - ardent
fervido - vehement
festivo/festoso - merry, gay
fiacco - feeble, weak
fieramente - boldly
figuration - recurrent melodic pattern.
figured bass - use of numerals and other signs accompanying the notes of a bass part to indicate harmony to be filled in on a keyboard instrument; used in the Baroque.
final - the concluding tone in a plainsong; the tonic.
finale - the last movement or concluding section of a large composition.
fine - the end
finement - acutely
fiebile - sad, mournful
flat - a symbol placed in front of a note to indicate lowering that note by one half step
florid - ornamented, embellished, decorated,
form - the plan of organization of musical materials.
forte - loud
forte-piano - loud, then immediately soft
forte possibile - as loud as possible
fortissimo - very loud
forza - strength, power
forzando/forzato - forced, usually on one note or chord
freddezza - coldness
frescamente - vigorously
fretta - increasing the time
funerale - mournful
fuoco - fire, passion
fugal - in the style of a fugue; use of contrapuntal imitation.
fughetta - a short fugue or a fugal section in a composition.
fugue - a contrapuntal form based on imitation of a subject (theme) written for two or more voices. It is based on a short theme or subject, stated at the beginning by one voice, and brought in by each of the others in turn.
furioso - furiously
furore - fury, rage



G
gaio - with cheerfulness
galante - boldly, gallantly
garbato - graceful
garbo - grace, elegance
gavotte - an old French dance form, stately and dignified, in duple time beginning on the weak half of the bar. Sometimes found in the old suites. It was often followed by another Gavotte or a Musette, and then repeated.
generoso - in a dignified manner
gentile - pleasing, elegant
gigue (jig) - a lively dance in 6/8 or 12/8 time, usually the final movement of a suite. It was contrapuntal in style with the second half frequently using the inverted subject.
giocando - cheerful, merry
giocoso - humourously
glissando - producing all pitches between two or more notes, as by sliding the finger along the string of a violin or the keyboard of a piano.
guibilazione - jubilant
guisto - equal, steady and exact time
giustezza - precision
glissando - in a gliding manner, slurred
gradevole - gracefully
gradualmente - gradually, by degrees
grandioso - grand, noble
grave - extremely slow and solemn
grazioso - in a graceful style
grosso - full, great
grottesco - grotesque
gusto - taste, expression



H
half note - one half the value of a whole note
harmony - the element of music having to do with simultaneous sounds, the combinations of tones, chord structure, chord progression, consonance, and dissonance.
homophony, homophonic - a texture consisting of a single melodic line with subordinate accompaniment. Also, sometimes used to mean chordal style in polyphonic music.
hopak - a lively Russian dance in simple duple time.
hornpipe - a very lively English dance, first written in triple time but later in quadruple time. Now usually associated with sailors, but this apparently has no historical basis.
hymn - a religious song.



I
I, it - the
idiom - style appropriate to a specific medium, its capacities and limitations. Also used to mean style in general.
il piu - the most
im - in the
imitando - imitating
imitation - a theme or melody which appears consecutively in different parts in contrapuntal texture.
impaziente - impatient, hurried
imperioso - pompous
impetuoso - vehement
imponente - haughtily
impromptu - a piece that suggests improvisation, that has a feeling of informality. First used in the early nineteenth century.
improvisation - to create music extemporaneously. Also applies to unindicated ornamentation and to realization of a figured bass.
in - in, in the
incalzando - with growing warmth
inconsolato - in a mournful style
inquieto - restless, uneasy
instantemente - urgently
instrumentation - the instruments indicated in an orchestral score.
intermezzo - an interlude, a piece designed originally to be performed between the acts of a play or opera.
interval - the pitch distance between two tones, designated numerically as seconds, thirds, fourths, and so on.
intimo - expressive
intrata (intrada) - the name given to an opening piece of march-like character. The Italian equivalent of an Entrée or Prelude.
intrepidamente - boldly
invention - a short contrapuntal piece for two or three voices, in imitative style.
inversion - in melody, the interval-for-interval progression in the opposite direction, up for down and vice versa. In harmony, the root of a chord in some part other than the bass, e.g., first inversion (third of the chord in the bass), second inversion (fifth of the chord in the bass).
invertible counterpoint - counterpoint so designed that either of two melodic lines may be the upper.
irato - angrily
ironico - ironical
irresoluto - wavering
istesso - the same
istesso tempo - the same time



J
jubiloso - exulting


K
key - the tonal center of a composition or subdivision thereof. The key of a composition is indicated by the letter name of its tonic. Also, the white or black surface on a keyboard instrument which produces a tone when depressed.
keyboard - the series of black and white keys of a piano, organ, harpsichord or similar instrument.
key signature - sharps or flats at the beginning of each staff to indicate the key of the composition.



L
lacrimoso - weeping, tearful
lamentando - mourning
lamentoso - mournful
landler - a popular German or Austrian dance in 3/4 or 3/8 time,thought to be the true origin of the waltz. It is very like a waltz, though slower.
languendo/languido - feeble, languishing
largamente - broadly
larghetto - not as slow as largo
largo - slow and broad
leading tone - the seventh note of a diatonic scale and the chord built on that note.
legatissimo - exceedingly smooth
legato - smoothly
leggiero - lightly
leno - feeble, faint
lentando - with increased slowness
lento - slow
lestamente - quickly, lively
lesto - lively quick
libero - free, unrestrained
libretto - the text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata.
lied - German word for song; plural: lieder.
liederbuch - German book of songs.
line - the melodic component in a composition; melodic line.
linear counterpoint - dissonant counterpoint,
liscio - simple, smooth
l'istesso - the same
liturgical - music intended for performance in a church service.
loco - place; return to the written register after playing an octave higher through using 8va
lontano - distant, a great way off
loure - a slow French dance in 6/4 time, sometimes found in the classic Suite.
lugubre - sad, mournful
lunga pausa - a long pause
lusingando - alluring, flattering
luttuoso - sorrowful
lyric - song-like, as opposed to dramatic.



M
ma - but
madrigal - a composition for unaccompanied voices. It originated in Italy in the fifteenth century, and was written in from two to eight voices.
maestoso - dignified
maggiore - the major key
main droite - right hand
main gauche - left hand
major - a diatonic scale with half steps between the third and fourth and between the seventh and eighth tones of the scale. Also, a triad consisting of a major and a minor third.
mancando - dying away
moniera - manner, style
mano - the hand
mano destra - the right hand
mano sinistra - the left hand
marcando/marcato - accented
march - a piece written in simple duple or quadruple time, strongly accented, used for accompanying marching (usually of soldiers).
martellato - strongly marked - hammered
marziale - in the style of a march
mazurka - a Polish national dance in moderate 3/4 time, with strong accents on the third beat, and sometimes on the second.
measure - a group of beats between bar lines; also, all the notes between two bar lines.
mediant - the third note of a diatonic scale, and the chord built on that note.
medium - the voices and/or instruments required for the performance of a composition; plural: media.
melisma, melismatic - a melodic passage sung to one syllable of the text; a melodic style of many notes to a syllable.
melody, melodic - consecutive tones; the linear or horizontal element of music.
meter, metric - the measuring of time in music according to a specific number of beats to the measure.
meno - less
mesto/mestoso - sad, mournful
mezza/mezzo - medium, half
mezzo soprano - a female voice lower than a soprano but higher than a contralto
minacciando - menacing
minor - a diatonic scale with a half step between the second and third notes of the scale; the upper tetrachord of a minor scale is variable, resulting in natural, harmonic, and melodic forms of the minor scale. A triad consisting of a minor and major third.
minuet (menuet) - a French dance in triple time, usually followed by a TRIO and then repeated. The early minuets were rather dignified and graceful but the later ones became faster and lighter in character.
misterioso - in a mysterious manner
misurato - in strict, measured time
mobile - changeable
moderato - in moderate time
modality, modal - melody and/or harmony based on one of the church modes.
mode - one of the eight church modes. Also refers to major or minor keys.
modulation - melodic or harmonic progressions which begin in one key and end in another.
molto - very much, a great deal
monody - early 17-century term for accompanied solo songs.
monophony, monophonic - texture consisting of a single melodic line without accompaniment.
morendo - dying away in time and tone
mormoroso - with a gentle, murmuring sound
mosso - movement, motion
motive - a short melodic and/or rhythmic fragment.
moto - motion (con moto - rather quick)
moto perpetuo - perpetual motion
movement - the complete and independent part of large works such as sonatas, symphonies, suites.
movimento - impulse, the time of a piece
multitonality - music which shifts abruptly between two or more remotely related keys without modulation.
musette - a short French dance-tune of pastoral character, with a drone-bass, originally played on a bag-pipe. Found in some Suites usually following a Gavotte.
musicology - the scholarly study of music, especially research in music history.



N
natural - a symbol which cancels a previously indicated sharp or flat
neighbor tone - same as auxiliary tone.
negligente - unconstrained, careless
nel, nella, nell' - in the, at the
neomodality - modern melodic or harmonic material which makes use of a church mode or some new scale basis.
ninth chord - a chord of five tones, four superimposed thirds.
nobile - noble, grand
nocturne - literally "night piece". A romantic, dreamy piece for piano written with a melody over a broken chord accompaniment.
non - not, no
nonchordal, nonharmonic - a dissonant tone which does not belong to the chord with which it sounds.
notation - systems of symbols for writing music, mainly indicating pitch and duration of tones.



O
obbligato - indispensable
octave - the pitch interval between a tone and the seventh tone above it in a diatonic scale, or between the letter name of a tone and its recurrence above or below. The vibration ratio of an octave is two to one: if the tone A is 440 vibrations per second, the octave above it is 880 and the octave below is 220.
opera - a drama set to music for soloists, chores and orchestra.
opus - work, composition
oratorio - a nonliturgical, nontheatrical sacred work for soloists, chores and orchestra, something like an opera but performed without action, costumes or scenery.
orchestra - a large instrumental ensemble.
orchestration - the manner in which instruments are employed in an orchestral composition.
ossia - otherwise, or else
ostinato - continuous, unceasing rhythmic and/or melodic pattern.
ottava - an octave, an eighth
ottava alta - the octave higher
ottava bassa - the octave lower
overture - a instrumental prelude to an Opera, play or Oratoria.



P
parlando/parlante - accented; in a recitative or speaking style
passacaglia - a chaconne with a ground bass in slow triple time, and always in a minor key.
parallel keys - major and minor keys having the same letter name but different key signatures (e.g., G major with one sharp and G minor with two flats ).
parallel motion, parallelism - two or more melodic lines which move simultaneously in the same direction and by the same intervals.
part - the single line in a polyphonic composition. One refers to the soprano part, the violin part, and so on.
partita - a word meaning either Suite or a set of variations.
passepied - a gay, spirited French dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time, sometimes in the German Suites.
passing tone - an unaccented nonharmonic tone between two chordal tones a third apart.
passionato/passionatamente - impassioned, passionate
pastorale - a piece written to imitate the music of shepherds, usually in moderate 6/8 or 12/8 time, a tender flowing melody, somewhat suggestive of a Musette.
patetica - pathetic
pateticamente - pathetically
pausa - a pause
pavane - a slow solemn dance in duple (or sometimes triple) time, of Spanish origin; generally in three sections, each one repeated.
paventato - fearful
pedal point - a sustained tone in the bass over which changing harmonies take place.
pentatonic - a five-tone scale (e.g., the black keys of the piano).
per - for, by, from, etc.
percussion - essentially rhythmic instruments such as drums, cymbals, gongs, and triangle.
perdendosi - gradually decreasing in time and tone
pesante - heavy
phrase - a musical unit, often four measures in length, which concludes with a cadence.
piacere - pleasure, fancy
piacevole - pleasing, agreeable
piangevole - mournful
pianissimo - extremely soft
piano - a keyboard instrument. Also, the indication for soft, a low dynamic level. Abbreviation :
pickup beat - one or several unaccented notes of a melody preceding the bar line at the beginning of a phrase. Also called anacrusis.
piena, pieno - full
pieta - pity
pietoso - tenderly, pitifully
pitch - the vibration frequency of a tone.
piu - more
piu mosso/piu moto - more motion
pizzicato - plucking the strings of a bowed string instrument with the fingers
placido - calm, tranquil
plagal cadence - the progression subdominant to tonic (IV I) at the conclusion of a cadence.
plagal mode - in plainsong, the modes which range approximately a fourth below and a fifth above the final.
plainsong - liturgical Catholic monophonic song. Also called Gregorian chant, plainchant.
pochettino/pochetto - very little slower
poco a poco - little by little
poi - then, afterwards
poi a poi - by degrees
polonaise (polacca) - a Polish dance in moderate 3/4 time. The phrases end on the third beat of the bar, and there are many repetitions of short motives. It is not a folk dance, but originated from court ceremonies.
polychoral - the use of two or more separate choirs.
polyphony, polyphonic - a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic lines; nearly synonymous with counterpoint, contrapuntal.
polytonality, polytonal - The simultaneous use of two or more keys.
pomposo - pompous
ponderoso - massively, heavily
ponticello - the bridge of a stringed instrument
possibile - possible
precipitato - hurriedly
precipitando - hurrying
precisione - exactness
preciso - precise, exact
prelude - a piece designed to be played as an introduction, but also an independent short romantic piece in an improvised manner.
preparation - a chordal (consonant) tone which subsequently becomes a nonchordal (dissonant) tone, as in a suspension.
prestissimo - as fast as possible
presto - quickly, rapidly.
primo - first, principal
prima volta - the first time
program music - instrumental music which the composer intends to be descriptive of some action, scene, or story, and which carries a descriptive title.
progression - a sequence of tones in melody, or chords in harmony.
psalm - musical setting of texts from the biblical Book of Psalms.



Q
quarter note - one fourth the value of a whole note
quasi - in the manner of
quieto - quick, calm, serene



R
rallentando - gradually getting slower
range - the pitch distance between the highest and lowest note of a melody, voice, or instrument.
rapidamente - rapidly
rattenuto - holding back
realization, to realize - filling in the harmony of a figured bass.
recitative - a declamatory prose style of singing in operas, oratorios, and cantatas.
refrain - recurrent lines of text and music at the end of each stanza of a song.
register - the general pitch level of a part, voice, or instrument (e.g., soprano implies a high register, bass a low register).
registration - the combinations of stops used in an organ composition.
relative keys - major and minor keys which have the same key signature (e.g., C major and A minor are relative keys).
religioso - solemnly, in a devout manner
replicazione - repetition
requiem - a Mass for the Dead, set to music for solo voices and chores.
responsorial - in plainsong, a section for solo voice followed by a section for chorus in unison.
rhapsody - a free fantasy, usually of heroic or national character, and often brilliant in style.
rhumba (rumba) - a Cuban dance with complex rhythm, much syncopation, and repetition of an eight-bar theme.
rhythm - the time element in music which is determined by accent and/or duration of tones.
rigaudon (English: rigadoon) - a seventeenth century Provenqal dance in lively duple or quadruple time. Something like a Bourrée, with the phrases beginning on the last quarter of the bar.
rigore - strictness
rinforzando - reinforced
ripetizione - repetition
risoluto - bold, resolved
ritardando - gradually getting slower
ritenuto - suddenly slower, held back
romance - a piece that is song-like, sentimental and tender in character.
rondino - a small or easy rondo.
rondo - French 'rondeau' a piece in which the main theme keeps recurring with different episodes between - ABACA. A more modern form is extended to ABACAB and coda.
root - the tone on which a chord is built.
rubato - robbed, taking a portion of time from one note and giving it to another
rustico - rural, rustic



S
sarabande - a dignified dance, probably originally from Spain. In 3/4 or 3/2 time, usually starting on the first beat. It moves along at a steady pace, with an accent or a prolonged note on the second beat. It is in AB form, with the phrases ending on the second beat. Commonly found in the old suites.
scale - a system of adjacent notes on which melody and harmony are based.
scherzando - playful, lively
scherzino - a little scherzo.
scherzo - (Italian meaning "joke") - a piece in 3/4 time which is sometimes playful and joking, but also can be moody, gloomy and dramatic, such as those of Chopin.
score - two or more staves with notes vertically aligned in vocal or instrumental part music.
schottische - a round dance in 2/4 time, something like a slow Polka, known in England as the German Polka.
schietto - simple, neat
sciolto - freedom, ease
se - if, in case, as
secco - "dry" that is staccato
segno - a sign - dal segno - repeat from the sign
segue - now follows, go on with what follows
semplice - simple
sempre - always
sentimento - feeling, delicate expression
senza - without
sequence - a recurrent melodic pattern repeated at successively higher or lower intervals. In plainsong, a form of trope.
serenade - French for "evening music" - originally a love song sung under the window of a lady, by her lover now an instrumental piece of similar character.
serioso - serious
seventh chord - a chord of four tones, three superimposed thirds.
sforzando - strongly accented, suddenly loud
sharp - a symbol placed in front of a note to indicate raising that note by one half step .
siciliano - a soft, slow peasant dance in 6/8 or 12/8 time, often in a minor key. Rather similar to a Pastorale, usually in ABA form. It usually has a melody in dotted rhythms, with a broken chord accompaniment.
simile - like
sixteenth note - one sixteenth the value of a whole note
slargando - broadening
slentando - getting slower
smorzando - toning down to extinction
soave - gentle, soft
solenne - solemn
solfeggietto - an Italian word meaning "little study".
solo - a composition for a single voice or instrument
sonabile - resonant
sonata - a work consisting of three or four independent pieces called movements, each of which follows certain forms and characteristics, written for one or two instruments. Similar works for three instruments are called TRIOS, for four instruments are called QUARTETS, and for orchestra are called SYMPHONIES.
sonatina - a small, easier sonata with fewer and short movements.
song - a vocal solo.
sonore - harmonious
sonority - qualities of texture: thick or thin, heavy or light, etc.
sordamente - softly, gently
sordino - a mute or a stringed instrument. Dampers on a piano
sostenuto - sustained
sotto voce - softly, in a low voice
spianato - smooth, even
spiccato - separated, detached. Played with the point of the bow.
spirito - spirit, life
stabile - firm
staccato - detached, separated
stanchezza - weariness
staff, staves - the five horizontal parallel lines on or between which notes are written.
stentando - heavy and retarding
stentato - forced, loud
stesso - the same
strascinato - dragged along
strepitoso - boisterous
stringendo - pressing onwards, hurrying
strings - instruments which produce tone by bowing or plucking taut strings ( e.g., violins, guitars ).
string quartet - a chamber ensemble consisting of two violins, viola, and cello. Also, compositions written for that medium.
strophic - song form in which all stanzas of the text are set to the same music.
style - the characteristic quality of music determined by the integration of all elements (e.g., rhythm, melody, harmony, texture).
su - above, upon
suavita - sweetness, delicacy
subdominant - the fourth note of a diatonic scale and the chord bulk on that note.
subito - suddenly
subject - the theme of a fugue.
submediant - the sixth note of a diatonic scale and the chord built on that note.
suite - a group of pieces consisting (in the classical form) entirely of dance forms, and all in the same key. The basic movements included were the Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Gigue, and then usually one or more others such as the Gavotte, Minuet, Bourr6e, Passepied, etc. The suite was often preceded by a Prelude. Also referred to as an instrumental composition of numerous movements, often of a dance-like character.
sul, sull, sulla - on, upon the
supertonic - the second note of a diatonic scale and the chord built on that note.
suspension - a nonharmonic device in which a chordal (consonant) tone is held through a bhange of harmony to become a nonchordal (dissonant) tone which then resolves downward to another chordal (consonant) tone.
sussurando - whispering, murmuring
svelto - free, light
syllabic - a style of text setting in which there is a predominance of one syllable of the text to one note of the melody.
symphony - an orchestra, or a multimovement form for orchestra.
syncopation - a rhythmic device in which the normal accents of the measure are displaced by accenting weak beats, rests on strong beats, or tying notes over from a weak to a strong beat.



T
tacet - be silent
tanto - so much, as much
tarantella - a wild Italian dance in 3/8 or 6/8 time, which was supposed to cure the poisonous bite of the spider called the tarantula. It frequently alternated modes, and increased in frenzy towards the end.
tardamente - slowly
Tedesca - German
tema - theme or subject
tempo - generally, the speed of music; the rate of beats as indicated by such terms as allegro, presto, adagio, lento, and andante.
tempo giusto - in strict time
tempo ordinario - in moderate time
tempo primo - the original time
tempo rubato - robbed or irregular time
teneramente - tenderly
tenuto - sustained
ternary - a form in three sections (ABA).
tessitura - the average range of a vocal part
tetrachord - a four-tone section of a scale.
texture - the disposition of the melodic element in music. (See monophonic, polyphonic, homophonic); also means sonority.
theme - the melodic idea on which a composition is based. A theme may also include rhythmic, harmonic, and other factors.
thorough bass - see basso continuo, figured bass.
tie - a curved line connecting two consecutive notes on the same line or space of the staff; indicates the note to be held over rather than repeated.
timbre - tone color or tone quality.
time signature - numerals at the beginning of a composition, the upper figure of which indicates the number of beats in the measure, the lower of which indicates the kind of note which gets one beat.
timoroso - with hesitation
toccata - (Latin meaning "touch") - a virtuoso piece composed to display the technical skill of the player, usually with full chords, arpeggios and running passages, in a free fantasy style.
toccatina - a small short toccata - sometimes used as an opening to a Suite.
tonality - the sense of gravitation around a tonal center or key.
tonic - the first note of a diatonic scale, the note from which a key gets its name, and the chord built on that note.
tosto - swift, rapid
tranquillo - calmness, quietness
transcription - arranging a composition for a different medium.
trascinando - dragging the time
tre - three
treble - a relatively high-register part, indicated by the G clef or treble clef.
tre corde - three strings, an indication to stop using the soft pedal
tremolo - rapid reiteration of a sing-note or rapid alternation between two notes.
triad - a three-note chord, consisting of two thirds.
trionfale - triumphal
triple meter - three beats to the measure.
triple stopping - playing on three strings of a bowed string instrument, simultaneously or in rapid succession.
tristezza - sadness, heaviness
trope - an interpolated section of melody and text in plainsong.
troppo - too much; non troppo - not too much
tune - A melody.
tutti - A passage played by the entire orchestra.



U
uguale - equal, similar
un, una, uno - a, an, one
unaccompanied - a solo part, passage, or vocal ensemble without accompaniment.
una corda - one string, the soft pedal is to be depressed
unison - two parts singing or playing the same note.



V
va - go on
vaccilando - irregular in time
vago - rambling, uncertain as to time or expression
variation - the modified repetition of a theme or melody without the loss of it's entire identity; a form based on this technique.
veloce - swiftly
velocissimo - with extreme rapidity
vibrato - a slight varying of pitch produced by the rapid movement of the left hand on a stringed instrument
vigoroso - bold, energetic
violento - boisterous, vehement
virtuosity - prominent display of technical facility in performance.
vitamente - briskly, immediately
vivace/vivo - animated, briskly
vocal - music to be performed by the human voice or voices.
voice - the human organ of sound, classified according to registers (e.g., soprano, alto, tenor, bass). Also, a part in polyphonic music (e.g., a four-voice madrigal, a five-voice fugue).
volta - time
volta prima - first time
volta seconda - the second time
volti - turn over
volti subito - turn the page over quickly
volubilita - freedom of performance



W
waltz - a dance in triple time which probably originated from the German Ländler and is still a very popular form.
whole note - the basic unit of note values
whole-tone scale - a scale of six notes a whole step apart.
wind instruments - instruments which produce tones by a vibrating column of air when blown; woodwinds and brass.
woodwind instruments - wind instruments which generate tone by a vibrating reed (e.g., oboes, clarinets, saxophones, bassoons) or by a whistle-type mechanism (flutes, recorders).

Music Terms A-Z

Terms most often used in music:


Accelerando
Increase of speed in music
Accent
Stress of one tone over others, making it stand out; often it is the first beat of a measure
Accompaniment
Music that goes along with a more important part; often harmony or rhythmic patterns accompanying a melody.
Adagio
Slow, leisurely
Allegretto
Moderately fast, lively. Faster than Andante, slower than allegro
Allegro
Lively, brisk, rapid
Andante
Moderately slow, a walking speed
Baroque
Relating to the period from about 1600-1750, characterized by grandeur and heavy elaboration of design in music.
Binary form
Two-part form; the structure of a musical composition consisting of two main sections.
Cadence
Closing of a phrase or section of music
Cantata
A short lyric form dealing with either secular or sacred subjects
Chord
Three or more tones combined and sounded simultaneously
Classical
Referring to that period from approximately 1750-1800, characterized musically by objectivity of the composer, emotional restraint, and simple harmonies.
Consonance
A simultaneious sounding of tones that produces a feeling of rest, i.e., a feeling that there is no need for further resolution.
Crescendo
Gradually growing louder
Da Capo
From the beginning. A direction to repeat the entire compositon from the beginning to the place where the word "fine" appears or to the end.
Diminuendo
Gradually growing softer
Dissonance
A simultaneous sounding of tones that produces a feeling of tension or unrest and a feeling that further resolution is needed.
Dolce
Sweetly, softly
Dynamics
Varying intensities of sound throughout a given musical composition. (Piano, Mezzo Piano, Forte, etc.)
Espressione
Expressively
Fermata
A pause, stop, or interruption as that before the cadenza of a concerto.
Fine
The end of a musical piece
Forte
Loud, strong
Fortissimo
Very loud
Grave
Heavy, slow, pondereous in movement
Gusto
In good taste, tasteful
Harmony
The sound resulting from the simultaneous sounding of two or more tones consonant with each other
Interval
The distance between two tones
Istesso tempo
The same tempo. (The tempo remains as before, after a change was made)
Legato
Smooth, flowing
Largo
Large, broad, slow and stately
Legato
Smooth and connected
Lento
Slow
Melody
An arrangement of single tones in a meaningful sequence
Maestoso
Majestic, dignified
Meno
Less
Mezzo forte
Moderately loud
Mezzo piano
Moderately soft
Molto, molta
Much
Obbligato
Required, indispensable
Ostinato
A repeated melodic or rhythmic fragment
Piano
Soft, softly
Pianissimo
Very soft
Presto
Fast, rapid
Phrase
A small section of a composition comprising a musical thought. Comparable to a sentence in language.
Polyphonic Music
Music in which two or more melodies sound simultaneously
Polyrhythms
Music in which two or more keys are used simultaneously in a given composition
Ritardando
Gradually growing slower
Retrograde
A form of contrapuntal imitation in which the melody is played backwards.
Romantic
Relating to the nineteenth-century musical period characterized by subjectivity on the part of the composer, emotionalism in music, longer musical forms, and richer harmonies.
Root
The tone of the scale upon which a chord is built
Root Position
The postion of a chord in which the root appears as the lowest tone.
Rubato
From the Italian "robbed". Used to indicate a modification of the strict rhythmical flow.
Scale
A graduated series of tones arranged in a specified order
Scherzo
Joke, jest. A sprightly movement, light and humorous in nature
Sforzando
Explosively
Slur
A curved line drawn over two or more notes of different pitches, indicating that they are to be executed in a smoothly connected manner without a break.
Sostenuto
Sustained
Spirito
Spiritedly
Staccato
Separate. Sounded in a short, detached manner
Syncopation
The rhythmic result produced when a regularly accented beat is displaced onto an unaccented beat.
Tempo
The rate of speed at which a musical compostion is performed
Theme
A short musical passage that states an idea. It often provides the basis for variations, development, etc.
Timbre
The quality of a musical tone that distinguishes voices and instruments.
Tone
1. A musical sound 2. The quality of a musical sound
Tutto, Tutta
All, whole
Vivace
Spirited, bright, rapid, equalling or exceeding allegro

Music Terms

Music as Sound
A musical note is produced when something is made to vibrate, a string, a reed, vocal chords for example.
How high or low the note sounds depends on how many times a second the thing creating it vibrates (called its frequency). The more it vibrates (the higher the frequency) the higher the sound.
Musical instruments are made to produce notes of particular frequencies, so they can be played together to create music.
Instruments sound different (a violin and a trumpet for example) because along with the main (or fundamental) frequency, they also create quieter extra frequencies (called overtones) that combine to produce the instrument's unique sound. Music as Science
Each note is given a name. A letter from A to G. Notes one octave apart have the same letter for a name but sound higher or lower depending on their frequency.
You will see from the example shown below, that as you move from left to right across the keyboard each note of C has twice the frequency of the previous (lower) note of C. This is the same for D to D, or E to E etc.

Octaves are divided up into a 'chromatic' scale of twelve frequencies (or intervals) called semitones (thus notes can be said to be one semitone apart in pitch). An interval of two semitones is called a tone.
On a piano keyboard the 'white' keys play notes that are one tone apart, except between B and C, and E and F which are only a semitone apart. The 'black' keys play notes that are a semitone apart from the note played by the two white keys either side of them.

When played together some notes have frequencies that interact well with each other making a 'pleasant' sound, these can be used as chords. Other combinations of notes have frequencies that don't interact well with each other making musically unpleasant or discordant sounds. The Stave & Clefs
The stave is a group of five horizontal lines that composers use to write their music. A note is placed either on one of the lines or in a space between them. The virtical position of the note tells the musician what note to play. Staves can be used alone or in pairs, one on top of the other, if the instrument has a wide range of notes like a piano.
If an instrument can play notes that are higher or lower than the five lines each stave can show, ledger lines are drawn to extend the stave.
The clefs are used to help the musician find their notes on the stave. There are three clefs, the G clef and the F clef are used most often. There is also the C clef. The G clef is sometimes called the 'Trebble clef' because it indicates the higher notes, and the F clef is called the 'Bass clef' because it indicates the lower notes.
Each clef has a stave. Staves are made up of five lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents where a particular note will fall.
The treble stave. Beginning from bottom to top, the lines on the treble stave read: E, G, B, D, F (one note for each line). A good way of remembering this is to say "Every Good Boy Does Fine" or "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge," depending on if you're into chocolate or not. The spaces in between the lines line up in the very same grouping, and the notes are F, A, C, E, respectively.
Note how the treble clef, also named a G clef, encircles the G line. This is a satisfactory way to recall where notes fall, too.
On a keyboard, the white keys are the "natural" notes, and the black keys are the "sharp" and "flat" notes. Naturals, sharps and flats are discussed more in Key Signatures.
Middle C, discussed in Notes on Staves, is a natural (white) key, and is close to the middle key of a piano, which has 88 keys. Many keyboards and organs maintain less than 88 keys, but the identical basic rule applies.
As you'll note (especially if you're looking at a keyboard), not all notes have sharps or flats (there's no C or F flat, nor is there B or E sharp).
Musical key signatures are not all that difficult to understand when put into perspective. Just like a scale, music notes go up and down but in half steps instead of full.
Natural notes appear by themselves in written music. But sharps and flats have their own symbols:
Sharp
Flat
On a keyboard, a sharp note is the black key that's one note higher than its natural counterpart (the white key). A flat is a black key that's one note lower than its natural counterpart.
When sharps and flats are written into music as needed (next to the notes), they're called accidentals. But sometimes they are shown at the beginning of a stave, right after the clef. In this case, they indicate a key signature.
Key signatures show which notes are to be played or sung as sharps or flats throughout the song. So if there's a sharp sign on "F" and one on "C", every "F" and "C" note throughout the song should be played as a sharp. There will be no "F" or "C" natural unless specifically indicated by a natural symbol:
Natural

Key signatures (in this case, D Major) indicate the general tone of a song, as well as where its basic scale begins and ends. For example, a song in the key of D is based on the D Major scale, which begins and ends with "D" -- with "F" and "C" played sharp throughout. However, the same song can be written and played in different keys.
Music Terms / Definitions:
Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents a key on the piano. Notes and rests are then placed on the staff.
Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of music which makes it possible for the player to work out what the notes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes on that staff to be played. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign, which tells the musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, and will tick according to which timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a “meter”, tells the musician how many notes are in a measure.
Time Signatures (Meters):
The below table summarizes the different types of time signatures and their associated beats.

There are many more time signatures, but it is a good idea to start with the 4/4 time signature as it is easier to count.
Below are the rules of the 4/4 time signature:
- There are 4 beats in one measure - When you play a whole note, count out 4 beats- When you play a half note, count out 2 beats - When you play a quarter note, count out 1 beat and then move onto the next note. - 2 eight notes should fit into 1 beat- 4 sixteenth notes fit into 1 beat
Tip: When learning to play the piano / keyboard, count aloud to get used to the rhythm.
Treble Clef:When reading sheet music, you will notice that there is a treble clef at the top left hand corner of your music book. The notes along side the treble clef are usually played with your right hand. There are 5 lines and 4 spaces beneath the treble clef, each of these lines and spaces represents a note on the piano. It is important to learn them off by heart. These notes are located to the right of middle C.
Treble Clef Lines - E, G, B, D, F (Eat Good Bread Dear Father)
Treble Clef Spaces - F, A, C, E (Face).
Bass Clef:Beneath the treble clef on sheet music, you will see a second set of lines and spaces with the Bass Clef symbol on the left. This is to make it easier to read. The Bass Clef notes are usually played with your left hand, and are lower in tone than the notes with the Treble Clef. To locate these notes, go one octave down (the next C to the left of middle C), and locate the notes to the right of that note.
Bass Clef Lines - G, B, D, F, A (Good, Bread, Dear, Father, Ate)
Bass Clef Spaces - A, C, E, G, (Alice, Can, Eat, Grapes).
Musicians must learn how to count evenly, to make sure they are playing each note for the correct length of time.
Tip: To begin you may prefer to write the corresponding notes on your sheet music to help.
Music Terms / Definitions for this page:
Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents a key on the piano. Notes and rests are then placed on the staff.
Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of music which makes it possible for the player to work out what the notes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes on that staff to be played. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a “meter”, tells the musician how many notes are in a measure.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, and will tick according to which timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
Rest: A rest is a symbol that corresponds to a note value. When reading a rest in sheet music no note is played for the duration of the rest.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, and will tick according to which timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
Notes as they appear on sheet music:
The above example consists of 3 measures of music. Each measure has 4 beats as the time signature is 4/4. You can have one whole note, two half notes or 4 quarter notes per measure or a combination of notes that will give you 4 beats.
Now see if you can play the notes while counting. Note that the 4 notes in the third measure should take the same length to play as the whole note in the first measure.
Rests:
The below table displays the symbols that represent rests, their names, and beats in 4/4 time.

Rests use the same beats per measure as their corresponding notes. Rests are always located in the above positions, so you won’t miss them. A half rest always sits on the middle line, while a whole rest always hangs from the fourth line up.
Tip: When you come to a rest on a sheet of music you should take your hand completely off the keyboard for the appropriate length of time.
Learn to Play the Piano - Beginner Lesson for Older Kids & Teens Learning to play the piano can be exceptionally beneficial to young children. Many parents look to sports to develop their child’s motor and concentration skills, but sport is not for all children. Learning to play the piano provides many of the same benefits as sports and more. The piano is both educational and your child will develop great coordination skills.
You need to make sure your child has access to a piano to practice every day, or at least several times a week. You will find that as long as he/she loves the music they are learning, the more they will enjoy playing it. Before your child starts, below are some basics that he/she should know.
How to use your hands?Beginners sheet music often has numbers below each note. These numbers refer to fingers on your hands. Teach your child the below numbers and their related fingers.
RIGHT HAND:
1 - thumb2 - index finger3 - middle finger4 - ring finger5 - little finger
LEFT HAND:
1 - thumb2 - index finger3 - middle finger4 - ring finger5 - little finger
About the keyboard:

- There are two types of notes, black and white
- The black notes are higher up than the white notes, they are also spaced out in groups of 2 and 3.
- When you play a black and white note that lie side by side they are a semi tone apart. When you play two white keys that are side by side and have a black key between them, these keys are a tone apart.
- The white notes are named "A, B, C, D, E, F, G"
- The black notes are named using the same letters with either a sharp (#) or a flat (b) sign.
- C# (C sharp) means that the sound is raised a semi tone from the C key. If you look at the keyboard you will note that this must mean that C# is the black note beside the C key. Play them to hear the sound.
- Bb (B flat) means that the sound is lowered a semi tone from the B key. If you look at your keyboard you will note that this is the black key below the B key. Play both to notice the difference.
- As the key of C does not include any black notes, beginners start playing tunes in the key of C by placing both thumbs on middle C and placing each finger on each subsequent white note. Middle C is the C note in the middle of the piano usually above the keyhole in the wood.
About the notes in a scale:The above may be a lot for your child to take in at once, but it will start making sense when he/she starts to play. Start your child off by learning the scale of C. Get your child to sit up straight. His/Her right hand should be slightly turned in with their thumb on middle C. Now ask them to play each of the below notes in sequence using the correct finger on his/her right hand. The first finger (thumb) should be crossed under the third finger (middle finger) to play the F key.
Note C D E F G A B CFinger 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
Well done! Now you know the Scale of C.
Now you can play it in reverse. When using the third finger (middle finger) to play the E key, cross it in front of the first finger (thumb).
Note C B A G F E D CFinger 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
Now play the scale of C up and down with out stopping.
The Notes
Each note is given a name, a letter from A to G. Because there are more than seven notes the letters are repeated in sequence for each new note.
The vertical position on the stave shows the musician which note to play, as shown in the diagram below.

In order to show the semitone steps between notes, sharp and flat signs are used. A sharp sign next to a note means it should be played one semitone higher. A flat sign next to a note means it should be played one semitone lower.
For example, the note C with a sharp sign before it would be called C sharp and on a piano the black key just to the right of it would be played instead of the C key.

The same sharp and flat key on the piano is used for notes that are next to each other, C sharp and D flat are in fact the same note but are written differently on the stave. The composer could use either note and the music would sound the same.
Notes B and C, and notes E and F are a semitone apart so do not have 'sharps' and 'flats' between them. The Timing
Notes are played from left to right across the stave. As we have seen the vertical position of the note tells us which note to play, the 'shape' of the note (its stem and number of tails) shows us how long to play it for.
The longest note is the semibreve all the other notes are smaller divisions of time of this note (a semibreve is twice as long as a minim, a minim is twice as long as a crotchet and so on).
For example four crotchets are equal in time to one semibreve, that means a crotchet note is played for only one quarter the time a semibreve note is played. So four crotchets are played in the same time it takes to play one semibreve.
A note with a dot placed after it, is played for one and a half times its normal length, in other words the dot adds half of it's original 'time value' to the note.
Each note has its own 'rest' shape that has the same 'time value' but indicates no note (or a rest) is played at that point in the music.
The Bars
The stave is divided into 'bars'. Usually the first note in a bar is accented (played slightly louder) to help emphasize the rhythm of the piece of music. Each bar may have a different number of individual notes in it but they must all add up to the same 'time value', or number of beats, in each bar. A note's length in beats is shown in the chart below.

Two numbers (shown as a fraction) called the time signature, just to the right of the clef, tell us what timing to use when we play the music. The top number tells us how many beats are in each bar and the lower number tells us the lengths of each beat. 3 over 4 would mean three beats of crotchet length (because a crotchet is a quarter of a semibreve). 2 over 2 would be two beats of minim length (because a minim is half a semibreve).

Notes of different beat lengths can be used in each bar (music would be boring otherwise!) but they must all add up to the correct total. Look at the common examples below, see how the individual note 'time values' add up correctly in each of the bars.

Beats are counted in each bar as you play the music. For example in 3/4 time 1 - 2 - 3, 1 - 2 - 3, and so on. Depending on the actual tune, one crotchet would be played for each of the beats; two quavers would be played for each of the beats; a minim would be played across two of the beats.

Quiz Name: Instruments of the Orchestra Type: Multiple Choice (static answer order) Grade Level: 2 Instructions: Teacher Notes:
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What family of the orchestra is the flute in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Correct Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the cello in? Answers Strings - Correct Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the trombone in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the tambourine in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
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What family of the orchestra is the trumpet in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the timpani in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
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What family of the orchestra is the violin in? Answers Strings - Correct Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the French horn in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the clarinet in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Correct Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the snare drum in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
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What family of the orchestra is the oboe in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Correct Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the tuba in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the xylophone in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
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What family of the orchestra is the viola in? Answers Strings - Correct Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the triangle in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
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A STRINGED INSTRUMENT Answers piccolo - Incorrect bass violin - Correct tambourine - Incorrect
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A PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT Answers tuba - Incorrect flute - Incorrect drum - Correct
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A WOODWIND INSTRUMENT Answers clarinet - Correct cymbals - Incorrect triangle - Incorrect
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A BRASS INSTRUMENT Answers timpani - Incorrect tuba - Correct bass violin - Incorrect
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A KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT Answers piano - Correct wood block - Incorrect violin - Incorrect
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A FOLK STRINGED INSTRUMENT Answers banjo - Correct trumpet - Incorrect oboe - Incorrect
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A TYPE OF "BODY" PERCUSSION Answers triangle - Incorrect clapping - Correct drum - Incorrect
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AN INSTRUMENT THAT PLAYS HIGH SOUNDS Answers piccolo - Correct bassoon - Incorrect timpani - Incorrect
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AN INSTRUMENT THAT PLAYS LOW SOUNDS Answers flute - Incorrect violin - Incorrect bassoon - Correct
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AN INSTRUMENT THAT HAS A SLIDE Answers French horn - Incorrect trombone - Correct trumpet - Incorrect

The Musical Staff Would you like to be able to read music? People seeing sheet music for the first time may get intimidated by all the strange symbols they encounter. Even though it's not rocket science, it does take time and effort to learn how to read music. The good news is that the payoff is great. Learning to read music will open a whole new world for you.
To read music, the first thing you need to learn is how to recognize the notes on the musical staff. The staff consist of five parallel lines, although more lines are often added. These additional lines are to accommodate notes with pitches that won't fit into the five standard lines. The note's vertical position relative to the lines indicates the pitch. The higher the note is above the line the higher the pitch. On the left end of the staff you will also see something called a clef. Its purpose is to provide a key (in fact, that is what the word clef means in French) to the note pitches. The treble clef is normally used for the notes played on piano by the right hand. It's also used for many other musical instruments, including the guitar.

The treble clef is also called G clef because it conveniently sits on the G - line. To help in memorizing the note positions, several mnemonic aids have been invented. The notes located between the staff lines are easy to remember because they form the word FACE. The notes located on the lines indicate the first letters of the phrase "Every Good Boy Does Fine".

Looking at the musical staff, you may be asking yourself a question: What if a note is too high or too low to fit into the small space covered by the five lines? Ledger lines to the rescue! The ledger lines simply extend the musical staff as needed.

The notes that we have looked at so far can be played on a piano by pressing the white keys. But what about the black keys? These keys play notes that are half-tone away from the nearest white keys. So how do we show those notes on the musical staff? Theoretically, it would be possible to place those notes between staff lines and staff spaces, but that would make them really hard to read. The solution is simple: add a little sign just before the note to indicate that it should be played a half-tone higher or lower. The signs used to modify note pitch by a half-tone are called accidentals. They include flat (lower the pitch by half-tone) and sharp (raise the pitch by half-tone).

This short article has given you a very simple introduction to the way music is recorded on paper. If you are serious about learning to read music, many books, websites and software programs are available. What you won't find anywhere else are the interactive quizzes presented on the following pages. They will help beginning students with memorizing the basics of reading music. The quizzes can also be used for student testing.
So, good luck with the quizzes and remember: Every Good Boy Does Fine.
Let’s See! What Note Could It “B?”
(How To Teach Note Names Without STRESS!!!)

Okay. It is time to learn the recorder but first, we should learn our notes. Right, class? Do you know that Every Good Boy Does Fine? That was taught to your Granny when learning treble clef line notes.
Does every good boy do fine? Are they excited about doing fine all of the time? Even girls would rather have a better incentive. So, we need to update this system now!
Well, chocolate works. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge! You must point out that the ‘boy” must be “good” or else forget about the fudge. The teacher gets it instead. YES!
Now we know the treble clef line notes are E G B D and F. What about the letters F, A, C and E for the space notes? They spell the word ……FACE. (Very good, class!) That still works but only if you remember that FACE is in the SPACE. That’s easy. It can even be a rap by repeating, FACE is in the space – AH!
FACE is in the SPACE – OH!
FACE is in the SPACE – YEAH! etc.
So now we are cool and not boring but how are the kids going to remember all of this information? What should we do? Well, have you heard of the “Poke Your Fingers” game? I sure hope not since I have only taught it to my students and you’re not one of them! All right. I’ll teach it to you but only one time. So LISTEN!
First you take your right hand, which is always handy. (Sorry!) Then you hold it horizontally in front of you with your thumb facing upwards. Let’s see. You have 5 fingers and 5 spaces. Hmmmmmmmm! That resembles something like a STAFF! 5 lines and 4 spaces are always part of our right hand. That works. So now you take your left hand pointer and insert it into the spaces from the bottom up while repeating F-A-C-E until you have memorized this. Next, you close your eyes and poke a space using your pointer finger on your left hand. Now open your eyes. Can you figure out the note name? If it is in the bottom space, then it is “F.” GOOD JOB! Now, keep testing yourself and, when this gets to be too easy, switch to the lines (fingers) and point out “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.” Remember that it’s from the bottom going up.
Now you have taught the treble clef notes without the stress. For fun, and if the students get bored, have a contest and see what other sentences they can create. Many will be better than the originals. Of course, Every Girl Buys Dead Frogs isn’t an appetizing possibility for the line notes but it’s gross enough to remember. I like “Feed Alligators Children Everyday.” I wonder who made that up?