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Music glossary

Hundreds of musical terms explained simply: Italian tempo and dynamic markings, notation, harmony, form and guitar and bass techniques.

A

A piacere Tempo
At pleasure: the performer may play freely, especially in tempo, without strict time.
A tempo Tempo
Return to the main tempo after a change such as a ritardando or accelerando. Learn more →
A440 General
The standard tuning reference: the A above middle C (A4) at 440 Hz. Learn more →
AABA form Form
A song form of four sections, usually eight bars each: a main section heard twice, a contrasting bridge (B), and a return of A. Also called 32-bar form; standard in jazz standards.
Accelerando Tempo
Gradually getting faster. Abbreviated accel. Learn more →
Accent Articulation
Emphasis on a note, played louder or with a stronger attack than its neighbors. Shown by a > sign above or below the note.
Acciaccatura Notation
A very quick grace note, written small with a slash through its stem, crushed in just before or on the main note.
Accidental Notation
A sharp, flat or natural sign placed before a note that is not in the key signature. It applies to that pitch for the rest of the measure. Learn more →
Accompaniment General
The musical part that supports a melody or soloist, such as chords on guitar or piano.
Acoustic guitar Instruments
A guitar with a hollow body that projects sound without amplification, usually strung with steel strings.
Action Guitar
The height of the strings above the frets. Low action is easier to play but may buzz; high action needs more finger pressure.
Ad libitum Tempo
At the performer's discretion: tempo, repetition or content may be freely chosen. Abbreviated ad lib.; in pop and jazz it can also mean improvising freely.
Adagietto Tempo
Rather slow, a little faster than adagio, roughly 70-80 BPM. Learn more →
Adagio Tempo
Slow and at ease, roughly 66-76 BPM. Learn more →
Add chord Harmony
A chord with an extra note added without the notes between, such as Cadd9 (C-E-G-D), which has a 9th but no 7th. Learn more →
Affettuoso Expression
Tenderly, with warmth and affection.
Agitato Expression
Agitated, restless and excited.
Alberti bass Harmony
A broken-chord accompaniment pattern played lowest, highest, middle, highest (for example C-G-E-G), common in Classical-era keyboard music.
Alla breve Rhythm
Cut time: 2/2 meter, with the half note as the beat, so music is felt in two beats per measure. Written as a C with a vertical line through it. Learn more →
Allargando Tempo
Broadening: slowing down while keeping or increasing the volume and weight, typically near a climax or ending. Abbreviated allarg. Learn more →
Allegretto Tempo
Moderately fast and light, a little slower than allegro, roughly 100-128 BPM. Learn more →
Allegro Tempo
Fast, quick and bright, roughly 120-156 BPM. The most common marking for fast movements. Learn more →
Altered tension Harmony
An extension or fifth raised or lowered by a semitone, such as b9, #9, #11, b5/#5 or b13, typically on dominant chords to add tension. Learn more →
Alternate picking Guitar
Picking technique that strictly alternates downstrokes and upstrokes, regardless of string changes. Learn more →
Alto clef Notation
A C clef centered on the middle line of the staff, marking it as middle C. Used mainly by the viola. Learn more →
Amplifier Instruments
A device that makes an instrument's electrical signal loud enough to drive a speaker; guitar amps also shape the tone and can add distortion.
Andante Tempo
At a walking pace, moderately slow, roughly 76-108 BPM. Learn more →
Andantino Tempo
A diminutive of andante; today usually understood as slightly faster than andante, roughly 80-108 BPM. Older sources sometimes meant slightly slower, so context matters. Learn more →
Animato Expression
Animated, lively; often implies a slight increase in tempo.
Anticipation Melody
A non-chord note that arrives early, sounding a note of the next chord just before that chord begins.
Appassionato Expression
Passionately, with intense emotion.
Appoggiatura Notation
A leaning note: an ornamental note, usually a step above or below the main note, that falls on the beat and takes part of the main note's time before resolving.
Approach note Bass
A note, often a semitone above or below, played just before a target chord tone to lead smoothly into it. Essential in walking bass lines. Learn more →
Arco Articulation
With the bow: return to bowing after a pizzicato passage.
Arpeggiated chord Notation
A chord marked with a vertical wavy line, meaning roll the notes quickly from bottom to top instead of playing them together.
Arpeggio Harmony
The notes of a chord played one after another rather than together. Learn more →
Arrangement General
A version of a piece adapted for particular instruments or voices, including decisions about parts, voicings and structure.
Articulation Articulation
How individual notes are started, sustained and separated, for example legato, staccato or accented. Shown by symbols above or below the notes.
Artificial harmonic Guitar
A harmonic on a fretted note, made by touching the string a set distance above the fretted note (for example 12 frets higher) with the picking hand while plucking.
Assai Tempo
Very, as in allegro assai (very fast). Mostly used with tempo markings.
Audio interface Technology
Hardware that connects microphones and instruments to a computer, converting analog signals to digital and back, with low latency.
Augmented chord Harmony
A triad with a major third and an augmented fifth above the root (for example C-E-G#); it divides the octave into three equal major thirds. Learn more →
Augmented sixth chord Harmony
A predominant chord containing the interval of an augmented sixth that expands outward to the octave on the dominant. Common types are Italian, French and German sixths.
Authentic cadence Harmony
A cadence from the dominant to the tonic (V-I). With both chords in root position and the tonic in the melody on top, it is a perfect authentic cadence, the strongest ending. Learn more →

B

Backbeat Rhythm
Emphasis on beats 2 and 4 in 4/4 time, typically from the snare drum; the rhythmic foundation of rock, pop, soul and much more.
Bar line Notation
A vertical line through the staff that divides music into measures. Learn more →
Barre chord Guitar
A chord in which one finger presses several or all strings across a fret, acting like a movable nut, so one chord shape can be played anywhere on the neck. Learn more →
Bass clef Notation
The F clef: its two dots surround the fourth line from the bottom, marking it as the F below middle C. Used for bass guitar, cello, the piano's left hand and low voices. Learn more →
Bass guitar Instruments
A fretted string instrument tuned an octave below the lowest four strings of a guitar (E A D G), providing the low end and rhythmic foundation of a band. Learn more →
Beam Notation
A thick line connecting the stems of eighth notes or shorter values, grouping them by beat for easier reading. It replaces individual flags. Learn more →
Beat Rhythm
The steady pulse you tap your foot to; the basic unit of time in music. Learn more →
Bend Guitar
Pushing or pulling a string across the fretboard to raise its pitch, typically by a half step or a whole step. Shown in tab with a curved arrow and 'full' or '1/2'. Learn more →
Binary form Form
A two-part structure, AB, where each section is often repeated (AABB).
Bit depth Technology
The number of bits used for each audio sample, which determines dynamic range; 16-bit for CD, 24-bit common for recording.
Blue note Melody
A note sung or played slightly flat for expressive effect, especially the flat third, flat fifth and flat seventh in blues. Learn more →
Blues scale Melody
The minor pentatonic scale plus the flat fifth (1 b3 4 b5 5 b7), for example A C D Eb E G. Learn more →
Borrowed chord Harmony
A chord taken from the parallel key or mode, such as iv or bVII used in a major key. The technique is called modal interchange or modal mixture. Learn more →
Bottleneck slide Guitar
A glass or metal tube worn on a finger and glided along the strings (without pressing them to the frets) for smooth, vocal-like pitch changes. Often used with open tunings.
BPM Technology
Beats per minute: the unit used to measure tempo. 60 BPM means one beat per second. Learn more →
Breakdown Form
A section in which most instruments drop out or the arrangement is stripped down, often to rebuild energy afterward.
Breath mark Notation
A comma-like sign above the staff showing where a singer or wind player should breathe, or where any player should leave a short break.
Bridge Form
A contrasting section, usually appearing once or twice, that provides relief from repeated verses and choruses. In AABA form it is the B section.
Brillante Expression
Brilliantly, with a bright, sparkling sound.

C

Cadence Harmony
A chord progression that ends a phrase or section, like musical punctuation. Learn more →
Cadenza Form
A virtuosic solo passage, often improvised or in free time, typically near the end of a concerto movement.
Caesura Notation
Two slanted lines (often called railroad tracks) indicating a complete pause in the music before continuing.
CAGED system Guitar
A method of mapping the guitar neck through the five open-chord shapes C, A, G, E and D, which link together to cover the fretboard for any chord. Learn more →
Calando Dynamics
Decreasing: gradually softer and usually also slower.
Call and response Melody
A pattern in which one musical phrase (the call) is answered by another (the response), from a different performer or group. Deeply rooted in African and African-American music.
Canon Form
A piece in which one melody is imitated exactly by other voices starting later. A round is a canon that can repeat indefinitely.
Cantabile Expression
In a singing style: shape the melody smoothly and expressively, as a singer would.
Capo Guitar
A clamp placed across the fretboard that raises the pitch of all strings, letting you play familiar open-chord shapes in a higher key. Learn more →
Chord Harmony
Three or more different notes sounded together (or heard together as a unit when arpeggiated). Learn more →
Chord diagram Notation
A grid picture of the fretboard showing where to place the fingers for a chord, with dots for fretted notes, O for open strings and X for muted strings. Also called a chord box. Learn more →
Chord progression Harmony
A sequence of chords, often described with Roman numerals such as I-V-vi-IV. Learn more →
Chord symbol Notation
A shorthand name above the melody such as C, Am7 or G/B that tells players which chord to play, leaving the voicing up to them. Learn more →
Chorus Form
The repeated main section of a song, usually with the same lyrics each time and containing the hook. In jazz, one full pass through the form is also called a chorus.
Chorus effect Instruments
An effect that mixes the signal with slightly delayed, pitch-modulated copies, making one instrument sound shimmering or doubled.
Chromatic Harmony
Using notes outside the current key, or moving by semitones.
Chromatic scale Melody
A scale using all twelve notes of the octave, each a semitone apart. Learn more →
Circle of fifths Harmony
A diagram arranging the twelve keys so that each is a perfect fifth from its neighbors, showing key signatures and closely related keys at a glance. Learn more →
Classical guitar Instruments
An acoustic guitar with nylon strings and a wide neck, used for classical, flamenco and many fingerstyle styles.
Clave Rhythm
The repeating two-measure rhythmic key pattern of Afro-Cuban music (such as 3-2 son clave), around which the other parts are organized. Also the pair of wooden sticks that often plays it.
Clef Notation
A symbol at the start of a staff that fixes which pitch each line and space represents. Learn more →
Click track Technology
A metronome signal fed to performers' headphones during recording or live shows to keep everyone in time. Learn more →
Clipping Technology
Distortion that occurs when a signal exceeds the maximum level a system can handle; in digital recording it sounds harsh and should be avoided.
Close voicing Harmony
A voicing in which the chord tones are packed as close together as possible, usually within one octave.
Coda Notation
A closing section at the end of a piece. In notation, the coda symbol (a circle with a cross) marks where to jump with instructions like 'to coda' or D.S. al coda.
Col legno Articulation
With the wood: string players strike or draw the strings with the wooden stick of the bow instead of the hair.
Colla voce Tempo
With the voice: the accompanist follows the soloist's flexible timing.
Common time Rhythm
Another name for 4/4, written with a C symbol in place of the numbers. Learn more →
Comping General
Short for accompanying or complementing: playing chords rhythmically behind a soloist, especially in jazz.
Compound meter Rhythm
A meter in which each beat divides naturally into three equal parts, such as 6/8 (two dotted-quarter beats), 9/8 and 12/8. Learn more →
Compressor Technology
A device or plug-in that reduces the difference between loud and soft parts of a signal, evening out levels and increasing sustain.
Con anima Expression
With soul or with life: spirited and heartfelt.
Con brio Expression
With spirit and vigor, energetically.
Con fuoco Expression
With fire: fiery and passionate.
Con moto Expression
With motion: keep the music moving forward, slightly faster than the basic tempo word would suggest.
Concert pitch General
The actual sounding pitch, as opposed to the written pitch of a transposing instrument; also the tuning standard A = 440 Hz.
Concerto Form
A work for one or more solo instruments and orchestra, typically in three movements.
Consonance Harmony
A combination of notes that sounds stable and at rest, such as octaves, fifths, thirds and sixths. Learn more →
Contour Melody
The overall shape of a melody: how it rises, falls, arches or stays level.
Countermelody Melody
A secondary melody played at the same time as the main melody, complementing it.
Counterpoint Harmony
The art of combining independent melodic lines that sound good together while keeping their own shape and rhythm.
Courtesy accidental Notation
An accidental that is not strictly required but is printed as a reminder, often in parentheses, for example after a bar line cancels an earlier accidental.
Crescendo Dynamics
Gradually getting louder. Written cresc. or as an opening hairpin (<). Learn more →

D

Da capo (D.C.) Notation
From the head: go back to the beginning of the piece.
Dal segno (D.S.) Notation
From the sign: go back to the segno symbol and play from there.
DAW Technology
Digital audio workstation: software for recording, editing, arranging, mixing and producing audio and MIDI on a computer.
D.C. al coda Notation
Go back to the beginning, play until the 'to coda' mark, then jump to the coda section.
D.C. al fine Notation
Go back to the beginning and play until the word Fine.
Dead note Guitar
A percussive, pitchless sound made by picking a string that the fretting hand touches but does not press down. Shown as x in tab. Learn more →
Deceptive cadence Harmony
A cadence in which the dominant moves to a chord other than the tonic, most often vi, surprising the ear. Learn more →
Decibel Technology
dB: a logarithmic unit for comparing sound levels or signal strengths; an increase of about 10 dB is perceived as roughly twice as loud.
Decrescendo Dynamics
Gradually getting softer. Written decresc. or as a closing hairpin (>); means the same as diminuendo. Learn more →
Delay Instruments
An effect that repeats the signal after a set time, creating echoes. The time can often be synced to the tempo.
Development Form
The middle section of sonata form, in which themes are fragmented, transformed and passed through several keys.
DI box Instruments
Direct injection box: converts an instrument's high-impedance signal to a balanced, low-impedance signal suitable for a mixing desk or audio interface.
Diatonic Harmony
Using only the notes of the current key or scale. Diatonic chords are those built from the scale's own notes. Learn more →
Diminished chord Harmony
A triad with a minor third and a diminished fifth above the root (for example B-D-F); tense and unstable. Learn more →
Diminished scale Melody
A symmetrical eight-note scale of alternating whole and half steps (whole-half) or half and whole steps (half-whole, used over dominant 7b9 chords). Learn more →
Diminished seventh chord Harmony
A diminished triad with a diminished seventh, made entirely of stacked minor thirds (for example B-D-F-Ab). It is symmetrical, so it repeats every three frets. Learn more →
Diminuendo Dynamics
Gradually getting softer. Written dim.; equivalent to decrescendo. Learn more →
Dissonance Harmony
A combination of notes that sounds tense or unstable and seems to need resolution, such as seconds, sevenths and the tritone. Learn more →
Distortion Instruments
An effect that clips the audio signal to produce a thicker, more aggressive and sustaining sound than overdrive.
Divisi Expression
Divided: players of one section split into groups to play the separate notes written on their part. Abbreviated div.
Dolce Expression
Sweetly, with a gentle, tender tone.
Dominant Harmony
The fifth degree of the scale and the chord built on it (V). It creates tension that wants to resolve to the tonic. Learn more →
Dominant seventh chord Harmony
A major triad with a minor seventh (for example G-B-D-F, written G7). It contains a tritone and strongly pulls toward the tonic chord a fifth below. Learn more →
Doppio movimento Tempo
Twice as fast as the preceding tempo.
Dorian mode Melody
The second mode of the major scale: a minor scale with a raised sixth (for example D E F G A B C), with a jazzy or folky minor sound. Learn more →
Dotted note Notation
A dot after a note or rest adds half of its value: a dotted half note lasts three beats in 4/4. A second dot (double dot) adds a further quarter of the original value. Learn more →
Dotted rhythm Rhythm
A long-short pattern made from a dotted note followed by a shorter note, such as a dotted eighth and a sixteenth. Learn more →
Double bar line Notation
Two vertical lines marking the end of a section. A thin line followed by a thick one (final bar line) marks the end of the piece.
Double bass Instruments
The largest and lowest bowed string instrument, also called upright or contrabass, played with a bow or plucked; tuned E A D G like the bass guitar.
Double flat Notation
The symbol bb that lowers a note by two semitones, for example B double flat sounds like A.
Double sharp Notation
A symbol (shaped like an x) that raises a note by two semitones, for example F double sharp sounds like G.
Double stop Guitar
Playing two notes at the same time, typically on adjacent strings.
Double-time feel Rhythm
A groove that makes the music feel twice as fast while the underlying tempo and chord changes stay the same.
Downbeat Rhythm
The first beat of a measure, normally the strongest. Also the downward motion of a conductor's hand. Learn more →
Drop 2 voicing Harmony
A four-note voicing made by taking a close voicing and dropping its second-highest note down an octave. Very common for jazz guitar and piano.
Drop D tuning Guitar
Standard tuning with the low E string lowered a whole step to D (D A D G B E), allowing one-finger power chords on the lowest three strings. Learn more →
Drum kit Instruments
A set of drums and cymbals played by one person, usually a bass (kick) drum, snare drum, toms, hi-hat, crash and ride cymbals.
Drum machine Technology
An electronic instrument that plays programmed drum patterns using synthesized or sampled sounds.
D.S. al coda Notation
Go back to the segno sign, play until the 'to coda' mark, then jump to the coda section.
D.S. al fine Notation
Go back to the segno sign and play until the word Fine.
Duple meter Rhythm
Meter with two beats per measure, such as 2/4, 2/2 or 6/8. Learn more →
Duplet Rhythm
Two notes played in the time of three of the same value, used in compound meters such as 6/8.
Dynamic range General
The difference between the softest and loudest sounds of a performance, instrument or recording.
Dynamics Dynamics
The loudness or softness of music and the markings that indicate it, such as p, mf and f, plus gradual changes like crescendo. Learn more →

E

Ear training General
Practice that develops the ability to recognize intervals, chords, rhythms and melodies by ear. Learn more →
Economy picking Guitar
Picking that alternates on one string but uses a single continuing stroke when moving to an adjacent string in the same direction.
Effects pedal Instruments
A foot-operated unit placed between instrument and amplifier that alters the sound, for example with distortion, delay or chorus. Also called a stompbox.
Eighth note Rhythm
A filled note with one flag or beam, lasting half a quarter note. Also called a quaver. Learn more →
Electric guitar Instruments
A guitar that uses pickups to convert string vibrations into a signal for an amplifier; its tone depends heavily on the amplifier and effects.
Energico Expression
Energetically, with vigor.
Enharmonic General
Describes notes, intervals or keys that sound the same but are written differently, such as F# and Gb. Learn more →
EQ (equalizer) Technology
A tool that boosts or cuts specific frequency ranges to shape the tone of a sound.
Equal temperament General
The standard Western tuning system that divides the octave into twelve exactly equal semitones, so every key sounds equally in tune.
Espressivo Expression
Expressively, with feeling. Abbreviated espress. or espr.
Etude Form
A study: a piece composed to develop a specific technical skill. Learn more →
Exposition Form
The opening section of sonata form, presenting the main themes, the second usually in the dominant or relative major key.
Extension Harmony
A chord tone beyond the seventh, namely the 9th, 11th or 13th, stacked further in thirds above the root. Learn more →

F

Feedback Guitar
A sustained tone or howl created when the sound from an amplifier causes the strings or pickups to vibrate further, forming a loop. Used deliberately in rock, avoided in live sound.
Fermata Notation
A symbol (an arc over a dot) telling the performer to hold a note or rest longer than its written value, at their discretion.
Figured bass Notation
A Baroque shorthand in which numbers written under a bass line indicate the intervals, and so the chords, to be played above it.
Fine Notation
End: marks where the piece finishes after a D.C. or D.S. jump.
Fingerpicking Guitar
Plucking the strings with the fingertips or nails (and thumb) instead of a pick. Also called fingerstyle.
First and second endings Notation
Bracketed endings (also called volta brackets) over the last measures of a repeated section: play the first ending the first time, skip it and play the second ending on the repeat.
Five-string bass Bass
A bass guitar with an extra string, usually a low B below the E (B E A D G), extending the range downward.
Flag Notation
The curved tail on the stem of a single eighth note or shorter value; each flag halves the duration. Learn more →
Flat Notation
The symbol b that lowers a note by one semitone (one fret on guitar). Learn more →
Floating thumb Bass
A bass muting technique in which the plucking hand's thumb rests across the lower strings, moving with the hand to keep unused strings silent. Learn more →
Form Form
The overall structure of a piece: how its sections are arranged, repeated and contrasted.
Forte Dynamics
Loud. Written f. Learn more →
Fortepiano Dynamics
Play the note loud and then immediately soft. Written fp. Learn more →
Fortissimo Dynamics
Very loud. Written ff. Learn more →
Fortississimo Dynamics
Extremely loud, louder than fortissimo. Written fff. Learn more →
Frequency General
The number of vibrations per second of a sound, measured in hertz (Hz). Doubling the frequency raises the pitch by one octave. Learn more →
Fret Guitar
A metal strip across the fingerboard; pressing a string just behind a fret shortens it to sound a specific pitch. Each fret is one semitone. Learn more →
Fretboard Guitar
The front surface of the neck where the frets are, on which notes are fingered. Also called the fingerboard. Learn more →
Fretless bass Bass
A bass guitar with a smooth fingerboard and no frets, allowing slides and a singing, upright-like tone but requiring precise intonation.
Fugue Form
A contrapuntal composition in which a subject is introduced by one voice and then imitated by other voices at different pitch levels.
Functional harmony Harmony
The idea that chords have roles within a key: tonic (rest), subdominant or predominant (departure) and dominant (tension that resolves). Learn more →
Fuzz Instruments
An extreme, buzzy form of distortion that squares off the waveform heavily.

G

Gain Technology
The amount of amplification applied to a signal, especially at the input stage. On guitar amps, high gain pushes the preamp into distortion.
Ghost note Articulation
A note played very softly or muted so it is felt more than heard, adding rhythmic texture. Notated with parentheses or an x notehead; common on drums, bass and guitar.
Giocoso Expression
Playfully, merrily.
Glissando Articulation
A continuous slide from one pitch to another. On piano or harp it sweeps through the notes in between; on fretless or bowed instruments it can be fully smooth.
Grace note Notation
A small ornamental note printed before a main note; it takes very little time and is not counted in the rhythm of the measure.
Grand staff Notation
A treble staff and a bass staff joined by a brace, used for piano, harp and other wide-range instruments. Middle C sits between them. Learn more →
Grave Tempo
Very slow and solemn, roughly 25-45 BPM. It describes a serious, heavy character as well as a speed. Learn more →
Grazioso Expression
Gracefully, elegantly.
Groove Rhythm
The overall rhythmic feel of a piece created by the interaction of the rhythm section; also a repeated rhythmic pattern that makes music feel good to move to.

H

Hairpin Dynamics
The wedge-shaped symbol for a crescendo (opening) or decrescendo (closing), spanning the notes over which the change happens. Learn more →
Half cadence Harmony
A cadence that ends on the dominant (V), sounding like a comma or question that needs to continue. Learn more →
Half note Rhythm
A hollow note with a stem, lasting half a whole note: two beats in 4/4. Also called a minim. Learn more →
Half-diminished chord Harmony
A diminished triad with a minor seventh (for example B-D-F-A), written m7b5 or with a slashed circle. It is the ii chord in minor keys. Learn more →
Half-time feel Rhythm
A groove that makes the music feel half as fast while the chord changes keep the same tempo, typically by moving the backbeat from beats 2 and 4 to beat 3.
Hammer-on Guitar
Sounding a higher note on the same string by bringing a fretting finger down sharply onto the fret, without picking again. Marked H in tab. Learn more →
Harmonic minor scale Melody
The natural minor scale with a raised seventh degree, which creates a leading tone and a characteristic augmented second between degrees 6 and 7. Learn more →
Harmonic rhythm Harmony
The rate at which chords change, for example one chord per measure or two per measure.
Harmonic series General
The set of frequencies that sound together in a natural tone: the fundamental plus overtones at whole-number multiples of it. Their balance gives an instrument its timbre.
Harmony Harmony
Notes sounding together and the way chords are built and connected over time. Learn more →
Hemiola Rhythm
A rhythmic device in which two groups of three beats are re-accented as three groups of two (or the reverse), for example making two measures of 3/4 feel like one measure of 3/2.
Homophony General
A texture with one main melody supported by chordal accompaniment.
Hook Form
The catchiest, most memorable part of a song, often in the chorus.
Humbucker Guitar
A pickup with two coils wired to cancel hum, giving a thicker, warmer and usually louder tone than a single coil.
Hybrid picking Guitar
Using a pick and the remaining free fingers of the picking hand at the same time.

I

ii-V-I Harmony
The progression from the supertonic through the dominant to the tonic (for example Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 in C), the most important cadence in jazz. Learn more →
Improvisation Melody
Creating music spontaneously while performing, usually within a given structure such as a chord progression or scale.
Interlude Form
An instrumental passage between sections of a song or between larger works.
Interval General
The distance between two notes, named by number (second, third, fifth...) and quality (major, minor, perfect, augmented, diminished). Learn more →
Intonation Guitar
How accurately an instrument plays in tune along the neck. On guitar it is adjusted at the saddles so the 12th-fret note matches the 12th-fret harmonic; for singers and string players it means pitch accuracy. Learn more →
Intro Form
The opening section of a song before the first verse.
Inversion Harmony
A chord voiced with a note other than the root in the bass. First inversion has the third in the bass, second inversion the fifth, third inversion the seventh. Learn more →

K

Key Harmony
The tonal center of a piece together with the scale built on it, for example G major or E minor. Learn more →
Key signature Notation
The group of sharps or flats placed after the clef that apply to every occurrence of those notes, indicating the key of the piece. Learn more →

L

Lamentoso Expression
Lamenting, plaintive and sorrowful.
Larghetto Tempo
Rather broad; a little less slow than largo, roughly 60-66 BPM. Learn more →
Larghissimo Tempo
The slowest tempo marking: extremely slow, roughly 24 BPM or below. Learn more →
Largo Tempo
Very slow and broad, roughly 40-60 BPM. Learn more →
Latency Technology
The delay between playing a note and hearing it back through a digital system. Low latency (a few milliseconds) is essential for recording and live monitoring.
Lead sheet Notation
A compact score showing only the melody, chord symbols and sometimes lyrics; musicians create their own accompaniment from it. Standard in jazz and pop.
Leading tone Harmony
The seventh degree of the major scale, a semitone below the tonic, which pulls strongly upward to it. Learn more →
Leap Melody
Melodic motion by an interval larger than a step, such as a third or more. Also called a skip or disjunct motion. Learn more →
Ledger line Notation
A short extra line added above or below the staff to write notes beyond its range. Learn more →
Legato Articulation
Smoothly connected, with no audible gap between notes. Usually indicated by a slur.
Leggiero Expression
Lightly, with a delicate touch. Also spelled leggero.
Lento Tempo
Slow, roughly 45-60 BPM; close to largo in speed but without the sense of breadth. Learn more →
Lick Melody
A short melodic phrase or stock pattern used in solos and improvisation.
L'istesso tempo Tempo
The same tempo: the beat stays the same speed even though the time signature or beat unit changes. Learn more →
Loco Notation
In place: return to the written pitch after an ottava passage.
Loop Technology
A section of audio or MIDI repeated seamlessly; also a practice technique of repeating a difficult passage.
Looper Instruments
A pedal or software that records a phrase and plays it back repeatedly so you can layer parts or practice over it.

M

Ma non troppo Tempo
But not too much, as in allegro ma non troppo (fast, but not too fast).
Maestoso Expression
Majestically, in a stately and dignified way.
Major chord Harmony
A triad with a major third and a perfect fifth above the root (for example C-E-G); generally heard as bright or stable. Learn more →
Major scale Melody
The seven-note scale with the step pattern whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half, for example C D E F G A B. Learn more →
Major seventh chord Harmony
A major triad with a major seventh (for example C-E-G-B, written Cmaj7); a smooth, mellow sound. Learn more →
Marcato Articulation
Marked: strongly accented, more forcefully than a normal accent. Shown by a ^ sign above the note.
Mastering Technology
The final stage of audio production, preparing a mixed track for release by adjusting overall tone, loudness and consistency across tracks.
Measure Notation
A segment of music between two bar lines containing the number of beats set by the time signature. Also called a bar. Learn more →
Mediant Harmony
The third degree of the scale and the chord built on it (iii in major). Learn more →
Melodic minor scale Melody
A minor scale with raised sixth and seventh degrees. In classical practice it reverts to natural minor when descending; in jazz the ascending form is used both ways. Learn more →
Melody Melody
A sequence of single notes heard as a recognizable musical line, combining pitch and rhythm.
Meno mosso Tempo
Less motion: a little slower than the preceding tempo. Learn more →
Mesto Expression
Sadly, mournfully.
Meter Rhythm
The organization of beats into a repeating pattern of strong and weak beats, shown by the time signature. Learn more →
Metronome Instruments
A device or app that produces a steady click at a chosen tempo, used to practice keeping time. Learn more →
Metronome mark Tempo
A tempo indication such as 'quarter note = 96' that states exactly how many beats of a given note value occur per minute. Older scores may write it as M.M. (Maelzel's Metronome). Learn more →
Mezzo-forte Dynamics
Moderately loud, a little softer than forte. Written mf. Learn more →
Mezzo-piano Dynamics
Moderately soft, a little louder than piano. Written mp. Learn more →
Middle C Notation
The C near the center of the piano keyboard, written C4 in scientific pitch notation. It lies on one ledger line below the treble staff or above the bass staff. Learn more →
MIDI Technology
Musical Instrument Digital Interface: a standard protocol that transmits performance data such as notes, velocity and controller movements between instruments and computers. It carries instructions, not audio.
MIDI controller Technology
A keyboard, pad or other device that sends MIDI data to control software or hardware instruments, usually making no sound itself.
Minor chord Harmony
A triad with a minor third and a perfect fifth above the root (for example A-C-E); generally heard as darker than major. Learn more →
Minor seventh chord Harmony
A minor triad with a minor seventh (for example D-F-A-C, written Dm7). Learn more →
Misterioso Expression
Mysteriously.
Mixing Technology
Combining recorded tracks into a final stereo (or surround) version by balancing levels and applying EQ, panning, compression and effects.
Mixolydian mode Melody
The fifth mode of the major scale: a major scale with a lowered seventh (for example G A B C D E F), fitting dominant seventh chords. Learn more →
Mode Melody
A scale formed by starting a parent scale on a different degree. The seven modes of the major scale are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Learn more →
Moderato Tempo
At a moderate speed, roughly 108-120 BPM. Often combined with other words, as in allegro moderato (moderately fast). Learn more →
Modulation Harmony
Changing from one key to another within a piece, so a new tonic is established. Learn more →
Molto Tempo
Very or much, as in molto allegro (very fast) or molto rit. (slow down a lot).
Monophony General
A texture consisting of a single melodic line with no accompaniment.
Mordent Notation
A quick ornament: the main note, the note a step above (upper mordent) or below (lower mordent), and back to the main note.
Morendo Dynamics
Dying away: gradually getting softer and often slower until the sound almost disappears.
Motif Melody
A short, distinctive musical idea of a few notes that is repeated and developed throughout a piece.
Movement Form
A self-contained section of a larger work such as a sonata, symphony or suite.
Multimeasure rest Notation
A thick horizontal bar with a number above it, showing how many full measures of rest to count.
Multitrack recording Technology
Recording separate instruments or takes on individual tracks so each can be edited and mixed independently.
Muscle memory General
The ability to perform movements automatically after repetition; built most effectively through slow, accurate practice. Learn more →

N

Nashville number system Notation
A chart method that writes chords as numbers (1, 4, 5, 6-) relative to the key, so a band can play the same chart in any key. Learn more →
Natural Notation
The symbol that cancels a previous sharp or flat, returning the note to its unaltered pitch. Learn more →
Natural harmonic Guitar
A bell-like tone produced by lightly touching an open string directly above certain frets (such as 12, 7 or 5) and picking, without pressing the string down.
Natural minor scale Melody
The seven-note scale with the pattern whole-half-whole-whole-half-whole-whole, for example A B C D E F G. Identical to the Aeolian mode. Learn more →
Neapolitan chord Harmony
A major chord built on the lowered second scale degree (bII), usually in first inversion, functioning as a predominant (for example Db major in C).
Neighbor tone Melody
A non-chord note a step above or below a chord tone that leaves and returns to that same chord tone.
Niente Dynamics
Nothing: used with a decrescendo to mean fade to complete silence (al niente), or with a crescendo to mean start from silence (dal niente).
Non legato Articulation
Not connected, but not as short as staccato: each note is slightly separated.
Note General
A single musical sound with a specific pitch and duration, or the symbol that represents it. Learn more →
Notehead Notation
The oval part of a note; its position on the staff gives the pitch, and whether it is filled or hollow helps show the duration. Learn more →
Nut Guitar
The slotted piece at the headstock end of the fingerboard that guides the strings and sets their height at the first fret.

O

Octave General
The interval between one note and the next note with the same name, twelve semitones higher or lower. The higher note has double the frequency. Learn more →
Odd meter Rhythm
A meter with an irregular number of beats or uneven beat groupings, such as 5/4 or 7/8 (often felt as 2+2+3). Also called asymmetric meter. Learn more →
Offbeat Rhythm
The parts of the measure between the main beats, such as the 'and' of each beat in eighth notes. Learn more →
Open chord Guitar
A chord in the first few frets that includes one or more open strings, such as C, G, D, Am and E. Learn more →
Open string Guitar
A string played without any fret pressed; marked 0 in tab. Learn more →
Open tuning Guitar
A tuning in which the open strings form a chord, such as open G (D G D G B D) or open D (D A D F# A D). Popular for slide and folk. Learn more →
Open voicing Harmony
A voicing in which the chord tones are spread over more than an octave, giving a wider, more spacious sound.
Ornament Melody
A decoration added to a melody note, such as a trill, mordent, turn or grace note.
Ostinato Melody
A short musical pattern repeated persistently, often in the bass, while other parts change.
Ottava (8va) Notation
Play the bracketed notes an octave higher (8va above the staff) or an octave lower (8vb below), avoiding many ledger lines. 15ma means two octaves.
Outro Form
The closing section of a song; often a repeat of the chorus or a fade-out.
Overdrive Instruments
A mild, warm distortion produced by pushing an amplifier or pedal beyond its clean range, responsive to how hard you play.
Overdub Technology
Recording a new part on top of tracks that are already recorded, while listening to them.
Overtone General
Any frequency above the fundamental that sounds as part of a musical tone; part of the harmonic series.

P

Palm muting Guitar
Resting the edge of the picking hand lightly on the strings near the bridge to produce a tight, percussive, muted sound. Marked P.M. in tab.
Panning Technology
Positioning a sound between the left and right speakers in a stereo mix.
Parallel fifths Harmony
Two voices moving in the same direction while remaining a perfect fifth apart. Avoided in classical part-writing, but central to power-chord rock. Learn more →
Parallel key Harmony
A major and a minor key that share the same tonic, such as C major and C minor. Learn more →
Passing tone Melody
A non-chord note that connects two chord tones by step, filling in the gap between them.
Pedal point Harmony
A note sustained or repeated (usually in the bass) while the harmony above it changes, often creating tension and then release.
Pentatonic scale Melody
A five-note scale. The major pentatonic is degrees 1 2 3 5 6 of the major scale; the minor pentatonic is 1 b3 4 5 b7 of the minor scale. Learn more →
Perdendosi Dynamics
Losing itself: gradually fading away to nothing.
Perfect fifth General
The interval of seven semitones, such as C to G; the most consonant interval after the octave and the basis of the circle of fifths. Learn more →
Perfect pitch General
The rare ability to name or sing a note without any reference pitch. Also called absolute pitch.
Period Form
Two phrases forming a pair, an antecedent (question) and a consequent (answer), where the second ends with a stronger cadence.
Pesante Expression
Heavily, with weight on each note.
Phrase Melody
A musical sentence: a passage with a sense of beginning and end, usually closing with a cadence. Phrases are often four or eight measures long.
Pianissimo Dynamics
Very soft. Written pp. Learn more →
Pianississimo Dynamics
Extremely soft, softer than pianissimo. Written ppp. Learn more →
Piano (instrument) Instruments
A keyboard instrument in which keys trigger felt hammers to strike strings; a standard piano has 88 keys from A0 to C8. Learn more →
Piano (p) Dynamics
Soft. Written p. (The instrument's name is short for pianoforte, soft-loud.) Learn more →
Picardy third Harmony
Ending a piece in a minor key on a major tonic chord instead of the expected minor one.
Pick Guitar
A small flat piece of plastic or other material held in the picking hand to strike the strings. Also called a plectrum.
Pickup Guitar
A device under the strings of an electric guitar or bass that converts string vibrations into an electrical signal for the amplifier.
Pickup (anacrusis) Rhythm
One or more notes before the first full measure of a piece or phrase. The pickup measure is incomplete, and the final measure is often shortened to balance it. Learn more →
Pinch harmonic Guitar
A squealing harmonic produced by letting the side of the picking thumb graze the string just after the pick strikes it. Common in rock and metal with distortion.
Pitch General
How high or low a sound is, determined by the frequency of its vibration. Learn more →
Più mosso Tempo
More motion: a little faster than the preceding tempo. Learn more →
Pivot chord Harmony
A chord belonging to both the old and the new key, used as a smooth bridge in a modulation.
Pizzicato Articulation
On bowed string instruments, plucking the strings with the fingers instead of using the bow. Abbreviated pizz.
Plagal cadence Harmony
A cadence from the subdominant to the tonic (IV-I), often called the 'Amen' cadence. Learn more →
Plug-in Technology
A software instrument or effect that runs inside a DAW, in formats such as VST, AU or AAX.
Pocket Rhythm
Playing 'in the pocket' means locking tightly and consistently with the groove, especially bass with drums. Learn more →
Poco Tempo
A little. Modifies another term, as in poco rit. (slow down a little) or poco più mosso (a little faster).
Poco a poco Tempo
Little by little: the change indicated (for example crescendo or accelerando) happens gradually.
Polymeter Rhythm
Two or more meters used at the same time, for example a 3-beat pattern repeating against a 4-beat pattern, so the parts realign only every 12 beats.
Polyphony General
A texture of two or more independent melodic lines sounding at the same time.
Polyrhythm Rhythm
Two or more conflicting rhythms played at the same time, such as three against two, where the groupings do not share the same subdivision. Also called cross-rhythm.
Pop Bass
A bass technique in which a finger hooks under a string and pulls it away so it snaps back against the frets, normally used together with slap. Learn more →
Portamento Articulation
A smooth, expressive slide between two notes, usually brief, common in singing and string playing.
Portato Articulation
Between legato and staccato: notes are gently separated but kept smooth. Shown by dots or tenuto lines under a slur; also called mezzo-staccato.
Power chord Harmony
A two-note chord of root and fifth (often with the octave added), written as C5. It has no third, so it is neither major nor minor; a staple of rock guitar. Learn more →
Pre-bend Guitar
Bending a string to the target pitch before picking it, then usually releasing it to drop to the lower note.
Pre-chorus Form
A short section between verse and chorus that builds anticipation for the chorus.
Prestissimo Tempo
As fast as possible; the fastest standard tempo marking, above roughly 200 BPM. Learn more →
Presto Tempo
Very fast, roughly 168-200 BPM. Learn more →
Pull-off Guitar
Sounding a lower note on the same string by pulling the fretting finger off the string with a slight sideways pluck, without picking again. Marked P in tab. Learn more →
Pulse Rhythm
The regular, recurring stream of beats underlying the music, felt even when no note is played. Learn more →
Push (anticipation) Rhythm
Playing a chord or note slightly before the beat where it would normally fall, typically an eighth note early and tied over, creating forward drive.

Q

Quadruple meter Rhythm
Meter with four beats per measure, such as 4/4 or 12/8. Learn more →
Quantization Technology
Automatically moving recorded MIDI notes or audio hits to the nearest point of a rhythmic grid to tighten the timing.
Quarter note Rhythm
A filled note with a stem, lasting one beat in 4/4. Also called a crotchet. Learn more →

R

Raking Bass
Using the same plucking finger for consecutive notes when moving to the next lower-pitched (thicker) string: after a rest stroke the finger is already there, which saves motion in descending lines.
Rallentando Tempo
Gradually slowing down, often with a sense of relaxing. Abbreviated rall.; in practice used much like ritardando. Learn more →
Range Melody
The span from the lowest to the highest note of a melody, voice or instrument.
Recapitulation Form
The section of sonata form that brings back the themes of the exposition, now all in the home key.
Refrain Form
A line or passage that recurs at the end of each verse.
Relative key Harmony
A major and a minor key that share the same key signature, such as C major and A minor. The relative minor's tonic is the sixth degree of the major scale. Learn more →
Relative pitch General
The ability to identify a note by its relationship to a known reference note. It can be developed by anyone through ear training. Learn more →
Repeat sign Notation
A double bar line with two dots that marks a passage to be played again. Music between facing repeat signs is repeated; with only a closing sign, repeat from the beginning.
Resolution Harmony
The movement of a dissonant note or chord to a consonant one, releasing tension.
Rest Notation
A symbol for silence of a specific duration. Each note value has a matching rest. Learn more →
Reverb Instruments
An effect that simulates the reflections of a room, hall or spring, adding a sense of space.
Rhythm Rhythm
The pattern of long and short sounds and silences in time. Learn more →
Rhythm section General
The instruments that provide the harmonic and rhythmic foundation of a band, usually drums, bass, guitar and keyboard.
Riff Melody
A short repeated phrase, often on guitar or bass, that forms the backbone of a song.
Rinforzando Dynamics
Reinforcing: a sudden emphasis on a few notes or a short phrase. Written rfz or rf.
Risoluto Expression
Resolutely, boldly and decisively.
Ritardando Tempo
Gradually getting slower. Abbreviated rit. or ritard. Learn more →
Ritenuto Tempo
Held back: an immediate (not gradual) slowing of the tempo. Abbreviated riten. Learn more →
Roman numeral analysis Notation
Labeling chords by the scale degree of their root, such as I, IV, V (uppercase for major, lowercase for minor), so progressions can be described independently of key. Learn more →
Rondo Form
A form in which a main theme (A) returns between contrasting episodes, as in ABACA or ABACABA.
Root position Harmony
A chord with its root as the lowest note. Learn more →
Root-fifth pattern Bass
A basic bass pattern that alternates between the root and the fifth of each chord, common in country, folk and rock. Learn more →
Rubato Tempo
Flexible tempo: the performer slightly speeds up and slows down for expressive purposes while keeping the overall pulse. From the Italian 'tempo rubato', stolen time. Learn more →

S

Saddle Guitar
The part of the bridge on which the strings rest; its position sets the intonation and its height the action.
Sample rate Technology
The number of times per second an audio signal is measured when recorded digitally, such as 44.1 kHz (CD) or 48 kHz (video).
Sampler Technology
An instrument that plays back recorded sounds (samples), mapped to keys or pads and often pitch-shifted.
Scale Melody
A set of notes arranged in ascending or descending order of pitch, defined by its pattern of intervals. Learn more →
Scale degree Melody
The position of a note within a scale, numbered from the tonic (1) upward; also named tonic, supertonic, mediant and so on. Learn more →
Scale length Instruments
The vibrating length of the strings from nut to saddle, which affects string tension and fret spacing; for example about 25.5 in (648 mm) on many electric guitars and 34 in (864 mm) on a standard bass.
Scale position Guitar
A fingering pattern that covers a scale within a span of about four or five frets, also called a box shape; several positions together cover the whole neck. Learn more →
Scherzando Expression
Playfully, in a joking manner.
Scientific pitch notation Notation
A naming system that adds an octave number to the letter name, such as A4 (440 Hz) or C4 (middle C). The number increases at each C. Learn more →
Score Notation
Written music showing all the parts of a piece together, one staff (or group of staves) per instrument or voice.
Secondary dominant Harmony
A dominant chord that resolves to a diatonic chord other than the tonic. Written V/x, for example V/V (D7 going to G in C major). Learn more →
Segno Notation
The sign (a stylized S with a slash and two dots) that marks the point to jump back to when a D.S. instruction appears.
Semitone General
The smallest interval in Western music: the distance between adjacent piano keys or adjacent frets. Also called a half step. Learn more →
Semplice Expression
Simply, without added ornament or exaggerated expression.
Sempre Expression
Always, throughout, as in sempre legato or sempre forte.
Sequence Melody
The repetition of a melodic or harmonic pattern at a higher or lower pitch level. Learn more →
Sequencer Technology
A device or software that records, edits and plays back sequences of notes or events, usually as MIDI.
Seventh chord Harmony
A triad with an added seventh above the root. Main types: major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, half-diminished (m7b5) and diminished 7th. Learn more →
Sforzando Dynamics
A sudden strong accent on a single note or chord. Written sfz or sf; sforzato means the same. Learn more →
Sharp Notation
The symbol # that raises a note by one semitone (one fret on guitar). Learn more →
Shell voicing Harmony
A minimal voicing using only the root, third and seventh, which define the chord quality. Widely used in jazz comping.
Shuffle Rhythm
A groove built on a triplet-based long-short eighth-note pattern, common in blues and rock; closely related to swing.
Sight-reading General
Performing written music at first sight, without prior practice. Learn more →
Simile Notation
Continue in the same way: keep using the articulation, pedaling or pattern just shown without it being written out again.
Simple meter Rhythm
A meter in which each beat divides naturally into two equal parts, such as 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. Learn more →
Single-coil pickup Guitar
A pickup with one coil of wire, giving a bright, clear tone but susceptible to electrical hum.
Sixteenth note Rhythm
A filled note with two flags or beams, lasting a quarter of a quarter note. Also called a semiquaver. Learn more →
Slap Bass
A bass technique in which the side of the thumb strikes the string against the last frets, producing a percussive, bright attack. Usually combined with popping. Learn more →
Slash chord Harmony
A chord symbol like C/E or D/F#: the letter before the slash is the chord, the letter after is the bass note. Used for inversions and moving bass lines. Learn more →
Slide Guitar
Moving a fretting finger along the string from one fret to another while it keeps sounding. Marked with a slash or S in tab. Learn more →
Slur Articulation
A curved line over or under two or more different notes, meaning play them legato. On guitar it often means use hammer-ons or pull-offs; for wind players, do not re-tongue.
Smorzando Dynamics
Fading out: gradually softer and slower, like a sound being extinguished.
Solfège Melody
A system of syllables for scale degrees: do re mi fa sol la ti (or si). In movable do, do is always the tonic; in fixed do (used in many countries), do is always C. Learn more →
Solo Expression
A passage performed by one player or singer, or a featured passage for one instrument with accompaniment.
Sonata Form
An instrumental work, usually in several movements, for a solo instrument or a solo instrument with piano.
Sonata form Form
The main form of Classical-era first movements: an exposition presenting two key areas, a development exploring the material, and a recapitulation restating both themes in the home key.
Sostenuto Expression
Sustained: hold the notes for their full length, often with a slight broadening of tempo.
Sotto voce Expression
Under the voice: in a hushed, subdued tone.
Spiccato Articulation
A bowing technique where the bow bounces lightly off the string, producing short, crisp notes.
Staccatissimo Articulation
Very short and detached, shorter than staccato. Shown by a small wedge or vertical stroke above or below the notehead.
Staccato Articulation
Detached: the note is played shorter than its written value, leaving a small silence before the next. Shown by a dot above or below the notehead.
Staff Notation
The set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which notes are written; higher positions mean higher pitches. Also called stave. Learn more →
Standard tuning Guitar
The usual guitar tuning, from the lowest string to the highest: E A D G B E. Learn more →
Stem Notation
The vertical line attached to a notehead on all notes shorter than a whole note. Learn more →
Stem (audio) Technology
In production, a submix of related tracks (such as all drums or all vocals) exported as one audio file.
Step Melody
Melodic motion to the adjacent note of the scale (a half step or whole step). Stepwise motion is also called conjunct motion. Learn more →
Straight eighths Rhythm
Eighth notes played exactly evenly, as opposed to a swing feel.
String gauge Guitar
The thickness of a string, usually given in thousandths of an inch. Heavier gauges give more volume and tension; lighter ones are easier to bend.
String skipping Guitar
Playing passages that jump over one or more strings, producing wider intervals than scale-based lines. Learn more →
Stringendo Tempo
Pressing forward: gradually speeding up, usually with growing intensity toward a climax. Learn more →
Strophic form Form
A song form in which the same music is repeated for every verse of text (AAA).
Strumming Guitar
Brushing across several strings with a pick or fingers in down and up strokes to play chords rhythmically.
Subdivision Rhythm
Dividing the beat into smaller equal parts (eighths, triplets, sixteenths) and feeling them while playing, which makes timing more precise. Learn more →
Subdominant Harmony
The fourth degree of the scale and the chord built on it (IV in major). It typically moves away from the tonic toward the dominant. Learn more →
Subito Dynamics
Suddenly, immediately. Most often used with dynamics, as in subito piano (suddenly soft). Learn more →
Submediant Harmony
The sixth degree of the scale and the chord built on it (vi in major). Learn more →
Subtonic Harmony
The seventh degree of the natural minor scale, a whole tone below the tonic; it lacks the leading tone's strong pull. Learn more →
Suite Form
A set of instrumental pieces, often dances, meant to be played in sequence.
Supertonic Harmony
The second degree of the scale and the chord built on it (ii in major). Learn more →
Suspended chord Harmony
A chord in which the third is replaced by the second (sus2) or the fourth (sus4), giving an open, unresolved sound. Learn more →
Suspension Melody
A note held over from the previous chord into a new chord where it is dissonant, then resolved downward by step.
Sustain pedal Instruments
The right pedal of a piano (or a footswitch on a keyboard) that lifts the dampers so notes keep ringing after the keys are released.
Sweep picking Guitar
Dragging the pick across several adjacent strings in one smooth motion, playing one note per string, typically for fast arpeggios.
Swing Rhythm
A rhythmic feel in which pairs of eighth notes are played long-short, roughly like the first and third notes of a triplet. Central to jazz and blues.
Symphony Form
An extended work for orchestra, typically in four movements.
Syncopation Rhythm
Accenting notes that fall off the beat or on weak beats, or tying across strong beats, so the expected accent pattern is displaced. Learn more →
Synthesizer Technology
An electronic instrument that generates sound from oscillators and shapes it with filters, envelopes and modulation.

T

Tablature Notation
A notation system for fretted instruments: each line is a string and each number is the fret to play. Usually abbreviated tab; it shows where to play but often not the rhythm. Learn more →
Tap tempo Technology
A feature that sets the tempo of a metronome, delay or device from the rate at which you tap a button. Learn more →
Tapping Guitar
Hammering notes onto the fretboard with fingers of the picking hand, usually combined with hammer-ons and pull-offs of the fretting hand, allowing fast, wide-interval lines.
Tempo Tempo
The speed of the underlying beat of a piece, usually given as an Italian word, a metronome mark in BPM, or both. Learn more →
Tempo giusto Tempo
In strict, exact time, or at the appropriate tempo for the style of the piece.
Tempo primo Tempo
Return to the original tempo of the piece or section, after a different tempo has been used. Often written Tempo I. Learn more →
Tenor clef Notation
A C clef centered on the fourth line from the bottom, marking it as middle C. Used for higher passages on cello, bassoon and trombone. Learn more →
Tension Harmony
The sense of instability that makes music want to move on, created by dissonance or the dominant; also a name for chord extensions like 9, 11 and 13.
Tenuto Articulation
Held: give the note its full value and often a slight emphasis. Shown by a short horizontal line above or below the notehead.
Ternary form Form
A three-part structure, ABA, where the first section returns after a contrasting middle section.
Tessitura Melody
The part of the range where most of a melody or vocal part lies, and where a voice is most comfortable.
Texture General
How melodic and harmonic layers are combined in music, described as monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic, and as thin or thick.
Theme and variations Form
A form that states a theme and then repeats it several times with changes in melody, harmony, rhythm or character.
Through-composed Form
A form with no large-scale repetition: new music continues throughout, following the text or story.
Tie Notation
A curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch: play them as one note whose duration is their sum. Learn more →
Timbre General
The tone color or quality that distinguishes sounds of the same pitch and loudness, such as a flute versus a violin.
Time signature Notation
The two stacked numbers at the start of a piece: the top says how many beats are in each measure, the bottom which note value gets one beat (4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note). Learn more →
Tonic Harmony
The first degree of the scale and the home note or chord (I) of a key, where the music feels at rest. Learn more →
Tonicization Harmony
Briefly treating a chord other than the tonic as a temporary tonic, usually with its own secondary dominant, without fully modulating.
Tranquillo Expression
Calmly, quietly, peacefully.
Transposing instrument Instruments
An instrument whose written notes differ from the sounding pitch, for example B-flat trumpet or clarinet (sounding a major second lower) and guitar (sounding an octave lower). Learn more →
Transposition Melody
Moving music up or down to a different pitch level or key while keeping all intervals the same. Learn more →
Travis picking Guitar
A fingerpicking pattern in which the thumb alternates between bass strings on the beat while the fingers play melody or syncopated notes on the treble strings.
Treble clef Notation
The G clef: its curl wraps around the second line from the bottom, marking that line as the G above middle C. Used for higher instruments and voices, and for guitar (sounding an octave lower). Learn more →
Tremolo Articulation
A rapid repetition of one note, or rapid alternation between two notes, shown by slashes through the note stem. On electric guitar the word also names an effect that rapidly varies the volume.
Triad Harmony
A three-note chord built from a root, a third and a fifth. The four types are major, minor, diminished and augmented. Learn more →
Trill Notation
A rapid alternation between a written note and the note above it, marked tr. On guitar it is played with repeated hammer-ons and pull-offs.
Triple meter Rhythm
Meter with three beats per measure, such as 3/4 (waltz time) or 9/8. Learn more →
Triplet Rhythm
Three notes played in the time normally taken by two of the same value, marked with a 3. Eighth-note triplets divide one quarter-note beat into three equal parts. Learn more →
Tritone Harmony
The interval of three whole tones (six semitones), an augmented fourth or diminished fifth. It splits the octave exactly in half and is the core of the dominant seventh's tension. Learn more →
Tritone substitution Harmony
Replacing a dominant seventh chord with the dominant seventh a tritone away (for example Db7 for G7). Both share the same tritone, and the substitute creates a chromatic bass line to the tonic. Learn more →
Truss rod Guitar
An adjustable metal rod inside the neck that counteracts string tension and controls the amount of neck relief (bow).
Tuner Instruments
A device or app that detects the pitch of a note and shows whether it is sharp, flat or in tune. Learn more →
Tuning General
Adjusting an instrument so its notes match a reference pitch, or the set of pitches its open strings are set to. Learn more →
Tuplet Rhythm
Any grouping that divides a beat into a number of equal parts other than the meter normally allows, such as triplets, duplets, quintuplets (5) or sextuplets (6).
Turn Notation
An ornament that circles the main note: the note above, the main note, the note below, and the main note again. Shown by a sideways S symbol.
Turnaround Harmony
A short chord sequence at the end of a section that leads back to the beginning, such as I-vi-ii-V or the last two bars of a blues.
Tutti Expression
All: the whole ensemble plays, as opposed to a soloist or a section alone.
Twelve-bar blues Form
A 12-measure chord form built on I, IV and V: four bars of I, two of IV, two of I, then V, IV, I and a turnaround to V. The basis of blues, early rock and roll and much jazz. Learn more →
Two-finger plucking Bass
The standard fingerstyle bass technique of alternating the index and middle fingers to pluck the strings. Learn more →

U

Ukulele Instruments
A small four-string instrument, usually tuned G C E A with the G an octave above its lowest expected position (re-entrant tuning). Learn more →
Unison General
Two or more performers or voices playing the same pitch; also the interval of a perfect prime (zero semitones). Learn more →
Upbeat Rhythm
The beat or part of a beat just before a downbeat, especially the last beat of a measure. An upbeat that starts a piece is called a pickup or anacrusis. Learn more →

V

Vamp Form
A short repeated chord pattern or groove played until a cue, often under a solo or an intro.
Velocity Technology
In MIDI, a value from 0 to 127 recording how hard a note was played, usually controlling loudness and tone.
Verse Form
A song section that usually keeps the same music but has different lyrics each time, telling the story.
Vibrato Guitar
A regular, slight wavering of pitch that adds expression and sustain. Guitarists create it by repeatedly bending the string a small amount; singers and string players use it too.
Vivace Tempo
Lively and fast, roughly 156-176 BPM. Learn more →
Vivacissimo Tempo
Very fast and very lively, faster than vivace, roughly 172-176 BPM. Learn more →
Voice leading Harmony
The way the individual notes of successive chords move from one to the next. Good voice leading favors small steps and common tones for smooth connections.
Voicing Harmony
The specific arrangement of a chord's notes: which notes are included, their octave and their order from bottom to top. Learn more →

W

Wah-wah Instruments
A pedal effect that sweeps a filter up and down as you rock the pedal, producing a vowel-like 'wah' sound.
Walking bass Bass
A bass line of steady quarter notes that outlines the chords using chord tones, scale notes and chromatic approach notes. Standard in jazz and blues. Learn more →
Whammy bar Guitar
A lever attached to a movable bridge that lets the player lower (and on some designs raise) the pitch of the strings. Also called a tremolo arm or vibrato bar.
Whole note Rhythm
A hollow note with no stem lasting four beats in 4/4 time. Also called a semibreve. Learn more →
Whole tone General
An interval of two semitones, such as C to D. Also called a whole step or major second. Learn more →
Whole-tone scale Melody
A six-note scale made entirely of whole steps, with a dreamy, ambiguous sound. Only two different whole-tone scales exist. Learn more →

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