glossary

Here is a listing of musical terms used within this text, simply defined and linked back into the text. Many of the hyperlinks from within the text come to this page. The one / two / three / four choices to the right of each word entry are links back into the text where the term is used. If there is a page titled by the term, choosing choice one will take the reader there. The two choice tries to link the vocabulary term to a melodic application if applicable. The three choice will link the term to a harmonic application of the term. The four choice to an artistic concept or technique where the theory of the term is applied or to a hyperlink to a www. site of the topic. Perhaps use this page as a search engine for finding discussions regarding a particular musical term of interest. Oh, the definitions of the numerous slang terms included here are of course debatable based on your own locale and degree of hipness.

accidental a symbol used to alter a pitch, usually by half step.  accidentals include the sharp ( # ) and flat ( b ) and others.
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altered when pitches of a scale or chord are changed from their diatonic identities, generally refers to upper structure configurations of dominant seventh chords, could be used to describe any non diatonic pitches.
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ambiance musical atmosphere, environment.
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amen effect my term, describes moving from the One chord to the Four back to One, generally associated with gospel music.
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antecedent the "question" or first part of a musical phrase.
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arpeggiating the harmony common with non chordal instruments whereby the artist simply arpeggiates each chord in the progression, usually an easy way to clearly outline the chords / harmonic progression of a song.
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arpeggio "harplike", "broken chord." a musical phrase comprised of chord tones.
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arrangements the format that the performance of composition will follow, a "map" of the tune, i.e., intro, head, solos, head, tag etc.
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arrangements while you wait slang for working out the arrangement the band will play immediately preceding the performance of the tune, generally done while on the bandstand, although greatly increasing the risk of a train wreak, seasoned players do this all the time, especially on "casuals" or pick up gigs.
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artistic filters to pass an motif through an existing structure, style or concept.
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artistic license artistically fitting round pegs in square holes, what an artist might want to have when their ideas are a bit ahead of their time etc., allows an artist to "stretch" conventional guidelines, norms and standards.
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artistic signature aurally recognizable components of a particular players artistic statement, i.e., tone, articulation, phrasing etc.
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atonality music having no tonal center or sense of tonic.
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augment (ed) to enlarge or supplement, usually associated with musical intervals, melodically often associated with the whole tone scale, chordally we find the augmented term associated with the 4th and 5th degrees of the dominant seventh chord.
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augmented 6th chords more found in traditional or classical music, so named by the interval between the root and one of the upper voices, which forms the interval of an augmented 6th.
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aurally to hear through listening with one's ears, to recognize theoretical musical elements by ear.
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authentic a type of chord cadencing using tonic and dominant chords.
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ax slang term for instrument.
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backpedaling root motion counterclockwise to the cycle of fifths.
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backpocket slang for something easily done.
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bag of licks collection of your own favorite musical phrases or chord changes.
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ballad a style of song characterized by a slower, stately tempo with an emotional content usually centered on the topic of love.
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Baroque a style or period of European music and architecture characterized by it's emphasis on ornamentation of line, historically spanning the years of 1600 to 1750's.
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barre a chord shape on stringed instruments whereby the index finger of the fretting hand perpendicularly covers all of the strings, in effect replacing the nut of the instrument.
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bass lowest vocal register, lowest pitch of a chord, foundation of the music.
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bebop a rather complex style of American jazz historically from the late 1930's to the 40's, pioneered by Charlie Parker, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach and many others, characterized by bright tempos, intricate melodies, polyrhythms, extensive modulation and tremendous excitement for the players and listeners alike.
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bending pitches the fine art of changing pitch by physically altering the creation of the pitch, i.e., pushing or pulling a string, using a slide on the strings, tightening the embouchure for horn players, bending pitches is often essential in delivering the more elementary blues styles.
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binary usually associated with form in music, basically meaning two parts making up the whole, as in the number 25 is a binary number.
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birds' eye slang for fermata, a symbol for suspending the forward motion / time of the music.
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bitonal two distinctly different aural colors used together.
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blowing slang for soloing.
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blue notes the third, augmented fourth and minor seventh pitches of the blues scale.
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blueprint in this text used to describe basic harmonic formulas or key musical elements that are often associated with or define a popular musical style.
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blues the core of American music styles.
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blues anchor my term for a musical device that can quickly retonally center our improvisations, regardless of how "outside" the tonality we have ventured, in this case a blues lick.
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blurring my term to obscure the clarity, in this text usually to obscure the tonal direction and defy the tonal gravity of a musical phrase.
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block refers to voicing each melody note with it's own chord / harmony.
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borrow a slang term to describe the concept of how non diatonic elements are sifted into the major and minor tonalities.
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bridge slang for the "B" section of the A / A / B / A and A / B form.
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broken chord sounding the notes of a chord in succession as opposed to being struck together, slang for arpeggio.
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cacophony seemingly unrelated combinations of sounds, oftentimes using multiple tonal centers simultaneously.
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cadence Two or more chords ending an event of musical tension, commonly V 7 to I.
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cadenza an open section where a player gets to play solo and unaccompanied, usually found at the end of a song.
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call and response perhaps developed from religious services, whereby the leader sings a phrase to which the congregation responds.
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called slang for choosing a tune while on the bandstand.  A callable tune (standard) is one usually familiar to most players in the group.
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capo a device used by guitar players that "clamps" all the strings, allowing open position chords to create other keys.
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career musician describes in this text a learner who has determined that music will be their life work, to become a professional musician, thus perhaps welcome a more demanding curriculum from this text.
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casual a gig characterized as the name implies, casual, maybe once in a while as opposed to steady, which happens on a regular basis.
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cats slang for musician / player / artist.
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cell a term that describes a musical idea that is the core idea for expansion and development in musical composition / artistic work.
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changes slang for the chords of a song.
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chart slang for a written musical score.
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chops slang for a players ability to execute musical phrases.
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chord different pitches struck and sounded together.
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chord degree numerical label for pitches within a chord or arpeggio, i.e., 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc.
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chord family viewing any chord or harmony in one of three families in relation to the major tonality, chords in each of the families provide one of three basic artistic elements, these are stability (tonic), passing chord (two) and tension (five).
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chord progression specific cycles of chords.
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chord substitution replacing one chord with another, generally of the same chord type.
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chord tone(s) refers to a pitch used in the creation of a chord, the pitches used to create a particular chord, chord tones also create arpeggios.
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chord type placing any chord or harmony in one of three categories, i.e., tonic ( I ), Two ( ii ) or Five ( V ) in relation to the major tonality, chords in each of the categories provide one of three basic artistic elements, these are stability ( tonic ), passing chord ( Two ) and tension ( Five ).
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chorus one complete cycle of the entire form of a piece of music.
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chromatic melodic or harmonic motion of consecutive half steps in either direction.
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chromatic enhancement simply to approach each of the pitches of a musical idea by half step above or below.
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chromatic helmet safety device worn by musically adventurous folks.
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chromatic scale group of pitches created exclusively with the interval of a half step, containing 12 pitches with one octave.
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chronologically in historical order, to understand a series events in the historical sequence in which they occurred.
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church modes a collection of scales from antiquity which were incorporated into the system of equal temper.
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classical literature a term used to describe the entire body of European music based on the equal temperament system, dating from the 12 century or so.
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cliché stereotypical musical phrase spanning generations of players.
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click track recording studio term for a metronomical beat usually delivered via headphones to the recording players to help solidify the groove.
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climax high point of solo, release of music tension.
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closure to bring a sequential group of elements back to it's starting point creating a closed loop, also used pedagogically within the text to bring a theoretical concept to a conclusion as part of the learning process.
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clusters usually a group of 3 to 5 pitches or so that are sequenced into a cool idea, then rapidly articulated.  oftentimes they are then pushed through a larger cycle, i.e., chromatic, fifths, fourths, minor third / fourths etc.
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coda Italian for "tail", a section of music added on to common musical forms to provide perfect closure to the artistic idea of the piece.
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color my term for describing a musical sound, like using the color terms red or blue to describe the major or minor tonalities.
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color tones any pitch used in a chord that is not part of the 3 note triad, common slang term for upper structure chord tones of diatonic harmony, i.e., 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th etc. and all their alterations.
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common practice as the term implies what everybody does, oftentimes defined by an era of history whereby folks basically used the same artistic elements to create their sounds thus creating and defining a style of music.
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common tone two musical components sharing a common pitch / pitches.
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comping providing harmonic background for soloist, vocalist.
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composing in this text, creating music, both spontaneously improvised within musical time or written out.
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compound intervals intervals that exceed the span of one octave.
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connection as the term implies, in joining all of the creative and emotional aspects of artistic performers and their audience and the exchange of energies on so many different levels that happens between them, i.e., the dynamics of a rewarding and fulfilling performance for all involved.
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consequent the "answer" to the question or first part of a musical phrase, see antecedent.
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consonant the opposite of dissonant, describes a harmonious relationship between pitches.
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constant structure simply moving the same chord voicing up or down in pitch.
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contrary motion implies when two voices, as say within a chord, move in opposite directions in regards to pitch, motion of chord voices in opposite directions, opposite of parallel motion, which implies voices moving directionally together either up or down.
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contrasting theme in a musical composition containing two themes, the most important theme is termed the principle theme, while the second theme is said to be in "contrast", thus the contrasting theme.
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convergence to arrive at a destination or resolution, the morphing of one tonal color to another, the theory which creates labels of the colors as referred to in this text as "lines of tonal convergence."
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cool jazz style of American jazz that evolved in the 50's characterized by more relaxed tempos, sparser harmonies and more languid melodic lines, in part inspired from the M. Davis recording "Kind of Blue", the emergence of "cool jazz", notably on the West Coast as pioneered by locals C. Baker, J. Mulligan, and many others, today, late 90's and onward, also used to define some contemporary and new age jazz.
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could be really means that I personally think so, my opinion in favor of the idea postulated in the text, prompting the "could be."
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counterpoint in the music world, literally point versus point, where the points are pitches, the theoretical study of the evolution of voice leading between two or more melodic lines, a style of composing popular during the Baroque period.
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cover tunes slang term for popular songs, many of which are often top 40, often found in dance band repertoires in any of the American styles of music.
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cycles per second the frequency that a pitch vibrates at, i.e., the tuning pitch A a minor 3rd below middle C on the piano vibrates at 440 cycles per second.
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cycle of fifths / fourths a pictorial "clocklike" representation and way to organize the 12 tonal or key centers of the equal temperament system, based on the root motion of perfect fifths, usually clockwise, or it's inverse, the perfect fourth (counterclockwise).
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dc / da capo Italien for "head", denoting the start of the musical form or song.
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deceptive cadence harmonic motion of the Five chord moving to Six in the major tonality.
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default in computer lingo, the original settings of the software, in this text the "default" becomes various mainstays in American music, it's performance and theories of organization.
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delta changes my slang term for downright basic, simple in the mud blues chord changes, to "play primitive" as i've heard it been described, derived from the style Delta Blues.
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diatonic using only pitches within the key signature.
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diatonic harmony building chords using only the notes contained within a given key signature.
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digitron Euro slang for a mathematical calculator?
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diminished to make smaller, reducing an interval by half step.
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diminished chord stacking intervals of a minor third, i.e., C, Eb, G, A etc.
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diminished interval usually associated with reducing the size of the perfect intervals by half step, also reducing the size of minor intervals by half step.
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diminished scale adding neighbor tones to the diminished chord to create a symmetrical scale group such as the whole step / half step configuration of C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, B, C etc.
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discern to figure out by inductive reasoning.
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disguise to mask or obscure one's appearance or intent.
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dissonant combining aural sounds creating an unpleasant effect.
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divine from the heavens above.
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dominant term used to designate the pitch which is a perfect fifth interval above the fundamental, as say in the major / relative minor scales, chords built on this 5th scale degree are termed dominant chords.
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dominant harmony chords built on the 5th scale degree of the major / relative minor scales ( and other scales that contain a pitch a perfect 5th above the root ), also used to describe the tonal environment generally associated with American blues music.
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dominant seventh in this text refers to any chordal color that incorporates a tritone interval between the third and the seventh degrees of the chord,
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double (ing)  /  to "double" refers to a quality within the harmony where one or more of the chord tones is present twice ( doubled ) or more in the same voicing.
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double stop articulating two pitches simultaneously, common for string players, piano etc.
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doubletime when the tempo of a song is increased to go twice as fast as the original pace, improvising musicians will do this in performance.
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drag slang for playing slower than the tempo being employed, i.e., "dragging", not keeping up with the tempo.
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drone in music, often a sound of indeterminate or varying pitch that pulsates through the music, usually associated with primitive indigineous music, this drone has partly evolved into our well tuned, modern day pedal point.
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dual tonalities the mixing of major and minor tonal elements as found in the blues styles, that different tonalities exist within the same grouping of pitches.
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dynamics refers to how soft or loud a note (s) is articulated, i.e., volume of sound.
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edge slang for the top of the tune, form etc.
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eighth note division of the quarter note into two equal parts.
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elide ( d ) to supress or pass over in silence, to carry a musical sound across the bar line.
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emotional environment my term to describe the emotional quality created by the various musical elements within American music. Examples of this concept include blues, major, minor etc.
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entire musical resource the sounds we use to create the various styles of American music, scales, chords, blue notes and all the pitches in between.
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encapsulate surrounding the target pitch with other tones.
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environment authors term to describe a particular musical setting for a song i.e., usually major, minor, modal, blues etc.
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enharmonic two labels for one pitch, i.e. "A#" or "Bb."
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episode refers to one repetition of the basic motive within a sequence.
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equal temperament system system of musical organization based on the division of the octave into 12 equal pitches, as a system of tuning in practical use from roughly 1722, Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier."
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EuroAmer attempts top encompass and describe the migration of people from Europe to America over the last 500 years or so, the history of their traditions and their ways of making music.
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European musical ancestors in historical sequence; Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Debussey, Stravinsky and every one of your "classical" favorites.
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explore "crunching" down the theory.
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experiment using theoretical concepts to generate new combinations.
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extended / extensions refers to chords that include pitches above the three notes of the triad, see upper structure components / colortones.
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fake books collections of lead sheets from various music publishers, also known as "real" books.
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fermata a pause, hold or breath in the musical performance, usually conducted, commonly found at the end of a composition.
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filter my concept and term of artistic creation whereby an artistic idea i.e., a motif, is passed through a structured framework, ex. to move a triad (motif) chromatically (filter).
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first inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is third chord degree, i.e., C / E.
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five of five a cycling of dominant chords, i.e., D 7 to G 7 etc.
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flat a musical notation symbol ( b ) that lowers a pitch by half step.
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form definite patterns of musical compositions.
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formula numerical equations that create various musical components.
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forward motion creating a sense of anticipation in the music.
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four finger / four fret a common technique for guitar players whereby each of the four fingers of the hand fretting the pitches on the fingerboard assume responsibility for articulating their respective pitches within a span of four frets.
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fourth inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is ninth chord degree, i.e., C / D.
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function how a particular chord type reacts within tonal gravity, chord progressions etc., i.e. tonic, minor seventh or dominant chord types.
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fundamental the starting pitch from which an overtone series is created, starting pitch of musical scales, the root of a chord etc.
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funk a style of inner urban rock / blues popular during the late 70's and onward.
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gear music slang term for instruments, amps, processors, reeds, speakers, microphones etc.
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genre a broad category or subject heading.
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gillion slang for a lot.
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gig / giging slang for where the music is happening, oftentimes a professional musical job, i.e., "the gig."
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grace note a pitch articulated as a quick lead in to another pitch usually by half step, also a trill or turn of pitches.
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Greek modes groups of pitches as used by the ancient Greeks; namely Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian, we use the same labels today with the more modern church modes.
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groove slang for emotional and rhythmic content of a particular style of music.
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groups of pitches my term describing musical scales, i.e., the C major scale is also the C major grouping of pitches.
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guide tones often sustained pitches creating a stepwise melodic line within a series of chord changes, simple melodic lines that help define the chord quality of the harmony.
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half cadence cadential motion where the tonic goes to the Four or Five chord.
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half diminished chord diatonic Two chord in the minor tonality, diatonic Seven chord in the major tonality, basically a generic minor seventh chord type with a diminished fifth.
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half step the smallest intervalic division within the system of equal temperament, i.e., by half step or chromatic.
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half step lead in approaching the target pitch or chord from half step above or below.
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half step / whole step alternate interval approach to creating the diminished color.
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hardrive slang for our mind, memory, instantaneous recall etc.
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harmonic a "pure" pitch created by lightly touching a string at specific divisions to produce "harmonics."
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harmonic minor scale a group of pitches which creates the minor tonality distinguished by including a minor third, minor sixth and major seventh above the root.
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harmonization to add chords (harmony) to support a melody.
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harmony chords used to support a melody.
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head slang for the melody of a song, also denotes the top of the form.
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hipify my slang term ( ? ) for making something hip or hipper as the case might be.
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hills in which we live my slang term ( ? ) for our planet Earth.
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hook slang term for the main musical motif of a composition, that goofy melody lick that gets stuck in the head, the one that won't shake loose, that's a melodic "hook."
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horizontal term that describes the basic shape created by the pitches of a melodic line, generally implying step wise motion.
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hue used to describe a particular shade of a common color, i.e. the various "hues of green", lime, kelly, neon etc.
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hyperlink perhaps the most important symbol / device ever devised by humankind to record a word or concept, allowing ideas to be connected with other ideas with the click of a button.
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imperfect V to I harmonic cadential motion with the tonic pitch not in both bass and lead of One chord, creating a less definite sense of closure, the release of tension or coming to rest.
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improvise to spontaneously create solutions, in American music, most commonly to mean the creation melodic lines.
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in the lead refers to the highest pitch in a chord voicing.
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incomplete a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord or root is omitted.
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indigenous originating in a particular geographical area, native.
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individualizing instruction creating an educational curriculum for each person based on their own needs and unique ways of learning.
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indy slang for music industry.
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inside jazz slang for diatonic musical ideas.
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interval term used to measure the musical distance between two pitches.
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intervallic symmetry when the intervals used to create a musical component are the same, could also be a combination of intervals which is repeated (cell).
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intonation a term used to describe various properties of tuning.
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intro slang for the music that introduces a song.
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inversions chord voicings where the lowest pitch of the chord is not the named root of the chord i.e, third, fifth, seventh degree as the bass pitch etc.
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invert reversing of a musical interval from ascending to descending or vice versa.
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inverted pedal tone diatonic common tone in top voice of a chord progression.
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jamm to get together with friends and play music.
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jamm loop as used here within this text, a play along midi sound file.
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jam session a gig where everybody gets to play.
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jass early historical label of the late 19th century for music commonly known today as jazz.
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jazz style of American music.
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jazz mantra my tongue in cheek term for the degree of knowledge and the exhausting of the resources that jazz players enjoy.
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just intonation a system of tuning whereby the major 3rd and 5th are perfectly acoustically correct while the other pitches of the scale are derived from these two intervals and their inversions.
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kaboom my term for when a learners existing knowledge of the theory dramatically expands by the addition of one new concept or element, creating a new musical horizon.
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key the tonal center of a musical composition, i.e., a song in C major is in the key of C major.
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key signature term used to describe the number of sharps or flats associated with each of the twelve major / minor keys, eases the writing and reading of music by placing diatonic accidentals at the beginning of the piece.
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lay out slang term meaning "not to play", i.e., to lay out of the mix.
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lead refers to the highest pitch ( voice ) in a chord voicing.
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leader the person responsible for organizing the music and musicians ( sideman ) for a musical event, also the artistic focus of a recording session.
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lead sheets written music including the melody and appropriate chord symbols.
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leading tone the pitch a half step below the tonic, the 7th degree of the major scale.
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leap melodic motion of an interval greater than a major third between two pitches.
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learning block an obstacle to learning, often created by the learner based on their prior educational and life experiences, obstacles to be identified and overcome.
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learning style by what educational activity or environment an individual best learns, by reading, writing, speaking, playing etc.
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legato a style of phrasing a melodic idea where the pitches of the line are smoothly connected, as little separation between the pitches as possible.
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lick slang for a musical phrase.
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literature the whole body of written music ever created and written down.
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localized position executing musical ideas in one area of the fingerboard.
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loops of pitches my term to describe when a group of pitches or scale intervalically closes onto itself, or in electronic music, the virtual repetition of a phrase as say an 8 bar drum pattern.
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lute stringed instrument and ancestor to the guitar.
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major scale the group of pitches that creates the major tonality, also known as the Ionian mode, one of two basic groups of pitches used to create the system equal temperament.
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major tonality, major tonal environment describes the color of music that is based upon the major triad, major scale, Ionian mode etc.
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making the changes slang for when an emerging artist / soloist clearly articulates the harmony ( changes ) in their lines.
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master of disguise describes a player who creates different illusions of the storyline of a song while always retaining the emotional essence of it's central theme, opposite of "master of the obvious."
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master of the obvious describes music where an experienced listener can accurately guess where the music is going.
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measure numbers a counting number applied to each measure within a piece written music to help locate one's place.

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mediant chord built on the third scale degree of the major / relative minor scale.
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melodic minor scale a group of pitches creating the minor tonality distinguished by including a minor third, major sixth and major seventh above the root.
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melodic substitution superimposing different parent scales, often based on chord substitutions.
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melody a series of musical tones that expresses an emotional thought?
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metronome mechanical device for practice which creates consistent clicks to represent the beats of music, the rate of which is adjustable from fast ( allegro ) through slow ( largo ).
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midden the pile of detritus material created by squirrels from munching the seeds of pine cones, it's an Alaskan thing.
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middle register the center pitches of the overall range of a musical instrument, usually consisting of the pitches with the span of a major 10th.
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minor seventh the interval between two pitches of a minor 7th, a minor triad with a minor 7th, a tonic 7th chord in the natural minor tonality and a Two chord type in the major tonality.
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minor tonality, minor tonal environment describes the color of music that is based upon the major triad.
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mix the combined blend of all the instruments in the group when sounded together, often concerned with setting volumes, tones and such things as the e.q.'s, and reverbs in an electronic setting.
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modal blues a blues performance format whereby the performance is basically a four bar phrase based on the tonic V 7th chord, not following the traditional 12 bar blues form.
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modern as mostly used in this text, either implies a historical idea or that the musical components used to create the music are well advanced into the upper structure parts of the arpeggio, polytonal sounds etc.
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modes ancient term for scale, also deriving a scale from within a scale, i.e., the older church modes from the present day major scale, the original Greek modes, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian.
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modulate to change keys, tonal centers or emotional environments.
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mon ami French for "my friend."
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monothematic one theme, artistic creations with one theme, like a theme park with just one ride, that you want to keep going on again and again, i.e., the blues.
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monster slang for a musician with tremendous musical abilities.
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morph used within this text to describe a change of tonality, i.e., major to minor, tonic family to dominant family etc.
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motif / motive a re-occurring artistic idea which is developed throughout an artistic piece.
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Motown style of American pop music from the 1960's, the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder on and on. Motown from motorcity perhaps?, is slang for the city of Detroit, Michigan.
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movable shapes usually applied to guitar, where a scale or chord shape can be moved intact up and down the fingerboard, as opposed say to open string shapes etc.
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multiphonics articulating two pitches simultaneously, used usually to describe an effect with horn players.
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music software the music software to create the musical examples in this text is created by Coda Corporation, it is Finale 2001a, which is very excellent indeed.
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musical evolution the continual quest by artists to expand the existing musical forms and resources so as to better portray the triumphs, struggles and philosophies of humankind.
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musical math that the numerical equivalents given to the pitches also perfectly close upon themselves or "proof" themselves by perfectly closing back to their starting point.
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musicologist the scholar of music history.
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musical intervals measuring the distance between two pitches as defined by the number of half steps between them.
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natural minor from the Aeolian mode, also major / relative minor.
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nature / nurture instinctual or learned, that is the question ...
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neighbor tone closely related pitches by physical proximity.
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n'est pas? from the French, translated here as "isn't that so?"
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non diatonic in analysis of music, implies pitches not part of the tonic parent scale used to create a piece of music, can be melodic or harmonically identified.
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note term to describe a musical sound or tone, i.e., a pitch.
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octave a pitch created by dividing the fundamental pitch or string length in half, a 2 : 1 ratio, so as to make the upper pitch vibrate twice as fast as the lower, the interval range containing the 8 diatonic tones of the major scale.
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octave closure the principle by which a seven note scale becomes 8 with the inclusion of the root's octave to create the looping closure of equal tempered resources.
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offbeat in European music and analysis, the offbeat is said to be the 2nd and 4th beats of 4 / 4 time, the 2nd and 3rd beats in 3 / 4 time etc., opposite of onbeat or the 1st beat of the measure in 4 / 4 time.
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open chords refers to stringed instruments whereby chord shapes include pitches from unstopped strings, open chords are usually found within the first 3 frets on the guitar.
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oral by word of mouth, passing along ideas through the spoken word, an ancient teaching style of passing along ideas from one generation to the next.
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organic used to describe the diatonic origin of musical components, when one's musical evolution happens from within.
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ostinato bass figure this term is borrowed from the European classical cats and simply implies a simple rhythmic figure that is repeated many times, a great way to build musical suspense.
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outro slang for improvising a musical vamp used to end a song while performing, intro / outro.
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outside non diatonic musical ideas, sounds and colors.
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overtones the pitches contained within a vibrating column of air, a plucked string etc., similar to the different colors in the breakdown or "white light", i.e., the colors of the rainbow.
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overtone series mathematical breakdown of a vibrating string or column of air into parts, which become different musical pitches termed overtones.
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palette platform for mixing colors.
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parent scale refers to the main group of pitches used to create a song, a chord or emotional environment, i.e., the C major scale is the parent scale of a song written in the key of C major whose tonic chord is C major 7.
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parallel motion describes moving one chord voicing up or down in pitch.
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parody usually meaning to creating different words to a popular melody, a musical satire if you will, kids do this a lot.
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partials term used to describe the overtones created from the sounding of a fundamental musical tone.
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passing tones essentially non chord tone pitches which are within the rhythmic range of a harmonic structure or chord.
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passing chord transitory chord between principle chords, as defined by era and style.
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pedagogy the study of how we undertake the process of learning something, the development of a curriculum of study for a topic or subject.
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pedal tones sustained pitch within the fabric of the music, usually in an outer voice, i.e.,  bass or treble.
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peer pressure surely the worst thing about being a teenager, don't submit, strive to be yourself and develop your natural talents, then share the magic of your music with those you love.
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pentatonic scale ancient musical scale containing five pitches creating both the major and minor tonalities.
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penultimate the second to last in the hierarchy of a group of tones.
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perfect Five ( V ) to One ( I ) cadential motion with the tonic pitch in bass and lead of the One chord.
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perfect intervals the first three intervals derived from the overtone series, the octave, perfect 5th and perfect 4th. 
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perfectly invert when the numerical measurement between pitches is the same whether moving up or down, i.e., as the tritone interval splits the span of one octave perfectly in half.
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performance in this text implying preparing for performance, whether preparing to spontaneously improvise our music, work out every pitch or a combination of both.
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performance vehicle the mood, form, tonality and rhythms of a particular piece of music, creating categories such as a ballad, swing Latin etc.
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period a European term used in the discussion of form in music, whereby a musical phrase becomes as a sentence in prose, also a historical era of musical style, such as the "swing" era.
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permutation recombining existing combinations into new configurations.
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phrase term for a musical or verbal statement, expression of an idea.
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phrasing describes how a particular player articulates their phrase or ideas, part of a person's artistic signature.
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Picardy third using the major third in cadential motions in the minor tonality, usually the last chord of the piece.
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pick up note one or more notes or chords used as an intro into a melody, verse etc.
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pivot chord a term used to describe the chord used to move from one key center to another, most often a dominant type chord which contains pitches of the key center the music is modulating towards.
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plagel originally from the Greeks, who used this term to describe a "mode within a mode", in modern times often referring to a chord cadencing with the tonic and subdominant chords.
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planing (plane - ing) describes moving one chord voicing by half step, whole step etc.
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pocket slang to describe when the groove / rhythm is locked in among the players creating it, the place where cool grooves hang out.
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polyphony two or more musically significant melodic ideas played simultaneously without chordal accompaniment.
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polytonality the simultaneous use of more than one key center.
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popular term used to describe melodies that every listener of American music might recognize and perhaps hum the tune from memory, also famous players and established musical styles.
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position usually for players of stringed instruments, position generally refers to the placement of the 1st finger (index) of the hand fretting the strings.
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post bop a period in jazz history after bebop, the music characterized by more complex cycles of chords and modulation to distant key centers.
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pour moi French for "for me."
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pour toi French for "for you."
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pre-knuckle my term to describe a concept that goes way back in the history of our evolution, from "knuckle-dragging."
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principle triads the One, Four and Five triads / chords of the major and minor tonalities.
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public used to describe music that we hear incidentally in public places, an elevator, the grocery store etc.
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quarter note rhythmic designation of one beat in 4 / 4 time.
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quartile refers to melodic motion and chordal harmony created in fourths.
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quote generally means to play part of the melody of one song in another.
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range describes the available pitches, from the lowest to the highest pitches, on any given instrument.
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realization the actual music created from musical symbols, philosophically, what a player thinks when they see G 7.
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real book collection of published songs, also called "fake" books.
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real time refers to "as it is happening"
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registration refers to the pitch range of a particular instrument.
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reharmon- ization working out a new set of chord changes for a melody.
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relative major minor scales one group of pitches that creates two tonalities based on their intervalic formula i.e., C major / A natural minor. There are 12 different major keys, 12 different minor keys, all created from two distinct shapings of the same intervalic formula, so 24 possible tonal centers.
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relative minor the minor tonality balance as found within the major scale, sharing identical key signatures thus pitches.
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resolve to release musical tension.
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retrograde implies a reverse or backward motion.
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rhythm changes a set of stock chord changes used for writing tunes such as "I Got Rhythm and "Oleo."
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ride slang for soloing, to take a ride, to improvise musical dialogue in real time.
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ride time slang for the amount of time a player gets to solo.
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riff slang for a short musical phrase. 
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ritard slowing down the pace of the music for dramatic effect, often found at the end of performing a song.
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right on it slang for starting a song directly with the melody, i.e., no introduction. 
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roll term used to describe a definite picking pattern on a stringed instrument, often associated with the banjo, i.e., a banjo roll, perhaps the earliest of the popular American stringed instruments, also a series of drum strokes. 
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Roman numerals symbols used by theorists to denote a particular chords location within a key, based on the scale degrees of the tonic scale, upper case ( IV ) denoting major sounds, lower case ( iv ) , the minor colors.
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root fundamental pitch of a chord, also used in naming the chord, i.e. C is the root of a C major chord.
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root position a chord whose identifying pitch is the root or lowest pitch of the chord.
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rubato to "rob", displacement of musical time within a given tempo to accommodate interpretive phrasing.
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running slang term for executing a musical idea through various filters, permutations, chord changes i.e., "running changes."
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rush playing faster than the tempo being employed.
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samba Latin flavored dance groove based on a two or four subdivision of the beat.
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scales groups of of selected pitches.
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scale degree putting a numerical label on pitches within a scale in relation to a tonic pitch.
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scat slang for the vocalization of musical phrases.
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second inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is fifth chord degree, i.e., C / G.
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secondary dominant chord creating a dominant chordal color on a scale degree other than Five in the major tonality, when one dominant chord precedes another, i.e., D 7 to G 7 etc.
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segue (segway) a compositional component that is used to smoothly connect sections within arrangements or one song with another, creating a continuous flow of the music.
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sequence an ordered series of events.
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serialist a method of musical composition whereby the parent scale is created from all of the 12 pitches and can be modulated to any of the tonal centers of the chromatic scale, often termed 12 tone composition.
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seventh chord generally implies a chord containing a triad and seventh chord degree.
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shape in this text a slang term used to describe a chord voicing as created on a guitar or other chordal stringed instrument.
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sharp in tuning, to create a sound slightly above the desired pitch.  in notation, the # symbol to raise the written pitch by half step.
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shedding slang for practicing.
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sheets of sound originally a music critics term used to describe the physical effect of rapidly articulated arpeggios, originated by John Coltrane during the 60's.
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shout chorus usually the last chorus of a song being performed whereby all of the players involved turn the passion of their part up a notch or two, i.e., to shout. Common in the blues and Dixieland styles.
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shred slang for the sound of tearing up steel, associated with the various types of overdrive / distortion sounds for guitar.
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shuffle slang for a blues groove usually in 12 / 8, using a triplet feel to motor the basic groove.
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sideman industry slang for accompanying member of a musical group.
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single slang for working a gig as a solo performer.
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simple intervals those intervals found within the span of one octave.
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sittin in bringing your instrument to a musical performance or jamm session and playing with the band.
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slide creating a smooth motion between pitches, the sound of which includes the pitches in between, also usually a glass or metal bar device used by guitar players on the strings to achieve this effect, a favorite of blues players.
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softening / softer my slang for the gradual obscuring of a musical color and it's tonal direction by the addition of various color tones.
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softening process in this text applies to the lightening of color from the darker diminished color towards the pentatonic, and all points in between.
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soloing implies one musical voice playing or creating the melody.
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sonority clarity of resonance in chords, where each pitch within the chord is clearly distinguishable.
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staccato Italian for detached, refers to a style of melodic phrasing whereby each of the pitches is separate from each other.
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staff template of lines and spaces for notating music.
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stand slang for bandstand, stage etc.
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standard slang for important jazz compositions, songs of American music that have withstood the test of time.
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standard tuning refers to centering all pitches from the 440 A, also refers to the conventional way to tune a guitar, E,A,D,G,B,E, or violin, G,D,A,E, bass E,A,D,G etc.
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static "unmoving", in music, often used in describe a harmonic situation where one chord is used for extended periods of time, i.e., "static harmony."
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stepwise consecutive melodic / harmonic ascending or descending motion using the pitches of a select melodic grouping of pitches, i.e., scale.
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stoptime usually an alternating between short bursts of music and silence, as in early rock or between choruses / soloists in traditional up tempo jazz arrangements.
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storyline in this text used to describe the spiritual content and emotional environment of a song.
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stretch out extended soloing.
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strength of player slang to describes a players ability to build and manage musical tension.
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subdivision common term used to describe the division of a musical beat or pulse into smaller units.
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subdominant the diatonic fourth scale degree of the major / relative minor groups of pitches, harmony built on the fourth scale degree.
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substitution simply replacing one musical component with another.
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sussing out an Alaskan slang term meaning to figure something out by one's own effort.
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swing description of a particular style / era of jazz music, slang term implying a powerful music of any style, i.e., swings hard, an elusive rhythmic concept based on playing one rhythmic feel against another, creating boundless joy, good vibes and big smiles.
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symmetrical scales usually non diatonic groups of pitches that are based on a perfectly repeating intervalic formula.
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tag slang for cliche ending of song, to tag, add a repeated harmonic / melodic cycle to extend the performance of a song.
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taking it out slang term used to describe the moving of a musical idea from inside ( diatonic ) to outside ( non-diatonic), also used to describe the ending of a song during performance.
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target chord term for the the final destination of a series of chords or chord progression, i.e., the target chord of the Two / Five / One chord progression is the One chord.
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tear it up slang for when players aggressively approach the music.
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techno a modern way of making music from synthesized sounds which are looped together, there are a few subgenera within this style, most all of which are associated with dance.
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teenager in love changes slang for the common harmonic motion of 1 / 6 / 4 / 5 in the major tonality, after the pop hit of the same title from the 50's.
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tempered tuning adjustments associated with the equal tempered system of tonal organization.
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tempo the pulse rate of the music, the rate at which the musical sounds move through time, i.e., fast or slow etc.
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tensions artistic energy that seeks release, also the upper structure chord tones, i.e. 7, 9, 11, 13, #15 and their alterations.
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tertian refers to harmony (chords) constructed in thirds.
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testimony the cleansing of one's musical soul through impassioned performance.
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tetrachord used to describe the two four note groups created by simply dividing the 8 pitches of the major scale in half, i.e., in C major, the lower tetrachord C D E F and upper G A B C.
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text tonal resources for the creative musician © is a music theory text that helps expand the readers vocabulary of musical terms providing a greater awareness and understanding of the musical resources used to create American music.
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third and seventh the two pitches within a seventh chord that determines chord quality.
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third degree the pitch that determines whether a scale or triad is major or minor.
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third inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is seventh chord degree, i.e., C / B.
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timbre term to describe the various hues of musical colors, musical instruments, sound quality etc.
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time signature numerical fraction describing the rhythmic groove of a musical composition.
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tonal as pertains to sound, audible sound, things we can hear.
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tonal environment my term for the overall feel and color created by a piece of music.
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tonal resources the "nuts and bolts" of our music. Pitches, scales, chords, drums, the theoretical systems etc.
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tonality term used to describe overall musical effect of a particular musical idea, i.e. major / minor / dominant seventh etc.
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tonal center theory term for the key of a particular piece of music.
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tonal gravity the force in music created when one pitch is designated as the center of the music, the tonal force used to create and release artistic tension in the music,
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tonal stability the degree to which any given chord color creates the aural sensation of being at rest, oftentimes created by tonic function chords.
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tone row using all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale to create the parent scale for composing music.
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tonic a theoretical name for the first degree of any scale or chord that is the predominant key of a given piece of music, usually determined by the key signature i.e., the tonic of "blues in A" is A.
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tonic chord a theoretical name for the chord built on the first degree of any scale or mode.
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top slang for the beginning of a new chorus, the first measure in a song, the beginning.
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top 40 the current listing of the 40 most popular songs in America at any given second.
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trading fours slang term for an arranging technique whereby improvising musicians each take turns four bars to create an idea, often done with the drummer, the solist takes 4 bars, then solo drums for 4 bars, following the form of the tune etc.
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traditional harmony term used to describe a perspective of the theory as derived from classical literature, i.e., the European masters of equal temperament.
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train wreck slang for when the players in the group make a series of bad choices while performing, usually resulting in unplanned, temporary musical chaos, train wrecks are oftentimes found at the end of performing a musical piece, see "arrangements while you wait" from above.
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transcribe to transfer the music from a live performance or recording into musical notation, to one's instrument.
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transpose to respell the music exactly from one key center to another.
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treble clef symbol used to denote the second line of a musical staff as the pitch "G" natural.
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triad three note chord comprised of a root, a third and a fifth.
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triplets a rhythmic division into groups of three.
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tritone musical interval of the augmented fourth / flatted fifth comprised of three whole tones, which divides the octave in perfect halves, the essential color within the dominant chord created by pairing the major 3rd and minor 7th, among the most dissonant pairings of pitches available.
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tritone substitute a common slang term usually identifying a dominant type chord that is built upon the tritone of the chord it is being substituted for, i.e., Db 7 is the tritone substitute for G 7.
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tune slang for a musical composition, musical piece, song, melody etc.
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turn the way a player or composer shapes a musical idea, oftentimes a melodic twist of pitches into a line or the target pitch, part of a players artistic signature.
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turnaround musical idea located at the end of a musical section usually followed by repeat sign, the Two / Five / One cadential motion and it's variations, any kind of cadential motion.
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12 keys the # of different tuned pitches from which we create American music, as found on a piano etc., also represents 12 major keys, 12 minor keys etc..
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two chord harmony built on the second scale degree.
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up front slang term used in performance by improvising musicians that usually implies something is going to happen before the melody of the song gets sung, i.e., like an intro, pedal tone, drum solo, etc., we count off a tune "up front."
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upper structure in this text, chord tones found above the seventh, i.e., the 9th, 11th, and 13th chord degrees.
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vamp (lines) slang for a repeated musical phrase, usually in a blues coloring, commonly used for beginnings and endings of tunes as well as a background figure behind a soloist, can be chords or a melodic line.
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vanilla slang for any generic realization of a musical element, i.e., a chord voicing of root, third, fifth and seventh, scales right out of the box etc.
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vehicle my term used to describe the artistic elements of a musical style / form of music. i.e., Latin, Rock, Bebop, 12 bar blues, A / A / B / A song form etc.
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verbiage using words to describe abstract artistic concepts.
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vertical term that describes the basic shape created by the pitches of a melodic line, implying arpeggiated or non step interval figures.
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vibrato adding a slight vacillation to the pitch which can increase the emotional expression of the players statement, i.e., warming up the tone.
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voice leading a term used to describe how the pitches (voices) of one chord merge into another, derived from the early music of voices, soprano ( top ), alto, tenor and bass ( lowest ).
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voicing arrangement of pitches for a particular chord.
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walking mostly step wise bass line using quarter notes.
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waltz instrumental or dance music in 3/4 time.
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whammy bar mechanical device on the modern electric guitar that allows changes of intonation with the push or pull of a lever.
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well "well" as in water well, used as a cliche / slang term for where a player might go to get a musical idea when things run a bit dry.
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western music in this text, slang for any and all music created with the equal temperament system of tonal organization as it's basis,this term is often applied in music as is the term western civilization in historical contexts, meaning all of the history and peoples that date back to the ancient Greeks and forward from there, through the settling of Europe and onto America.
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western harmony chords based in the equal tempered system.
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whole step combines two half steps together i.e., the interval from C to D is a whole step.
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whole tone combining two half tones together to create a whole tone, i.e., the interval from C to D is a whole tone, the whole tone scale is created exclusively with whole tones.
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whole tone scale the whole tone scale is created exclusively with whole tones.
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wolf tones originally named to describe some of the harmonies created in "just intonation" or non tempered tuning, that resulted in sounds similar to those made by howling wolves, today, often used to describe a overly strong sounding pitch on an acoustic instrument created by the physics of the materials used in it's construction.
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woodshed slang for a place where one sheds, also to review a difficult musical passage, i.e., to practice.
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"I got no dime but I got some time to hear a story." Robert Hunter / Jerry Garcia