Elements of Music

Instrumentation

Five Groups of Instruments

Percussion
Drums

Strings
Dulcimer

Brass
Trumpet

Electronic
Synthesizer/ Keyboard

Woodwinds
Bassoon

Cymbals

Violin

Tuba

Panpipes

Notation

Bar lines ~ vertical lines drawn through the staff to mark off measures Bass sign ~ appears at the beginning in a piece Clef sign ~ appear at the beginning in a piece Grand Staff ~ combined treble and bass staff Key signature ~ designation of sharps and flats at the beginning of a composition to indicate its' basic scale and tonality Natural ~ note that is neither sharp or a flat Pitch ~ Music alphabet goes from A to G Rest ~ type of notation is used to indicate silence in music

Staff
Five parallel, equidistant lines with spaces in between.

Bar Lines

A vertical line placed in a STAFF to mark off MEASURES.

Clefs

Musical symbol that names lines and spaces. There are two : TREBLE Clef BASS Clef

Treble Clef

Also called the "G" clef because the loop at the bottom wraps around the line on a staff for the 'G' note above middle 'C'. The Lines designate the following notes, in order from the bottom, up : E,G, B, D, F. - This is easily remembered by using the mnemonic "Every Good Boy Does Fine" The spaces are for the notes F, A, C, E, in order from the bottom up.

Bass Clef

Also called the "F" clef as the dots are placed above and below the line marking 'F' below middle 'C'. The lines are labeled G, B, D, F, A or "Good Boys Do Fine Always" The spaces are called A, C, E G or "All cows eat grass"

Ledger Lines

Lines added above or below the staff. In the picture (left) both notes with ledger lines indicate middle C.

C to C to C

Reading Music

Quarter note ~ receives one beat in 4/4 time Dot ~ adds half the value of the note to the note. Fermata ~ symbol which indicates a hold Flat ~ symbol that lowers a pitch by one half step Sharp ~ symbol that raises a pitch by one half step

Tempo

Speed of the music Allegro ~ fast and lively tempo Moderato ~ moderate tempo Largo ~ very slow Syncopation ~ a deliberate shift of the normal pulse

Melody

tune: a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; She was humming an air from Beethoven."

The part of the song you sing.

The main part of the song.

Timbre

The character or quality of a sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice, or other sound source from another.

The blat of a tuba The thundering of the bass The wail of a harmonica

Harmony

Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity and chords, actual or implied, in music. It is sometimes referred to as the "vertical" aspect of music, with melody being the "horizontal" aspect. Very often, harmony is a result of counterpoint or polyphony, several melodic lines or motifs being played at once, though harmony may control the counterpoint.

Dynamics

Varying degrees of loud and soft.

Fortissimo (ff) very loud Mezzo fortisimo (mf) medium loud Mezzo pianissimo (mp) Medium soft Pianissimo (pp) very softly

More Music Definitions

Al fine ~ musical term which indicates "the end Cadence ~ musical chord sequence moving to a harmonic close or point of rest giving a harmonic completion Coda ~ short connecting section or an added ending or "Tag" at the end of a composition Crescendo < ~ play louder D.C. (da Capo) ~ means "from the beginning D.S. (del Segno) ~ music term, which indicates the end of a section to be repeated D.S. al Fine ~ musical term which indicates to go back to the sign and perform to the end Duple meter ~ 2/4 time Harmonic progressions ~ used in the "Blues," harmonic device serves as the basis for musical organization Homophonic ~ having a single melodic line with accompaniment, as in Motet or Choral sung in four parts Modulation ~ change of key within a composition Monophonic ~ one melody line, as in plain song or Gregorian Chant Phrase ~ represents a complete musical idea, comparable to a complete sentence Polyphonic ~ musical selection that has more than one melody line Sonata-allegro form ~ musical form consisting of three sections: exposition, development and recapitulation Triads ~ term for a chord of three tones consisting of a root, a third and a fifth Triple meter ~ time

Musical Forms

Rondo composition consisting of a recurring theme alternating with contrasting sections Theme and variations musical form in which a main idea is stated musically, then the idea is varied Sonata-allegro form musical form consisting of three sections: Exposition Development Recapitulation