Accidental- A sharp, flat or natural thrown into a piece with a
different key signature.
Adagio- Slow, tranquil
Affretando (affret.)- Quickening, hurrying.
Alla Breve- Same as cut time.
Alla Marcia- In march style.
Allegretto- Quite lively, moderately fast, (faster than Andante,
slower than Allegro).
Allegro- Lively, rapid
Andante- "Moving", moderately slow
Andantino- A little faster than Andante.
Appagiatura- Note of embellishment, or grace note.
Arabesque- Ornamented.
Arietta- A short melody.
Arpeggio- The notes of a chord played one at a time.
Articulation- The type of attack used to play one note or a group
of notes.
Assai- Very
A Tempo- Return to the original rate of speed or tempo before the
Accelerando.
B
Bar Line- It divides the music staff into measures.
Breath Mark- It looks like a comma at the top of the staff. It
means, take a breath.
Brio- Vigor, life, spirit
C
Cantabile- In a singing style.
Chord- Two or more pitches sounded at the same time.
Chromatic Scale- Scale of half steps (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#,
etc...)
Common Time (C)- Same as 4/4 time.
Con Moto- With motion.
Countermelody- A less important melody that can be played along
with the main melody.
Crescendo- Gradually increasing in loudness. Written as a less-than
sign. (cres. or cresc.)
Cut Time (Alla Breve)- A time signature indicating two counts in
each measure (2/2, time signature), the half note gets one count.
D
Da Capo al Coda (D.C. al Coda)- Go back to the beginning and
play until the coda sign. When you reach the coda sign, skip to the
Coda.
Da Capo al Fine (D.C. al Fine)- Repeat from the beginning to
the end-Fine
Dal Sengo al Fine- Repeat from the sign (it looks like an "S" with
two dots and a line through it) to the end-Fine
Decrescendo- Gradually decreasing in loudness (decres. or
decresc.)
Diminuendo- Gradually softer. (dim.)
Divisi- Means that part of the section should play the top notes
and the other half of the section should play the bottom notes.
Dolce (dol.)- Softly, sweetly, delicately.
Dominant- The fifth note of a scale
Double Appogiatura- Two grace notes before the melody note.
Double bar-line- It marks the end of a piece of music.
**Drone-bass- A bas on the tonic, or tonic and dominant,
throughout a movement or a piece, as in a musette.
Duet- A composition for two performers.
Dynamics- The loudness or softness of music.
E
Embouchure- The mouth formation used to play an instrument.
Enharmonics- Notes that sound the same but are written differently.
Espressivo- With expression.
Etude- A study
F
Fermata- A symbol that means to hold the note or rest until the
conductor directs you to stop.
Fine- The end; the conclusion.
Flat- It lowers the pitch of a note 1/2 step.
Forte (f.)- Often
interpreted as 'Loud'
(a better translation : 'Full / breadth / width'
Fortissimo (ff.)- Very loud but under control.
G
Gavotte- An old French dance in double rythm beginning on the
unaccented beat.
Grave- Slow, solemn, deep.
Grazioso- In a graceful manner.
H
Harmony- Two or more different notes played or sung at the same
time.
I
Il canto ben marcato- The melody played distinctly.
Interval- The distance between two notes.
Introduction- A section of the music that preceds the first theme.
L
Largo- Broadly, slowly; the slowest tempo mark.
Ledger Lines- Short lines used to extend the staff.
Legato- Play as smoothly and connected as possible.
Leggiero (leggo.)- Easily, lightly, delicately.
Long Rest- A long rest looks like a bold line in a measure with a
number above it. It means to rest the number of measures indicated.
M
Maestoso- Majestically
Marcato (marc.)- Marked, accented.
Measure- The space between two bar lines; also known as a "bar".
Melody- An organized succession of tones.
Meno mosso- Less motion; slower
Mezzo Forte (mf.)- Medium
Fullness (loud.)
Mezzo Piano (mp.)- Medium
Intensity (soft.)
Minuet- An early French dance in triple rythm, stately movement.
Misterioso- In a style suggestive of mystery.
Moderato- Moderate speed.
Molto- Much.
Monophony- A single unaccompanied melody.
Musette- Short piece imitating a bagpipe or a small oboe.
**Drone-bass
N
Natural- Cancels a flat or a sharp for that measure. Unless the
natural is placed in the key signature. Then that note is natural in the whole
section.
P
Pesante- Heavy, ponderous; with weight.
Phrase- A musical though or sentence.
Piano (p)- Often
interpreted as 'Soft'.
(a better translation: 'intense, small
Pianissimo (pp)- Very
intense/ small soft.
Pick-Up Notes- Note or notes that come before the first full
measure.
Poco- Little.
Poco a poco- Little by little.
Polyphony- Two or more melodies played at the same time.
Presto- Quickly; faster than Allegro.
Primo- First part.
R
Rallentando (rall.)- Gradually growing slower.
Repeat Sign ( ||: )- Repeat from the beginning or
repeat section of music between the repeat signs.
Ritardando (rit. or ritard.)- Gradually slackening
the pace.
S
Scale- A collection of pitches arranged from lowest to highest or
highest to lowest.
Secondo- Second part.
Sempre- Always.
Sforzando (sfz.)- With sudden emphasis.
Sharp (#)- Raises the pitch of a note 1/2 step.
Short Appogiatura- One grace note before the melody note.
Slur- A curved line over or under two or more notes of different
pitches to show they are played legato.
Soli- The whole section plays.
Solo- Only one person plays.
Staccto- A dot placed above or below the note which means to play
short and detached.
Staff- The lines and spaces on which music is written.
Stringendo (string.)- Pressing or accelerating.
Subdominant- The fourth note of a scale; chord built on the fourth
note of a scale.
T
Tempo- The speed of the music.
Tenuto- A line placed above or below the note meaning to sustain
for full value.
Texture- The character of a composition as determined by the
relationship of its melodies, countermelodiees, and/or chords.
Theme- The main musical idea in a piece of music.
Tie- A curved line that connects two notes of the SAME pitch; tied
notes are played as one unbroken note.
Time Signature- A time signature consists of two numbers at the
beginning of a piece of music but can change throughout the piece. The top
number tells you the number of counts in each measure; the bottom number tells
you the type of note that recieves one count.
Tonic- The first note of a scale; a chord built on the first note
of a scale.
Treble Clef- Also called the "G Clef"; read by Saxophone, Flute,
Oboe, Clarinets, Trumpet, French Horn & Mallet Percussion.
Triad- Three toned chord; root-its third and its fifth.
Triplet- A group of three notes to be played in time of one note to
the next higher value.
Turn- An embellishment consisting of four notes (usually) a
principal note played twice with its higher and lower auxiliary.
Tutti- Everyone plays.
U
Unison- Everyone plays the same notes and rhythms.
V
Variation- A repeated musical idea which has been slightly changed
in some way from the original.
Obbligato being forced to practice
Con Moto yeah baby, I have a car
Allegro a little car
Metronome short, city musician who can fit into a Honda Civic
Lento the days leading up to Easto
Largo beer brewed in Germany or the Florida Keys
Piu Animato clean out the cat's litter box
Interval time to meet the other players at the bar
Perfect Interval when the drinks are on the house
Cantabile singing while drunk
Con Spirito drunk again
Colla Voce this shirt is so tight I can't sing
Improvisation what you do when the music falls down
Prelude warm-up before the clever stuff
Flats English apartments
Chords things organists play with one finger
Dischords things that organists play with two fingers
Suspended Chords useful for lynching the vocalist
Syncopation bowel condition brought on by an overdose of jazz
(HORNISTS, TAKE NOTE!)
Time Signatures things for drummers to ignore
Virtuoso a person who can work wonders with easy-play
music
Professional anyone who can't hold down a steady job
Melody an ancient, now almost completely extinct art in
songwriting
.