A-Z of Music concepts

2

2, 3 or 4 beats in the bar

3

3 against 2

A

A cappella, A tempo, AB, ABA, Accelerando, Accented, Acciaccatura, Accidental, Accompanied, Accordion, Acoustic guitar, Adagio, Added 6th, African music, Alberti bass, Allegro, Alto, Anacrusis, Andante, Answer, Anthem, Antiphonal, Appoggiatura, Arco, Aria, Arpeggio, Ascending, Atonal, Augmentation, Augmented triad, Ayre/Air

B

Backing vocals, Bagpipes, Ballett, Baritone (voice), Baroque, Bass, Bass drum, Bass guitar, Basso continuo, Bassoon, Beat, Binary, Blowing, Blues, Bodhran, Bongo drums, Bothy ballad, Bowing, Brass, Brass band, Bridge, Broken chord

C

Cadence, Cadenza, Canon, Castanets, Cello, Celtic rock, Chamber music, Change of key, Choir, Chorale, Chord, Chord II and 1st inversion, Chord progressions (for National 4), Chord progressions (for National 5), Chords I, IV, V and VI in major and minor keys, Chorus, Chromatic, Clarinet, Clarsach, Classical, Cluster, Coda, Coloratura, Compound time, Compound time groupings, Con sordino, Concertino, Concerto, Concerto grosso, Consort, Contemporary jazz, Contrapuntal, Contrary motion, Counter melody, Countersubject, Countertenor, Crescendo, Cross rhythm, Crotchet, Cymbals

D

Da capo aria, Descant (voice), Descending, Diminished 7th, Diminuendo, Diminution, Discord, Distortion, Dominant 7th, Dotted crotchet, Dotted minim, Dotted quaver, Dotted rhythm, Double bass, Drone, Drum fill, Drum kit

E

Electric guitar, Electronic dance music, Episode, Exposition

F

Faster, Fiddle, Flute, Flutter tonguing, Folk groups, Forte, Fortissimo, French horn, Fugue

G

Gaelic psalms, Galliard, Glissando, Glockenspiel, Gospel, Grace note, Ground bass, Grouped semiquavers, Güiro

H

Harmonic minor scale, Harmonics, Harmony, Harp, Harpsichord, Hemiola, Hi hat cymbals, Homophonic

I

Imitation, Imperfect cadence, Impressionist, Improvisation, Indian, Interrupted cadence, Interval, Inversion, Inverted pedal, Irregular time signatures

J

Jazz, Jazz funk, Jig

L

Latin American, Leap/Leaping, Legato, Leitmotiv, Lied, Lines and spaces (treble clef), Lines and spaces (bass clef)

M

Madrigal, Major, March, Mass, Melismatic, Melodic minor scale, Mezzo forte, Mezzo piano, Mezzo soprano, Middle eight, Minim, Minimalist, Minor, Mode/modal, Moderato, Modulation, Mordent, Motet, Mouth music, Musical, Musique concrete, Muted

N

Nationalist, Neo-classical

O

Obbligato, Oboe, Octave, Off the beat, On the beat, Opera, Oratorio, Orchestra, Organ, Ornament, Ostinato

P

Paired quaver, Pan pipes, Passacaglia, Pause, Pavan, Pedal, Pentatonic, Percussion, Perfect cadence, Pianissimo, Piano (dynamics), Piano (instrument), Piano trio, Pibroch, Piccolo, Pitch bend, Pizzicato, Plagal cadence, Plainchant, Plucking, Polyphony/polyphonic, Polytonality/bitonality, Pop, Pulse

Q

Quaver, Question

R

Ragtime, Rallentando, Rapping, Recitative, Recorder, Reel, Reggae, Relative major/minor, Renaissance, Repeat sign, Repetition, Retrograde, Reverb, Riff, Ripieno, Ritardando, Ritornello, Rock, Rock 'n' roll, Roll, Romantic, Rondo, Round, Rubato

S

Saxophone, Scale, Scat singing, Scotch snap, Scots ballad, Scottish, Scottish dance band, Semibreve, Semiquaver, Semitone, Sequence, Serial, Sforzando, Simple time, Sitar, Slower, Snare drum, Solo, Sonata, Sonata form, Song cycle, Soprano, Soul music, Sprechgesang, Staccato, Steel band, Step/stepwise, Strathspey, Stretto, Striking, String quartet, Strings, Strophic, Strumming, Subject, Suspension, Swing, Syllabic, Symphony, Syncopation

T

Tabla, Tambourine, Tenor, Ternary, Theme and variation, Through-composed, Tierce de Picardie, Time changes, Timpani, Tone, Tone row/note row, Tremolando, Triangle, Trill, Tritone, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Turn

U

Unaccompanied, Unison

V

Vamp, Verse and chorus, Viola, Violin, Voice

W

Walking bass, Waltz, Waulking song, Whole-tone scale, Wind band, Woodwind

X

Xylophone