Soprano: The highest voice part, reads in Treble Clef.
Alto: The higher middle voice part, reads in Treble Clef.
Tenor: The lower middle voice part, reads in Bass Clef when in an ensemble, Treble when solo.
Bass: The lowest voice part, reads in Bass Clef.
Solfege: Sight-singing pitches within a scale using syllables Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, and Do. Syllables are slightly altered when a note is altered from the major key. In general, change the ending of a syllable to "ee" when raising the pitch and change the ending of a syllable to "eh" or "ah" when lowering the pitch.
Staff: A graph of 5 lines and 4 spaces on which music is written.
Pitch: The highness or lowness of musical sound.
Note: A symbol notated on staves to indicate the presence of sound. Composed of a note-head and the possibility of a stem and a number of flags/bars, depending on its value in any given time signature.
Treble Clef: Musical Symbol on a staff showing pitch level - Generally refers to pitches above middle C
Bass Clef: Musical Symbol on a staff showing pitch level - Generally refers to pitches below middle C
Grand Staff: Two or more staves grouped together - Most commonly a Treble Clef above a Bass Clef
Barlines: Vertical lines that divide the staff into smaller sections.
Measures: The smaller divided sections of a staff.
Double Barline: One thin line followed by a thick line indicating the end of the music.
Repeat Sign: A symbol (two dots on top of each other followed by a Double Barline.
Da Capo: Abbreviated D.C., Italian for "From the Head", An indication to play from the start of the song
Dal Segno: Abbreviated D.S., Italian for "From the Sign", and is part of a system of complex musical repeats.
Coda: An oval-shaped musical symbol with oversized crosshairs, used to organize complex musical repetitions. The coda is another word for the ending of a song.
D.S. al Coda: Italian for "From the Sign to the Coda".
Rhythm: The duration of musical notes and rests.
Beat: A steadily recurring pulse.
Time Signature: A numeric symbol that indicates how many beats per measure and what note receives the beat. The top number indicates how many beats per measure there are and the bottom number indicates which note gets the beat.
4/4: Four beats per measure; Quarter notes receives the beat.
3/4: Three beats per measure; Quarter notes receives the beat.
2/4: Two beats per measure; Quarter note receives the beat.
6/8: 6 beats per measure; Eighth note receives the beat.
Quarter Note: A filled in note with a stem. 1 beat in 4/4 time.
Quarter Rest: A squiggly symbol in place of a note that symbolizes a moment without sound. 1 beat in 4/4 time.
Half Note: An unfilled note with a stem. 2 beats in 4/4 time.
Half Rest: A symbol resting on the middle line of a staff that looks like an upright top hat that indicates a moment without sound. 2 beats in 4/4 time.
Whole Note: An unfilled note without a stem. 4 beats in 4/4 time (a whole measure).
Whole Rest: A symbol hanging on the middle line of a staff that looks like an upside down top hat that indicates a moment without sound. 4 beats in 4/4 time (a whole measure).
Eighth Note: A filled in note with a stem and one flag/bar. 1/2 a beat in 4/4 time.
Eighth Rest: A 7-shaped symbol in a measure that indicates a moment without sound. 1/2 a beat in 4/4 time.
Dotted-Rhythms: A note value above with a small dot to the right of the note-head. The dot always adds half of the note value to the note (Ex 1: A Dotted-Quarter Note is 1 beat + 1/2 = 1.5 beats; Ex 2: A Dotted-Half Note is 2 beats + 1 = 3 beats).
Key: A group of notes upon which a scale is based.
Key Signature: Located between the clef and the time signature, it identifies the number of sharps or flats in the scaled used for the song.
Scales: A series of eight notes (alphabetical order A-G) that go in an ascending and descending order, with the first and last note of the scale being the same note name an octave apart (Ex: C D E F G A B C).
Dynamics: Symbols and/or abbreviations indicating how loud or soft a collection of notes are.
Pianissimo (pp): Very Soft
Piano (p): Soft.
Mezzo Piano (mp): Medium Soft.
Mezzo Forte (mf): Medium Loud.
Forte (f): Loud.
Fortissimo (ff): Very Loud.
Crescendo (Cresc.): Gradually become louder.
Decrescendo (Decresc.): Gradually become softer.
Articulation: The style with which a note is played/sung.
Staccato: Notes that are played shorter, sharper, and disconnected from the next note. Also a small dot placed above or below a note head to indicate that note should be played/sung as such.
Legato: Smooth and connected.
Marcato: Emphasized by giving weight and a "punch". Also a tent symbol placed above or below a note head to indicate what note should be played/sung as such.