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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
ambiance musical atmosphere, environment.
one two
three four
amen effect my term, describes moving from the One chord to the Four back to One, generally associated with gospel music.
one two
three four
antecedent the "question" or first part of a musical phrase.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
arpeggio "harplike", "broken chord." a musical phrase comprised of chord tones.
one two
three four
arrangements the format that the performance of composition will follow, a "map" of the tune, i.e., intro, head, solos, head, tag etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
artistic filters to pass an motif through an existing structure, style or concept.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
artistic signature aurally recognizable components of a particular players artistic statement, i.e., tone, articulation, phrasing etc.
one two
three four
atonality music having no tonal center or sense of tonic.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
aurally to hear through listening with one's ears, to recognize theoretical musical elements by ear.
one two
three four
authentic a type of chord cadencing using tonic and dominant chords.
one two
three four
ax slang term for instrument.
one two
three four
backpedaling root motion counterclockwise to the cycle of fifths.
one two
three four
backpocket slang for something easily done.
one two
three four
bag of licks collection of your own favorite musical phrases or chord changes.
one two
three four
ballad a style of song characterized by a slower, stately tempo with an emotional content usually centered on the topic of love.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
bass lowest vocal register, lowest pitch of a chord, foundation of the music.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
binary usually associated with form in music, basically meaning two parts making up the whole, as in the number 25 is a binary number.
one two
three four
birds' eye slang for fermata, a symbol for suspending the forward motion / time of the music.
one two
three four
bitonal two distinctly different aural colors used together.
one two
three four
blowing slang for soloing.
one two
three four
blue notes the third, augmented fourth and minor seventh pitches of the blues scale.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
blues the core of American music styles.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
block refers to voicing each melody note with it's own chord / harmony.
one two
three four
borrow a slang term to describe the concept of how non diatonic elements are sifted into the major and minor tonalities.
one two
three four
bridge slang for the "B" section of the A / A / B / A and A / B form.
one two
three four
broken chord sounding the notes of a chord in succession as opposed to being struck together, slang for arpeggio.
one two
three four
cacophony seemingly unrelated combinations of sounds, oftentimes using multiple tonal centers simultaneously.
one two
three four
cadence Two or more chords ending an event of musical tension, commonly V 7 to I.
one two
three four
cadenza an open section where a player gets to play solo and unaccompanied, usually found at the end of a song.
one two
three four
call and response perhaps developed from religious services, whereby the leader sings a phrase to which the congregation responds.
one two
three four
called slang for choosing a tune while on the bandstand.  A callable tune (standard) is one usually familiar to most players in the group.
one two
three four
capo a device used by guitar players that "clamps" all the strings, allowing open position chords to create other keys.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
casual a gig characterized as the name implies, casual, maybe once in a while as opposed to steady, which happens on a regular basis.
one two
three four
cats slang for musician / player / artist.
one two
three four
cell a term that describes a musical idea that is the core idea for expansion and development in musical composition / artistic work.
one two
three four
changes slang for the chords of a song.
one two
three four
chart slang for a written musical score.
one two
three four
chops slang for a players ability to execute musical phrases.
one two
three four
chord different pitches struck and sounded together.
one two
three four
chord degree numerical label for pitches within a chord or arpeggio, i.e., 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc.
one two
three four
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).
one two
three four
chord progression specific cycles of chords.
one two
three four
chord substitution replacing one chord with another, generally of the same chord type.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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 ).
one two
three four
chorus one complete cycle of the entire form of a piece of music.
one two
three four
chromatic melodic or harmonic motion of consecutive half steps in either direction.
one two
three four
chromatic enhancement simply to approach each of the pitches of a musical idea by half step above or below.
one two
three four
chromatic helmet safety device worn by musically adventurous folks.
one two
three four
chromatic scale group of pitches created exclusively with the interval of a half step, containing 12 pitches with one octave.
one two
three four
chronologically in historical order, to understand a series events in the historical sequence in which they occurred.
one two
three four
church modes a collection of scales from antiquity which were incorporated into the system of equal temper.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
cliché stereotypical musical phrase spanning generations of players.
one two
three four
click track recording studio term for a metronomical beat usually delivered via headphones to the recording players to help solidify the groove.
one two
three four
climax high point of solo, release of music tension.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
color my term for describing a musical sound, like using the color terms red or blue to describe the major or minor tonalities.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
common tone two musical components sharing a common pitch / pitches.
one two
three four
comping providing harmonic background for soloist, vocalist.
one two
three four
composing in this text, creating music, both spontaneously improvised within musical time or written out.
one two
three four
compound intervals intervals that exceed the span of one octave.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
consequent the "answer" to the question or first part of a musical phrase, see antecedent.
one two
three four
consonant the opposite of dissonant, describes a harmonious relationship between pitches.
one two
three four
constant structure simply moving the same chord voicing up or down in pitch.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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."
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
could be really means that I personally think so, my opinion in favor of the idea postulated in the text, prompting the "could be."
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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).
one two
three four
dc / da capo Italien for "head", denoting the start of the musical form or song.
one two
three four
deceptive cadence harmonic motion of the Five chord moving to Six in the major tonality.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
diatonic using only pitches within the key signature.
one two
three four
diatonic harmony building chords using only the notes contained within a given key signature.
one two
three four
digitron Euro slang for a mathematical calculator?
one two
three four
diminished to make smaller, reducing an interval by half step.
one two
three four
diminished chord stacking intervals of a minor third, i.e., C, Eb, Gb, A etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
discern to figure out by inductive reasoning.
one two
three four
disguise to mask or obscure one's appearance or intent.
one two
three four
dissonant combining aural sounds creating an unpleasant effect.
one two
three four
divine from the heavens above.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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,
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
double stop articulating two pitches simultaneously, common for string players, piano etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
drag slang for playing slower than the tempo being employed, i.e., "dragging", not keeping up with the tempo.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
dynamics refers to how soft or loud a note (s) is articulated, i.e., volume of sound.
one two
three four
edge slang for the top of the tune, form etc.
one two
three four
eighth note division of the quarter note into two equal parts.
one two
three four
elide ( d ) to supress or pass over in silence, to carry a musical sound across the bar line.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
encapsulate surrounding the target pitch with other tones.
one two
three four
environment authors term to describe a particular musical setting for a song i.e., usually major, minor, modal, blues etc.
one two
three four
enharmonic two labels for one pitch, i.e. "A#" or "Bb."
one two
three four
episode refers to one repetition of the basic motive within a sequence.
one two
three four
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."
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
European musical ancestors in historical sequence; Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Debussey, Stravinsky and every one of your "classical" favorites.
one two
three four
explore "crunching" down the theory.
one two
three four
experiment using theoretical concepts to generate new combinations.
one two
three four
extended / extensions refers to chords that include pitches above the three notes of the triad, see upper structure components / colortones.
one two
three four
fake books collections of lead sheets from various music publishers, also known as "real" books.
one two
three four
fermata a pause, hold or breath in the musical performance, usually conducted, commonly found at the end of a composition.
one two
three four
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).
one two
three four
first inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is third chord degree, i.e., C / E.
one two
three four
five of five a cycling of dominant chords, i.e., D 7 to G 7 etc.
one two
three four
flat a musical notation symbol ( b ) that lowers a pitch by half step.
one two
three four
form definite patterns of musical compositions.
one two
three four
formula numerical equations that create various musical components.
one two
three four
forward motion creating a sense of anticipation in the music.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
fourth inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is ninth chord degree, i.e., C / D.
one two
three four
function how a particular chord type reacts within tonal gravity, chord progressions etc., i.e. tonic, minor seventh or dominant chord types.
one two
three four
fundamental the starting pitch from which an overtone series is created, starting pitch of musical scales, the root of a chord etc.
one two
three four
funk a style of inner urban rock / blues popular during the late 70's and onward.
one two
three four
gear music slang term for instruments, amps, processors, reeds, speakers, microphones etc.
one two
three four
genre a broad category or subject heading.
one two
three four
gillion slang for a lot.
one two
three four
gig / giging slang for where the music is happening, oftentimes a professional musical job, i.e., "the gig."
one two
three four
grace note a pitch articulated as a quick lead in to another pitch usually by half step, also a trill or turn of pitches.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
groove slang for emotional and rhythmic content of a particular style of music.
one two
three four
groups of pitches my term describing musical scales, i.e., the C major scale is also the C major grouping of pitches.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
half cadence cadential motion where the tonic goes to the Four or Five chord.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
half step the smallest intervalic division within the system of equal temperament, i.e., by half step or chromatic.
one two
three four
half step lead in approaching the target pitch or chord from half step above or below.
one two
three four
half step / whole step alternate interval approach to creating the diminished color.
one two
three four
hardrive slang for our mind, memory, instantaneous recall etc.
one two
three four
harmonic a "pure" pitch created by lightly touching a string at specific divisions to produce "harmonics."
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
harmonization to add chords (harmony) to support a melody.
one two
three four
harmony chords used to support a melody.
one two
three four
head slang for the melody of a song, also denotes the top of the form.
one two
three four
hipify my slang term ( ? ) for making something hip or hipper as the case might be.
one two
three four
hills in which we live my slang term ( ? ) for our planet Earth.
one two
three four
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."
one two
three four
horizontal term that describes the basic shape created by the pitches of a melodic line, generally implying step wise motion.
one two
three four
hue used to describe a particular shade of a common color, i.e. the various "hues of green", lime, kelly, neon etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
improvise to spontaneously create solutions, in American music, most commonly to mean the creation melodic lines.
one two
three four
in the lead refers to the highest pitch in a chord voicing.
one two
three four
incomplete a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord or root is omitted.
one two
three four
indigenous originating in a particular geographical area, native.
one two
three four
individualizing instruction creating an educational curriculum for each person based on their own needs and unique ways of learning.
one two
three four
indy slang for music industry.
one two
three four
inside jazz slang for diatonic musical ideas.
one two
three four
interval term used to measure the musical distance between two pitches.
one two
three four
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).
one two
three four
intonation a term used to describe various properties of tuning.
one two
three four
intro slang for the music that introduces a song.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
invert reversing of a musical interval from ascending to descending or vice versa.
one two
three four
inverted pedal tone diatonic common tone in top voice of a chord progression.
one two
three four
jamm to get together with friends and play music.
one two
three four
jamm loop as used here within this text, a play along midi sound file.
one two
three four
jam session a gig where everybody gets to play.
one two
three four
jass early historical label of the late 19th century for music commonly known today as jazz.
one two
three four
jazz style of American music.
one two
three four
jazz mantra my tongue in cheek term for the degree of knowledge and the exhausting of the resources that jazz players enjoy.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
key the tonal center of a musical composition, i.e., a song in C major is in the key of C major.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
lay out slang term meaning "not to play", i.e., to lay out of the mix.
one two
three four
lead refers to the highest pitch ( voice ) in a chord voicing.
one two
three four
leader the person responsible for organizing the music and musicians ( sideman ) for a musical event, also the artistic focus of a recording session.
one two
three four
lead sheets written music including the melody and appropriate chord symbols.
one two
three four
leading tone the pitch a half step below the tonic, the 7th degree of the major scale.
one two
three four
leap melodic motion of an interval greater than a major third between two pitches.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
learning style by what educational activity or environment an individual best learns, by reading, writing, speaking, playing etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
lick slang for a musical phrase.
one two
three four
literature the whole body of written music ever created and written down.
one two
three four
localized position executing musical ideas in one area of the fingerboard.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
lute stringed instrument and ancestor to the guitar.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
major tonality, major tonal environment describes the color of music that is based upon the major triad, major scale, Ionian mode etc.
one two
three four
making the changes slang for when an emerging artist / soloist clearly articulates the harmony ( changes ) in their lines.
one two
three four
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."
one two
three four
master of the obvious describes music where an experienced listener can accurately guess where the music is going.
one two
three four
measure numbers a counting number applied to each measure within a piece written music to help locate one's place.

one

 two
three four
mediant chord built on the third scale degree of the major / relative minor scale.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
melodic substitution superimposing different parent scales, often based on chord substitutions.
one two
three four
melody a series of musical tones that expresses an emotional thought?
one two
three four
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 ).
one two
three four
midden the pile of detritus material created by squirrels from munching the seeds of pine cones, it's an Alaskan thing.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
minor tonality, minor tonal environment describes the color of music that is based upon the major triad.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
modulate to change keys, tonal centers or emotional environments.
one two
three four
mon ami French for "my friend."
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
monster slang for a musician with tremendous musical abilities.
one two
three four
morph used within this text to describe a change of tonality, i.e., major to minor, tonic family to dominant family etc.
one two
three four
motif / motive a re-occurring artistic idea which is developed throughout an artistic piece.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
multiphonics articulating two pitches simultaneously, used usually to describe an effect with horn players.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
musicologist the scholar of music history.
one two
three four
musical intervals measuring the distance between two pitches as defined by the number of half steps between them.
one two
three four
natural minor from the Aeolian mode, also major / relative minor.
one two
three four
nature / nurture instinctual or learned, that is the question ...
one two
three four
neighbor tone closely related pitches by physical proximity.
one two
three four
n'est pas? from the French, translated here as "isn't that so?"
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
note term to describe a musical sound or tone, i.e., a pitch.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
organic used to describe the diatonic origin of musical components, when one's musical evolution happens from within.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
outro slang for improvising a musical vamp used to end a song while performing, intro / outro.
one two
three four
outside non diatonic musical ideas, sounds and colors.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
overtone series mathematical breakdown of a vibrating string or column of air into parts, which become different musical pitches termed overtones.
one two
three four
palette platform for mixing colors.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
parallel motion describes moving one chord voicing up or down in pitch.
one two
three four
parody usually meaning to creating different words to a popular melody, a musical satire if you will, kids do this a lot.
one two
three four
partials term used to describe the overtones created from the sounding of a fundamental musical tone.
one two
three four
passing tones essentially non chord tone pitches which are within the rhythmic range of a harmonic structure or chord.
one two
three four
passing chord transitory chord between principle chords, as defined by era and style.
one two
three four
pedagogy the study of how we undertake the process of learning something, the development of a curriculum of study for a topic or subject.
one two
three four
pedal tones sustained pitch within the fabric of the music, usually in an outer voice, i.e.,  bass or treble.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
pentatonic scale ancient musical scale containing five pitches creating both the major and minor tonalities.
one two
three four
penultimate the second to last in the hierarchy of a group of tones.
one two
three four
perfect Five ( V ) to One ( I ) cadential motion with the tonic pitch in bass and lead of the One chord.
one two
three four
perfect intervals the first three intervals derived from the overtone series, the octave, perfect 5th and perfect 4th. 
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
performance in this text implying preparing for performance, whether preparing to spontaneously improvise our music, work out every pitch or a combination of both.
one two
three four
performance vehicle the mood, form, tonality and rhythms of a particular piece of music, creating categories such as a ballad, swing Latin etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
permutation recombining existing combinations into new configurations.
one two
three four
phrase term for a musical or verbal statement, expression of an idea.
one two
three four
phrasing describes how a particular player articulates their phrase or ideas, part of a person's artistic signature.
one two
three four
Picardy third using the major third in cadential motions in the minor tonality, usually the last chord of the piece.
one two
three four
pick up note one or more notes or chords used as an intro into a melody, verse etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
planing (plane - ing) describes moving one chord voicing by half step, whole step etc.
one two
three four
pocket slang to describe when the groove / rhythm is locked in among the players creating it, the place where cool grooves hang out.
one two
three four
polyphony two or more musically significant melodic ideas played simultaneously without chordal accompaniment.
one two
three four
polytonality the simultaneous use of more than one key center.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
position usually for players of stringed instruments, position generally refers to the placement of the 1st finger (index) of the hand fretting the strings.
one two
three four
post bop a period in jazz history after bebop, the music characterized by more complex cycles of chords and modulation to distant key centers.
one two
three four
pour moi French for "for me."
one two
three four
pour toi French for "for you."
one two
three four
pre-knuckle my term to describe a concept that goes way back in the history of our evolution, from "knuckle-dragging."
one two
three four
principle triads the One, Four and Five triads / chords of the major and minor tonalities.
one two
three four
public used to describe music that we hear incidentally in public places, an elevator, the grocery store etc.
one two
three four
quarter note rhythmic designation of one beat in 4 / 4 time.
one two
three four
quartile refers to melodic motion and chordal harmony created in fourths.
one two
three four
quote generally means to play part of the melody of one song in another.
one two
three four
range describes the available pitches, from the lowest to the highest pitches, on any given instrument.
one two
three four
realization the actual music created from musical symbols, philosophically, what a player thinks when they see G 7.
one two
three four
real book collection of published songs, also called "fake" books.
one two
three four
real time refers to "as it is happening"
one two
three four
registration refers to the pitch range of a particular instrument.
one two
three four
reharmon- ization working out a new set of chord changes for a melody.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
relative minor the minor tonality balance as found within the major scale, sharing identical key signatures thus pitches.
one two
three four
resolve to release musical tension.
one two
three four
retrograde implies a reverse or backward motion.
one two
three four
rhythm changes a set of stock chord changes used for writing tunes such as "I Got Rhythm and "Oleo."
one two
three four
ride slang for soloing, to take a ride, to improvise musical dialogue in real time.
one two
three four
ride time slang for the amount of time a player gets to solo.
one two
three four
riff slang for a short musical phrase. 
one two
three four
ritard slowing down the pace of the music for dramatic effect, often found at the end of performing a song.
one two
three four
right on it slang for starting a song directly with the melody, i.e., no introduction. 
one two
three four
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. 
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
root fundamental pitch of a chord, also used in naming the chord, i.e. C is the root of a C major chord.
one two
three four
root position a chord whose identifying pitch is the root or lowest pitch of the chord.
one two
three four
rubato to "rob", displacement of musical time within a given tempo to accommodate interpretive phrasing.
one two
three four
running slang term for executing a musical idea through various filters, permutations, chord changes i.e., "running changes."
one two
three four
rush playing faster than the tempo being employed.
one two
three four
samba Latin flavored dance groove based on a two or four subdivision of the beat.
one two
three four
scales groups of of selected pitches.
one two
three four
scale degree putting a numerical label on pitches within a scale in relation to a tonic pitch.
one two
three four
scat slang for the vocalization of musical phrases.
one two
three four
second inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is fifth chord degree, i.e., C / G.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
sequence an ordered series of events.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
seventh chord generally implies a chord containing a triad and seventh chord degree.
one two
three four
shape in this text a slang term used to describe a chord voicing as created on a guitar or other chordal stringed instrument.
one two
three four
sharp in tuning, to create a sound slightly above the desired pitch.  in notation, the # symbol to raise the written pitch by half step.
one two
three four
shedding slang for practicing.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
shred slang for the sound of tearing up steel, associated with the various types of overdrive / distortion sounds for guitar.
one two
three four
shuffle slang for a blues groove usually in 12 / 8, using a triplet feel to motor the basic groove.
one two
three four
sideman industry slang for accompanying member of a musical group.
one two
three four
single slang for working a gig as a solo performer.
one two
three four
simple intervals those intervals found within the span of one octave.
one two
three four
sittin in bringing your instrument to a musical performance or jamm session and playing with the band.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
softening / softer my slang for the gradual obscuring of a musical color and it's tonal direction by the addition of various color tones.
one two
three four
softening process in this text applies to the lightening of color from the darker diminished color towards the pentatonic, and all points in between.
one two
three four
soloing implies one musical voice playing or creating the melody.
one two
three four
sonority clarity of resonance in chords, where each pitch within the chord is clearly distinguishable.
one two
three four
staccato Italian for detached, refers to a style of melodic phrasing whereby each of the pitches is separate from each other.
one two
three four
staff template of lines and spaces for notating music.
one two
three four
stand slang for bandstand, stage etc.
one two
three four
standard slang for important jazz compositions, songs of American music that have withstood the test of time.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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."
one two
three four
stepwise consecutive melodic / harmonic ascending or descending motion using the pitches of a select melodic grouping of pitches, i.e., scale.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
storyline in this text used to describe the spiritual content and emotional environment of a song.
one two
three four
stretch out extended soloing.
one two
three four
strength of player slang to describes a players ability to build and manage musical tension.
one two
three four
subdivision common term used to describe the division of a musical beat or pulse into smaller units.
one two
three four
subdominant the diatonic fourth scale degree of the major / relative minor groups of pitches, harmony built on the fourth scale degree.
one two
three four
substitution simply replacing one musical component with another.
one two
three four
sussing out an Alaskan slang term meaning to figure something out by one's own effort.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
symmetrical scales usually non diatonic groups of pitches that are based on a perfectly repeating intervalic formula.
one two
three four
tag slang for cliche ending of song, to tag, add a repeated harmonic / melodic cycle to extend the performance of a song.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
tear it up slang for when players aggressively approach the music.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
tempered tuning adjustments associated with the equal tempered system of tonal organization.
one two
three four
tempo the pulse rate of the music, the rate at which the musical sounds move through time, i.e., fast or slow etc.
one two
three four
tensions artistic energy that seeks release, also the upper structure chord tones, i.e. 7, 9, 11, 13, #15 and their alterations.
one two
three four
tertian refers to harmony (chords) constructed in thirds.
one two
three four
testimony the cleansing of one's musical soul through impassioned performance.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
third and seventh the two pitches within a seventh chord that determines chord quality.
one two
three four
third degree the pitch that determines whether a scale or triad is major or minor.
one two
three four
third inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is seventh chord degree, i.e., C / B.
one two
three four
timbre term to describe the various hues of musical colors, musical instruments, sound quality etc.
one two
three four
time signature numerical fraction describing the rhythmic groove of a musical composition.
one two
three four
tonal as pertains to sound, audible sound, things we can hear.
one two
three four
tonal environment my term for the overall feel and color created by a piece of music.
one two
three four
tonal resources the "nuts and bolts" of our music. Pitches, scales, chords, drums, the theoretical systems etc.
one two
three four
tonality term used to describe overall musical effect of a particular musical idea, i.e. major / minor / dominant seventh etc.
one two
three four
tonal center theory term for the key of a particular piece of music.
one two
three four
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,
one two
three four
tonal stability the degree to which any given chord color creates the aural sensation of being at rest, oftentimes created by tonic function chords.
one two
three four
tone row using all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale to create the parent scale for composing music.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
tonic chord a theoretical name for the chord built on the first degree of any scale or mode.
one two
three four
top slang for the beginning of a new chorus, the first measure in a song, the beginning.
one two
three four
top 40 the current listing of the 40 most popular songs in America at any given second.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
traditional harmony term used to describe a perspective of the theory as derived from classical literature, i.e., the European masters of equal temperament.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
transcribe to transfer the music from a live performance or recording into musical notation, to one's instrument.
one two
three four
transpose to respell the music exactly from one key center to another.
one two
three four
treble clef symbol used to denote the second line of a musical staff as the pitch "G" natural.
one two
three four
triad three note chord comprised of a root, a third and a fifth.
one two
three four
triplets a rhythmic division into groups of three.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
tune slang for a musical composition, musical piece, song, melody etc.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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..
one two
three four
two chord harmony built on the second scale degree.
one two
three four
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."
one two
three four
upper structure in this text, chord tones found above the seventh, i.e., the 9th, 11th, and 13th chord degrees.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
verbiage using words to describe abstract artistic concepts.
one two
three four
vertical term that describes the basic shape created by the pitches of a melodic line, implying arpeggiated or non step interval figures.
one two
three four
vibrato adding a slight vacillation to the pitch which can increase the emotional expression of the players statement, i.e., warming up the tone.
one two
three four
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 ).
one two
three four
voicing arrangement of pitches for a particular chord.
one two
three four
walking mostly step wise bass line using quarter notes.
one two
three four
waltz instrumental or dance music in 3/4 time.
one two
three four
whammy bar mechanical device on the modern electric guitar that allows changes of intonation with the push or pull of a lever.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
western harmony chords based in the equal tempered system.
one two
three four
whole step combines two half steps together i.e., the interval from C to D is a whole step.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
whole tone scale the whole tone scale is created exclusively with whole tones.
one two
three four
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.
one two
three four
woodshed slang for a place where one sheds, also to review a difficult musical passage, i.e., to practice.
one two
three four

"I got no dime but I got some time to hear a story." Robert Hunter / Jerry Garcia