Vocabulary Words

A cappella - singing without any instruments

Adagio - slow

Allegro - to play music brisk and happily, sometimes fast

Alto - high pitched, an alto voice is lower than a soprano, but higher than a tenor

Andante - moderate tempo or pace of music

Arpeggio - notes of a one chord are played quickly, one after the other.

Bass - low, the lowest of the voices and the lowest part of the harmony

Bravura - to play music boldly

Bridge - the part of a song that transitions between two main parts

Capo - the beginning

Chord - when three or more notes are played at the same time. There are many different types of chords or combinations of notes that can be played in music.

Coda - the end, tail, or closing section of a song

Common time - this is a typical beat of 4 beats per measure. Many songs have this timing and it is indicated by a "C" or haft circle.

Crescendo - growing steadily louder

Dissonance - a combination or quality of sounds that sound unstable

Dolce - to play a piece of music sweetly

Forte - to play music loudly or strongly

Harmony - when several notes or chords come together to create a certain sound.

Improvisation - making up the song or melody as you play

Key - a musical key is when the notes of a song are centered around a certain note or class of notes that sound "right" when played.

Legato - to play music smoothly, to blend notes together

Lento - slowly

Measure - the period or time frame of song that has the entire timing. The measure is then repeated over and over during the song.

Meter - a pattern of strong and soft beats throughout the music

Octave - In music, an octave has all notes (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) as well as their sharps and flats included. This octave is repeated in both higher and lower pitches. So the next higher A note, after the note you are playing, is considered one octave higher.

Pizzicato - when you pluck the strings on a stringed instrument, rather than playing them with a bow

Score - this is the written down version of music. Generally for a complex piece that shows the music for a number of musical instruments.

Solo - played by a single musical instrument or voice

Sonata - a song written for one or more instruments playing solo

Soprano - the highest of the singing voices

Sotto voce - quietly

Staccato - when each music note is played sharply and by itself.

Stanza - the verse of a song

Tempo - timing or speed of the music

Tenor - a range of voice that is between the bass and the alto.

Vibrato - the repeating changing of the pitch of a note