Music Theory Terms
Intervals, scales, harmony, rhythm, and form — the building blocks of music.
143 terms
A8
AccentarticulationA stress or emphasis placed on a particular note or beat.AccidentalnotationA symbol placed before a note to raise or lower its pitch by…AnacrusisrhythmOne or more notes that precede the first full bar of a piece…ArrangementcompositionAn adaptation of a musical composition for different instrum…ArticulationperformanceThe manner in which individual notes are attacked, sustained…Articulation MarkingsnotationSymbols placed above or below notes to indicate how they sho…AugmentedintervalsAn interval that has been widened by one semitone beyond its…Aural TrainingfundamentalThe development of musical listening skills including interv…
B7
BarrhythmA segment of music bounded by bar lines, containing a fixed …BaroquefundamentalThe period of Western art music spanning roughly 1600 to 175…BeatrhythmThe basic unit of time in music — the regular pulse a listen…Bebop ScalescalesA jazz scale that adds one chromatic passing note to a stand…Binary FormformA two-part musical structure (AB)Blues ScalescalesA six-note scale derived from the minor pentatonic with an a…BowingperformanceThe technique of drawing a bow across the strings of an inst…
C16
CadenceharmonyA harmonic or melodic formula that marks the end of a phrase…CanoncompositionA contrapuntal composition in which a melody is imitated exa…CentspitchA logarithmic unit that divides each semitone into 100 equal…ChordharmonyThree or more notes sounded simultaneouslyChromatickeysPertaining to notes outside the prevailing key or diatonic s…Chromatic ScalescalesA scale comprising all twelve semitones within an octaveCircle of FifthskeysA diagram arranging all twelve major and minor keys by ascen…ClefnotationA symbol placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate the …CompositioncompositionThe art and craft of creating original music by organising s…Compound IntervalintervalsAn interval wider than an octave, such as a ninth, tenth, or…Compound timerhythmTime signatures in which each beat subdivides naturally into…Concert PitchpitchThe internationally agreed standard tuning reference where A…ConsonanceharmonyIntervals or chords perceived as stable, restful, and comple…ContrappesoharmonyA niche orchestration concept referring to the balancing of …CounterpointcompositionThe art of combining two or more independent melodic lines s…CrotchetrhythmA note lasting one beat in common time, equivalent to a quar…
D8
DiatonickeysPertaining to the seven notes of a major or natural minor sc…DissonanceharmonyIntervals or chords perceived as tense, unstable, and seekin…DominantkeysThe fifth degree of a scale and the second most important to…Dotted NoterhythmA note followed by a dot, which increases its duration by ha…DownbeatrhythmThe first and strongest beat of a bar, typically where the c…DronefundamentalA sustained or continuously repeated note or chord that soun…Dynamic MarkingnotationA symbol or abbreviation indicating the volume at which musi…DynamicsfundamentalThe variation in loudness between notes or phrases in a perf…
F5
FifthintervalsThe interval spanning five scale degrees, most commonly the …FlatpitchAn accidental that lowers the pitch of a note by one semiton…FrequencypitchThe number of sound-wave vibrations per second, measured in …FugueformA contrapuntal composition in which a subject is introduced …FundamentalpitchThe lowest frequency in a harmonic series, perceived as the …
H3
I3
K2
L2
M17
Major ScalescalesA seven-note scale with the pattern tone–tone–semitone–tone–…Major SecondintervalsAn interval spanning two semitones, equivalent to a whole to…Major SixthintervalsAn interval spanning nine semitones, often described as warm…Major ThirdintervalsAn interval spanning four semitones, often perceived as brig…Melodic Minor ScalescalesA minor scale that raises both the sixth and seventh degrees…MelodyfundamentalA sequence of single pitches perceived as a coherent musical…MetrerhythmThe recurring pattern of strong and weak beats that organise…MicrotonepitchAny interval smaller than a semitone, used in various musica…Minor ScalescalesA seven-note scale with a flattened third degree relative to…Minor SecondintervalsAn interval spanning one semitone, the smallest step in stan…Minor SeventhintervalsAn interval spanning ten semitones, central to dominant seve…Minor SixthintervalsAn interval spanning eight semitones, with a bittersweet qua…Minor ThirdintervalsAn interval spanning three semitones, often described as hav…ModekeysA type of scale defined by a specific pattern of tones and s…ModulationkeysThe process of changing from one key to another within a pie…MovementformA self-contained section within a larger multi-part composit…MuteperformanceA device attached to an instrument to soften its volume and …
N2
O7
Octatonic ScalescalesAn eight-note scale built from alternating whole tones and s…OctaveintervalsThe interval spanning eight diatonic scale degreesOffbeatrhythmAny beat or subdivision that falls between the main beats of…OrchestrationcompositionThe art of assigning musical material to specific instrument…OrnamentperformanceA decorative note or group of notes added to a melody.OvertonepitchA higher frequency that sounds simultaneously above a fundam…OvertureformAn orchestral introduction played before an opera, oratorio,…
P11
Parallel KeykeysA major and minor key that share the same tonic note but hav…Pentatonic ScalescalesA five-note scale found in musical traditions worldwidePerfect FifthintervalsAn interval of seven semitonesPerfect FourthintervalsAn interval spanning five semitones, historically treated as…PhraseformA complete musical thought, analogous to a sentence in spoke…PhrasingperformanceThe way a performer shapes a musical sentence by controlling…PitchfundamentalThe perceived highness or lowness of a sound, determined by …Pitch ClasspitchA group containing all notes that share the same letter name…PolyphonycompositionA musical texture featuring two or more independent melodic …PolyrhythmrhythmThe simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythmic pat…PreludeformAn introductory piece of music that precedes a larger work o…
R10
RegisterpitchA particular range or portion of the pitch spectrum availabl…Relative keykeysA major and minor key that share the same key signature but …Relative Major and MinorkeysA pair of keys — one major, one minor — sharing the same key…Repeat SignnotationA pair of dots and double barlines that instruct the perform…ResolutionharmonyThe move from a dissonant or unstable sonority to a consonan…RestnotationA notated period of silence of a specified duration.RhythmfundamentalThe pattern of sounds and silences in time.RisonamentopitchA rarely used Italian term for the sustained resonance produ…RondoformA form in which a principal theme alternates with contrastin…Rubato (rhythm)rhythmA flexible approach to tempo in which some beats are slightl…
S15
ScalepitchAn ordered series of pitches ascending or descending by step…ScorenotationA written document showing all parts of a musical compositio…SemitoneintervalsThe smallest interval in standard Western musicSequencecompositionThe repetition of a musical pattern at successively higher o…Seventh ChordharmonyA four-note chord adding a seventh above the root to a triadSharppitchAn accidental that raises the pitch of a note by one semiton…Sight-ReadingfundamentalThe ability to perform a piece of music at first sight witho…SlurnotationA curved line connecting two or more notes of different pitc…Sonata FormformA large-scale musical structure based on exposition, develop…StaffnotationThe set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which mu…Strophic FormformA song structure where the same music repeats for each verse…SubdominantkeysThe fourth degree of a scale, forming a key harmonic pillar …SuiteformA collection of short movements grouped together, often base…SuspensionharmonyA non-chord tone held over from the previous chord, creating…SyncopationrhythmDeliberate displacement of the expected rhythmic accent
T22
TemperamentpitchA tuning system that determines how the twelve pitches withi…TempofundamentalThe speed at which a piece of music is performed.Tempo MarkingnotationA word or phrase placed at the beginning of a piece or secti…Ternary FormformA three-part musical structure (ABA)TessiturapitchThe range of pitches within which a vocal or instrumental pa…TexturefundamentalThe way melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic materials are woven …Theme and VariationsformA form in which a theme is stated and then altered through a…ThirdintervalsAn interval spanning three diatonic scale degreesThrough-ComposedformA song structure where the music changes continuously withou…TienotationA curved line joining two adjacent notes of the same pitch, …TimbrefundamentalThe characteristic quality of a sound that distinguishes one…Time SignaturerhythmA notational convention indicating how many beats are in eac…TonickeysThe first and most important note of a key, serving as the c…TonicisationkeysThe brief treatment of a non-tonic chord as a temporary toni…TransposecompositionTo shift an entire piece or passage to a different key while…Transposing InstrumentpitchAn instrument whose notated pitch differs from the actual so…TranspositionkeysMoving a passage of music up or down in pitch by a fixed int…TriadharmonyA three-note chord built from stacked thirdsTripletrhythmA group of three notes played in the time normally occupied …TritoneintervalsAn interval of six semitones — exactly half an octaveTuningpitchThe process of adjusting an instrument so its pitches match …Twelve-Tone TechniquecompositionA method of composition that treats all twelve chromatic pit…
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