Words to watch out for

a combination of long and short notes to create a groove.

We group together dynamics and expressive techniques as one concept or syllabus heading in New South Wales.

• Dynamics describe changes in volume.

• Expressive techniques describe playing techniques on each instrument.

has a high frequency and is different to a loud dynamic (high volume).

tell us which sharps or flats to play in a piece.

means that the time signature changes often throughout the piece or part.

in Western art music is a repeated phrase or rhythm.

• percussion with identifiable pitch 

• also called melodic percussion.

• means that 2 or more different time signatures are being played at the same time.

refers to a short phrase in popular music, which often repeats. 

• to make the pitch higher by a semitone or 

• the musician is slightly higher than correct pitch or 

• the tone colour is piercing and bright (USA).

• are neither pitched nor unpitched percussion instruments. For example, tom-toms, bongos, agogo and temple blocks are percussion instruments that can play higher and lower sounds but do not play identifiable pitch.

• describes the organisation of music horizontally (as time passes)

• means the same as musical form.

describes the layers of music vertically (heard at the same time).

• tell us how many beats are in each bar of a section or piece

• means the same as metre.

• description of the unique sound of an instrument or voice

• sometimes used interchangeably with tone colour and timbre

• an American word for one note or pitch.

the same as: 

• the unique sound of an instrument or voice and

• timbre in USA and 

• sonority in UK.

also called percussion with indefinite pitch.

• an anacrusis (an incomplete bar at the start of a piece of music) or 

• a description of funky, fast, groovy music.