Here is a listing of the glossary of musical terms as found within this text, presented here as a printable, testing measure of vocabulary for the emerging music theorist. Simply define in your own words what each term implies. Check your definitions with the glossary in the text.
| accidental |
|
| altered |
|
| ambiance |
|
| amen effect |
|
| antecedent |
|
| arpeggiating the harmony |
|
| arpeggio |
|
| arrangements |
|
| arrangements while you wait |
|
| artistic filters |
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| artistic license |
|
| artistic signature |
| atonality |
|
| augment (ed) |
|
| augmented 6th chords |
|
| aurally |
|
| authentic |
|
| ax |
| backpedaling |
|
| backpocket |
|
| bag of licks |
|
| ballad |
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| Baroque |
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| barre |
|
| bass |
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| bebop |
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| bending pitches |
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| binary |
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| birds' eye |
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| bitonal |
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| blowing |
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| blue notes |
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| blues |
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| blues anchor |
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| blurring |
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| block |
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| borrow |
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| bridge |
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| broken chord |
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| cacophony |
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| cadence |
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| cadenza |
|
| call and response |
|
| called |
|
| capo |
|
| career musician |
|
| casual |
|
| cats |
|
| cell |
|
| changes |
|
| chart |
|
| chops |
|
| chord |
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| chord degree |
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| chord family |
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| chord progression |
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| chord tone(s) |
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| chord type |
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| chorus |
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| chromatic |
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| chromatic enhancement |
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| chromatic helmet |
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| chromatic scale |
|
| chronologically |
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| church modes |
|
| classical literature |
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| cliché |
|
| click track |
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| climax |
|
| closure |
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| clusters |
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| coda |
|
| color |
|
| color tones |
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| common practice |
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| common tone |
|
| comping |
|
| composing |
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| compound intervals |
|
| connection |
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| consequent |
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| consonant |
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| constant structure |
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| contrary motion |
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| contrasting theme |
|
| convergence |
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| cool jazz |
|
| could be |
|
| counterpoint |
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| cover tunes |
|
| cycles per second |
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| cycle of fifths / fourths |
|
| deceptive cadence |
|
| default |
|
| diatonic |
|
| diatonic harmony |
|
| digitron |
|
| diminished |
|
| diminished chord |
|
| diminished scale |
|
| discern |
|
| disguise |
|
| dissonant |
|
| divine |
|
| dominant |
|
| dominant harmony |
| dominant seventh |
|
| double (ing) / to "double" |
|
| double stop |
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| doubletime |
|
| drag |
|
| drone |
|
| dual tonalities |
|
| dynamics |
|
| edge |
|
| eighth note |
|
| emotional environment |
|
| entire musical resource |
|
| encapsulate |
|
| environment |
|
| enharmonic |
|
| episode |
|
| equal temperament system |
|
| EuroAmer |
|
| European musical ancestors |
| explore |
|
| experiment |
|
| extended / extensions |
| fake books |
|
| fermata |
|
| filter |
|
| first inversion |
|
| five of five |
|
| flat |
|
| form |
|
| formula |
|
| forward motion |
|
| four finger / four fret |
|
| fourth inversion |
|
| function |
|
| fundamental |
|
| funk |
|
| gear |
|
| genre |
|
| gillion |
|
| gig / giging |
|
| grace note |
|
| Greek modes |
|
| groove |
|
| groups of pitches |
|
| guide tones |
|
| half cadence |
|
| half diminished chord |
|
| half step |
|
| half step lead in |
|
| half step / whole step |
|
| hardrive |
|
| harmonic |
|
| harmonic minor scale |
|
| harmonization |
|
| harmony |
|
| head / da capo |
|
| hipify |
|
| hills in which we live |
|
| hook |
|
| horizontal |
|
| hue |
|
| hyperlink |
|
| imperfect |
|
| improvise |
|
| in the lead |
|
| incomplete |
|
| indigenous |
|
| individualizing instruction |
|
| indy |
|
| inside |
|
| interval |
|
| intervallic symmetry |
|
| intonation |
|
| intro |
|
| inversions |
|
| invert |
|
| inverted pedal tone |
|
| jamm |
|
| jam session |
|
| jass |
|
| jazz |
|
| jazz mantra |
|
| just intonation |
|
| kaboom |
|
| key |
|
| key signature |
|
| lead |
|
| leader |
|
| lead sheets |
|
| leading tone |
|
| leap |
|
| learning block |
|
| learning style |
|
| legato |
|
| lick |
|
| literature |
|
| localized position |
|
| loops of pitches |
|
| lute |
|
| major scale |
|
| major tonality, major tonal environment |
| making the changes |
|
| master of disguise |
|
|
| master of the obvious |
|
| measure numbers |
|
| mediant |
|
| melodic minor scale |
|
| melody |
|
| metronome |
|
|
| midden |
|
| middle register |
|
| minor seventh |
|
| minor tonality, minor tonal environment |
|
| modal blues |
|
| modern |
|
| modes |
|
| modulate |
|
| mon ami |
|
| monothematic |
|
| monster |
|
| morph |
|
| motif / motive |
|
| Motown |
|
| movable shapes |
|
| multiphonics |
|
| music software |
|
| musicologist |
|
| musical intervals |
|
| natural minor |
|
| neighbor tone |
|
|
| n'est pas? |
|
| non diatonic |
|
| note |
|
| octave |
|
| offbeat |
|
| open chords |
|
| oral |
|
| organic |
|
| ostinato bass figure |
|
| outro |
|
| outside |
|
| overtones |
|
| overtone series |
|
| palette |
|
| parent scale |
|
| parallel motion |
|
| parody |
|
| partials |
|
| passing tones |
|
| passing chord |
|
| pedagogy |
|
| pedal tones |
|
| peer pressure |
|
| pentatonic scale |
|
| penultimate |
|
| perfect |
|
| perfect intervals |
|
| perfectly invert |
|
| performance |
|
| performance vehicle |
|
| period |
|
| permutation |
|
| phrase |
|
| phrasing |
|
| Picardy third |
|
| pick up note |
|
| pivot chord |
|
| plagel |
|
| planing (plane - ing) |
|
|
|
| polyphony |
|
| polytonality |
|
| popular |
|
| position |
|
| post bop |
|
| pour moi |
|
| pour toi |
|
| pre-knuckle |
|
| principle triads |
|
| public |
|
| quarter note |
|
| quartile |
|
| quote |
|
| range |
|
| realization |
|
| real book |
|
| real time |
|
| registration |
|
| reharmon- ization |
|
| relative major minor scales |
|
| relative minor |
|
| resolve |
|
| retrograde |
|
| ride |
|
| ride time |
|
| riff |
|
| ritard |
|
| right on it |
|
| roll |
|
| Roman numerals |
|
| root |
|
| root position |
|
| rubato |
|
| running |
|
| rush |
|
| samba |
|
| scales |
|
| scale degree |
|
| scat |
|
| second inversion |
|
| secondary dominant chord |
|
| segue (segway) |
|
| serialist |
|
| seventh chord |
|
| shape |
|
| sharp |
|
| shedding |
|
| sheets of sound |
|
| shout chorus |
|
| shred |
|
| shuffle |
|
| sideman |
|
| single |
|
| simple intervals |
|
| sittin in |
|
| slide |
|
| softening / softer |
|
| softening process |
|
| soloing |
|
| sonority |
|
| staccato |
|
| staff |
|
| stand |
|
| standard |
|
| standard tuning |
|
| static |
|
| stepwise |
|
| stoptime |
|
| storyline |
|
| stretch out |
|
| strength of player |
|
| subdivision |
|
| subdominant |
|
| substitution |
|
| swing |
|
| symmetrical scales |
|
| tag |
|
| taking it out |
|
| target chord |
|
| tear it up |
|
| techno |
|
| tempered |
|
| tempo |
|
| tensions |
|
| tertian |
|
| testimony |
|
| tetrachord |
|
| text |
|
| third and seventh |
|
| third degree |
|
| third inversion |
|
| time signature |
|
| tonal |
|
| tonal environment |
|
| tonality |
|
| tonal center |
|
| tonal gravity |
|
| tonal stability |
|
| tone row |
|
| tonic |
|
| tonic chord |
|
| top |
|
| top 40 |
|
| traditional harmony |
|
| train wreck |
|
| transcribe |
|
| transpose |
|
| treble clef |
|
| triad |
|
| triplets |
|
| tritone |
|
| tritone substitute |
|
| tune |
|
| turn |
|
| turnaround |
|
| 12 keys |
|
| two chord |
|
| up front |
|
| upper structure |
|
| vamp |
|
| vanilla |
|
| vehicle |
|
| verbiage |
|
| vertical |
|
| vibrato |
|
| voice leading |
|
| voicing |
|
| walking |
|
| waltz |
|
| whammy bar |
|
| well |
|
| western music |
|
| western harmony |
|
| whole step |
|
| whole tone |
|
| whole tone scale |
|
| wolf tones |
|
| woodshed |
|