Glossary of musical terms

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Accent: A beat or note that is significantly louder than the others
Action: The space or distance between the fretboard and strings usually of a guitar
Acoustic: An instrument that creates it's own amplification by passive means, not electric
Ad Lib (Ad Libitum): Musical directive that gives the musician the ability to improvise or omit a section of music
Arpeggio: A series of notes derived from a chord, aka: broken chord
Augmented: Any note that has been raised by a semitone from it's normal position

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B

Banjo: A stringed instrument characterized by a round body and a unique twangy sound
Bass: Mosty referring to a bass guitar but can be referencing to any instrument in the bass tonal range
Bass Clef: A musical symbol that indicates the piece should be played in the bass tonal range, or F clef
Bass Drum: Generally the largest drum in a drummers kit that sits on it's side and is played via a foot pedal
Beat: The main pulse of the music, the rhythm of the music
Blue Note: Generally referring the the sharp fourth/flat fifth in the blues scale, aka: tritone
Blues: A large genre of music characterized by strong rhythms, improvisation and guitar centric music
Brass: The name given to a large range of brass instruments including the saxaphone, trumpet and trombone
Bridge: A guitar part in which the strings usually go through to the rear of the guitar, the bridge holds the string and transfers vibrations into the guitar body

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C

Cadence: A conclusion to a musical phrase, section or entire piece of music
Call & Response: An improvisation system where by two or more musicians play complimenting phrases in turns
Capo: A device that clamps onto the guitar neck enabling the player to play open chord shapes in any key
Chart: Term used to describe a piece of written music
Chord: A series of three or more notes played simultaneously
Chorus: The main section in a piece of music, usually a repeated phrase
Chromatic: Moving up or down by semitones only
Classical: Genre of music tipified by composers like Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi
Clef: Group term used to describe any of the musical clefs, ie: bass clef or treble clef
Coda: The last section of a musical piece that will usually bring it to an end
Common Time: Basic ⁴/₄ timing, four beats per bar/measure
Cut Time: Term used to describe ²/₂ timing which is half of common time
Cymbals: Round brass plate like instrument of a drummers kit

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D

Dissonance: Two or more notes that are in need of resolution and sound discordant
Diatonic: That which comes from the seven tones of the major or minor scales
Dominant: Generally referring to the V chord, or any chord that has a dominant seventh
Double Stop: Two notes played together like a scale
Duet: Two musicians playing together or a piece of music written for two players
Duo: A band made up of only two players
Dynamics: Musical element referring to the loudness or softness of a musical piece

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E

Encore: An audience request for a band to keep playing after the standard set
Electric Guitar: An instrument with a solid body, strings and electronic pickups

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F

Flat: Musical symbol referring to a note that has been lowered by one semitone from it's normal position
Folk Music: Genre of music, usually simple rhythms and melodies played on acoustic instruments
Frequency: The rate at which a string is vibrating that also determines pitch
Fusion: A genre of music characterized by Jazz music played on distorted electric guitars

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G

Genre: A style of music
Grunge: A genre of music that began in Seattle U.S, tipified by the band Nirvana
Guitar: A general term used to describe a six stringed acoustic or electric instrument

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H

Half Step: The shortest distance between two notes in Western music, aka: semitone
Hammer On: Technique in which the guitar player taps the string heavily producing the note instead of picking it
Harmonics: In guitar, harmonics are created by lightly touching the string(s) at certain points on the fretboard and then picked which produces a crystaline tone
Harmony: General term used to describe chords and chord theory
Heavy Metal: Genre of music that began in the 1970's, tipified by bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica

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I

Imitation: When two guitarists try to play eachothers riffs or chords
Improvisation: The art of being able to play "on the spot" without rehersal, a free form solo
Interval: The name given for the distance between two notes, ie: minor third
Inversion: Referes to a chord played with a note in the bass other than the root

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J

Jazz: A genre or style of music characterized by improvisation and freedom of musical ideas

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K

Key Signature: Sharps or flats located on the staff that identify the tonal range of the piece of music
Keyboard: An instrument that has the same black and white keys of a piano that is however electronic and produces synthesized tones

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L

Legato: Technique where the strings are hammered on with the fretting hand and only picked every three or four notes
Line: Used to describe a small melody or riff
Lyrics: The words that the singer sings in a song

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M

Major Scale: A series of seven notes occuring in a specific order of: W-W-H-W-W-W-H steps
Measure: In written music, a measure or bar is an evenly divided section of music designated by the time signature and separated by a verticle line or lines
Melody: A series of notes usually repeating in a song
Meter: The division of time into beats designated by the time signature
Metronome: A musical accessory that produces a beating sound at different speeds
MIDI: Acronym for "Musical Intrument Digital Interface" and is an electronic system of transferring non digitized music into digitized machine readable music
Minor Scale: Generally referring to a natural minor scale, which is a series of seven notes occuring in a specific order of: W-H-W-W-H-W-W steps
Mode: A scale derived from another scale via inversion

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N

Neck: The thin, long part of the guitar where the frets are
Nut: A small piece of plastic or bone at the top of the guitar neck that has grooves where the strings sit

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O

Octave: Two notes 12 semitones apart, the higher note vibrates at twice the rate of the lower note

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P

Pentatonic Scale: General term used to describe one of several five note scales
Phrase: A small element of a melody
Piano: A keyboard instrument made up of black and white keys that when pressed, strike the strings
Pickguard: A plastic cover used as a mount for the electronics of an electric guitar
Pickup: Term used to describe a magnet and copper coil device that picks up the sound of electric guitar strings and turns the vibrations into an analog electrical signal
Pitch: The tonal position of a note, or a notes unique frequency
Polyrhythm: The use of several different rhythms on top of eachother

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Q

Quartal Harmony: The use of fourths to build a chord as opposed to tertian harmony that uses thirds

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R

Relative Key: Any key that shares it's key signature with another are considered relative to eachother
Resolution: The tonal return to the key root
Rhythm: The control of time and music by regularly occuring beats
Rock & Roll: Genre of music that started in the early 1950's tipified by bands like Bill Haley & The Comets

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S

Scale: A series of notes that form a melodic basis for composition
Semitone: The smallest tonal step in Western music, aka: half step
Sharp: Musical symbol referring to a note that has been raised by one semitone from it's normal position

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T

Tempo: The speed at which music is played
Tertian Harmony: The building of chords moving up in thirds
Tonic: The first note of a scale to which the other notes gravitate towards
Transpose: The shifting of a piece of music into another key
Tremolo Arm: A metal bar attached to the bridge that when pushed up and down creates a vibrato sound
Triad: A three note chord built using tertian harmony
Trill: Technique created by playing a rapid alternation between two notes a semitone apart
Triplet: Three notes played evenly over a period of two notes

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U

Unison: The interval name for two notes of identical pitch

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V

Vamp: A small section of music usually repeated, a term typically used in Funk and Jazz
Verse: As opposed to a chorus, a verse is usually not repeated and makes up the story of the song
Vibrato: Technique of bending a string slightly then returning it to the original pitch in very quick successions

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W

Whole Step: A distance of two semitones or one tone
Whammy Bar: Another name given the tremolo bar, when pushed up and down it creates a vibrato on the guitar

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X

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Y

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		Glossary of musical terms A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A Accent A beat or note that is significantly louder than the others Action The space or distance between the fretboard and strings usually of a guitar Acoustic An instrument that creates it's own amplification by passive means, not electric Ad Lib (Ad Libitum) Musical directive that gives the musician the ability to improvise or omit a section of music Arpeggio A series of notes derived from a chord, aka: broken chord Augmented Any note that has been raised by a semitone from it's normal position Top ^ B Banjo A stringed instrument characterized by a round body and a unique twangy sound Bass Mosty referring to a bass guitar but can be referencing to any instrument in the bass tonal range Bass Clef A musical symbol that indicates the piece should be played in the bass tonal range, or F clef Bass Drum Generally the largest drum in a drummers kit that sits on it's side and is played via a foot pedal Beat The main pulse of the music, the rhythm of the music Blue Note Generally referring the the sharp fourth/flat fifth in the blues scale, aka: tritone Blues A large genre of music characterized by strong rhythms, improvisation and guitar centric music Brass The name given to a large range of brass instruments including the saxaphone, trumpet and trombone Bridge A guitar part in which the strings usually go through to the rear of the guitar, the bridge holds the string and transfers vibrations into the guitar body Top ^ C Cadence A conclusion to a musical phrase, section or entire piece of music Call & Response An improvisation system where by two or more musicians play complimenting phrases in turns Capo A device that clamps onto the guitar neck enabling the player to play open chord shapes in any key Chart Term used to describe a piece of written music Chord A series of three or more notes played simultaneously Chorus The main section in a piece of music, usually a repeated phrase Chromatic Moving up or down by semitones only Classical Genre of music tipified by composers like Mozart, Bach, Beethoven and Vivaldi Clef Group term used to describe any of the musical clefs, ie: bass clef or treble clef Coda The last section of a musical piece that will usually bring it to an end Common Time Basic ⁴/₄ timing, four beats per bar/measure Cut Time Term used to describe ²/₂ timing which is half of common time Cymbals Round brass plate like instrument of a drummers kit Top ^ D Dissonance Two or more notes that are in need of resolution and sound discordant Diatonic That which comes from the seven tones of the major or minor scales Dominant Generally referring to the V chord, or any chord that has a dominant seventh Double Stop Two notes played together like a scale Duet Two musicians playing together or a piece of music written for two players Duo A band made up of only two players Dynamics Musical element referring to the loudness or softness of a musical piece Top ^ E Encore An audience request for a band to keep playing after the standard set Electric Guitar An instrument with a solid body, strings and electronic pickups Top ^ F Flat Musical symbol referring to a note that has been lowered by one semitone from it's normal position Folk Music Genre of music, usually simple rhythms and melodies played on acoustic instruments Frequency The rate at which a string is vibrating that also determines pitch Fusion A genre of music characterized by Jazz music played on distorted electric guitars Top ^ G Genre A style of music Grunge A genre of music that began in Seattle U.S, tipified by the band Nirvana Guitar A general term used to describe a six stringed acoustic or electric instrument Top ^ H Half Step The shortest distance between two notes in Western music, aka: semitone Hammer On Technique in which the guitar player taps the string heavily producing the note instead of picking it Harmonics In guitar, harmonics are created by lightly touching the string(s) at certain points on the fretboard and then picked which produces a crystaline tone Harmony General term used to describe chords and chord theory Heavy Metal Genre of music that began in the 1970's, tipified by bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica Top ^ I Imitation When two guitarists try to play eachothers riffs or chords Improvisation The art of being able to play "on the spot" without rehersal, a free form solo Interval The name given for the distance between two notes, ie: minor third Inversion Referes to a chord played with a note in the bass other than the root Top ^ J Jazz A genre or style of music characterized by improvisation and freedom of musical ideas Top ^ K Key Signature Sharps or flats located on the staff that identify the tonal range of the piece of music Keyboard An instrument that has the same black and white keys of a piano that is however electronic and produces synthesized tones Top ^ L Legato Technique where the strings are hammered on with the fretting hand and only picked every three or four notes Line Used to describe a small melody or riff Lyrics The words that the singer sings in a song Top ^ M Major Scale A series of seven notes occuring in a specific order of: W-W-H-W-W-W-H steps Measure In written music, a measure or bar is an evenly divided section of music designated by the time signature and separated by a verticle line or lines Melody A series of notes usually repeating in a song Meter The division of time into beats designated by the time signature Metronome A musical accessory that produces a beating sound at different speeds MIDI Acronym for "Musical Intrument Digital Interface" and is an electronic system of transferring non digitized music into digitized machine readable music Minor Scale Generally referring to a natural minor scale, which is a series of seven notes occuring in a specific order of: W-H-W-W-H-W-W steps Mode A scale derived from another scale via inversion Top ^ N Neck The thin, long part of the guitar where the frets are Nut A small piece of plastic or bone at the top of the guitar neck that has grooves where the strings sit Top ^ O Octave Two notes 12 semitones apart, the higher note vibrates at twice the rate of the lower note Top ^ P Pentatonic Scale General term used to describe one of several five note scales Phrase A small element of a melody Piano A keyboard instrument made up of black and white keys that when pressed, strike the strings Pickguard A plastic cover used as a mount for the electronics of an electric guitar Pickup Term used to describe a magnet and copper coil device that picks up the sound of electric guitar strings and turns the vibrations into an analog electrical signal Pitch The tonal position of a note, or a notes unique frequency Polyrhythm The use of several different rhythms on top of eachother Top ^ Q Quartal Harmony The use of fourths to build a chord as opposed to tertian harmony that uses thirds Top ^ R Relative Key Any key that shares it's key signature with another are considered relative to eachother Resolution The tonal return to the key root Rhythm The control of time and music by regularly occuring beats Rock & Roll Genre of music that started in the early 1950's tipified by bands like Bill Haley & The Comets Top ^ S Scale A series of notes that form a melodic basis for composition Semitone The smallest tonal step in Western music, aka: half step Sharp Musical symbol referring to a note that has been raised by one semitone from it's normal position Top ^ T Tempo The speed at which music is played Tertian Harmony The building of chords moving up in thirds Tonic The first note of a scale to which the other notes gravitate towards Transpose The shifting of a piece of music into another key Tremolo Arm A metal bar attached to the bridge that when pushed up and down creates a vibrato sound Triad A three note chord built using tertian harmony Trill Technique created by playing a rapid alternation between two notes a semitone apart Triplet Three notes played evenly over a period of two notes Top ^ U Unison The interval name for two notes of identical pitch Top ^ V Vamp A small section of music usually repeated, a term typically used in Funk and Jazz Verse As opposed to a chorus, a verse is usually not repeated and makes up the story of the song Vibrato Technique of bending a string slightly then returning it to the original pitch in very quick successions Top ^ W Whole Step A distance of two semitones or one tone Whammy Bar Another name given the tremolo bar, when pushed up and down it creates a vibrato on the guitar Top ^ X Top ^ Y Top ^ Z
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