Questions tagged [terminology]
For questions about musical terms. Questions about symbols should use the "notation" tag.
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39 views
What do you call a lightwheight version of chorus inside a verse or in between them?
If you have two different choruses, where one is a more mellow version of the "real" chorus. What do you call it? For instance on this form: Verse, X, Verse, Chorus. What do you call X?
It's not a ...
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4answers
591 views
Slur or Tie when they are mixed?
For my understanding, the top notes D and F are slurs, the bottom notes G and C, what are they? Please help! Thanks!
5
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0answers
51 views
Is there a name for songs whose lyrics are sung through twice?
Some songs just have their lyrics sung through from beginning to end twice - usually with a key change for the second time through. Is there a name for that?
I am thinking of "The Impossible Dream" (...
6
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1answer
64 views
What's the musical term for a repeated phrase with shifting emphasis?
For example, a riff/pattern that's three beats long played over 4/4 so that a different part of the phrase is emphasized on each repetition.
This happens briefly in The Killers "Somebody told me", ...
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2answers
97 views
What does “con piu fuoco possibile” mean?
Towards the end of Chopin's Etude No. 4 in C# minor, Op. 10 No. 4, it says "con più fuoco possibile." What does this mean?
4
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2answers
92 views
Musicians' jargon, on-stage communication
I’m translating a documentary about a Hungarian folk-jazz musician into English and there are a few words, which I am sure are very simple, yet which I simply cannot find a solution for anywhere on ...
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0answers
24 views
What is the term for the sung voice found especially in Bach's chorale music (eg. Jesu Joy of Man's Desire BWV147)?
I have wondered what the correct musical term for the voiced melody overlaid in a piece like Jesu Joy of Man's Desire BWV147, or Sleepers Awake BWV645 is. In this piece of music (and other likes it, ...
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3answers
1k views
Are the terms “stab” and “staccato” synonyms?
When I look up the term "stab" in Wikipedia it says: "In music, a stab is a single staccato note or chord that adds dramatic punctuation to a composition."
So I was wondering, are stab and staccato ...
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3answers
474 views
When to use the term transposed instead of modulation?
I was playing 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' and noticed it modulates from B minor to a fifth above, F-sharp major.
I looked on wikipedia and found it says:
"...
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5answers
825 views
Must a tritone substitution use a dominant functioning seventh chord?
The tritone substitution has been discussed in several questions here, perhaps most notably What is tritone substitution? and Why is bII 7(b5) considered a dominant? (I believe my question is ...
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2answers
65 views
Is there a more specific term for this sound? (5 and ♯4)
I like the crunchy, janky texture of playing a note with the note a semitone under it in a melodic voice, usually on the dominant scale degree. For example, in the original Thomas the Tank Engine TV ...
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1answer
106 views
Is there a name for the progression ♭VI–♭VII–I?
The so-called Andalusian cadence occurs when one harmonizes the descending tetrachord from tonic down to dominant with I–♭VII–♭VI–V.
Yet the progression ♭VI–♭VII–I seems just as common. It's ...
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1answer
84 views
What is a “Slovenian Cadence”?
I recently acquired a large collection of music theory review materials. In it, I came across the term "Slovenian cadence." Does anyone know what this might be?
Unfortunately, the review materials ...
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5answers
1k views
What's the relationship between the chords Cmaj Dmaj Emaj?
If I play the chords: C major, D major, then E major. I'm wondering what their relationship is called.
It almost sounds like chromatic mediants but I can't call it that since it doesn't move by a ...
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2answers
31 views
Is a doubly augmented seventh a compound interval?
I'm reading about the theory behind intervals, and Wikipedia says:
A compound interval is an interval spanning more than one octave.
Does "spanning" in this case refer to the number of staff ...
3
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3answers
60 views
Term for distinguishing dim/perfect/aug intervals from dim/min/maj/aug ones
There are two types of intervals, distinguished by their possible qualities:
Unisons, fourths, fifths, and octaves (and their compound variants) may be of perfect or (multiply) diminished/augmented ...
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3answers
106 views
Terminology for 3 beats per measure
What terms do people use to refer to music with 3 beats per measure? I have heard the term "waltz beat" and "triple meter" but are there other (not necessarily professional) terms?
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6answers
2k views
What's the difference between “con brio” and “con fuoco”?
Do they just have different names but are meant to be played the same? Also, it seems like if "con fuoco" never appears in major keys, except for Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 18.
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1answer
41 views
Is there a specific name or descriptive term for happy, productive melodies/tunes that you see on ads? [closed]
Example
Feel free to include some of your favorite ones also!
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3answers
192 views
Does it exist some kind of “1-bit” / “binary” / “one note only” musical notation?
Disclaimer: I'm a programmer and I know nothing about music.
I connected a small electronic component to my computer, and I'm able to control it using a software I developed.
This electronic ...
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8answers
224 views
What is the 'and' called in 4/4 time?
"1 and 2 and 3 and 4."
If beats 1 and 3 are strong (aka on-beat) and 2 and 4 are weak (aka off-beat). What is the 'and' called? I'm wondering about the terminology.
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3answers
528 views
Chromatic vs Non-diatonic vs Accidental
I was wondering if all three of these terms: chromatic, non-diatonic, accidental, all mean the same thing?
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5answers
2k views
If parallel keys aren't closely related, then why are they so easy to get to?
I got this comment on an answer of mine:
(A comment on this answer)
Parallel keys are three sharps / flats away from the tonic, and therefore, they are not closely related. Regardless, they are ...
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3answers
79 views
Classification of 9th, 11th, and 13th intervals by consonance and dissonance
An interval is classified by its consonance or dissonance: as an open consonance (unison, perfect fifth, octave), a soft consonance (major and minor third and sixth), mild dissonance (major second ...
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3answers
70 views
Usage of “to paraphrase” in music
The term paraphrase in music seems quite clearly defined.
Right coming from searching another term for the fill-ins, echo-ing, answering in a musical dialog of 2 instruments, a singer and piano or ...
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1answer
69 views
what is a “leitmotif” and by whom has it been introduced into music language?
after debating about Paraphrase in music and whether "paraphrasing" could mind something different I came to the question, that someone has been used the first time the German term of "leitmotif" ...
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2answers
39 views
How to name short phrases played to make “frame” for e.g. vocal solo?
How to name short phrases played to make "frame" for vocal solo?
For example "Cambio Dolor" (original, performed by Natalia Oreiro) song, there are two guitars playing in verse: rythm & the ...
2
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1answer
54 views
What is the difference between accented and unaccented notes?
how can I tell the difference between an accented and unaccented note?
(I am doing grade 8 ABRSM & Trinity theory, any tips?)
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1answer
65 views
Naming of common Instrumental groupings [closed]
I am aware that I cannot expect absolute, definitive answers but there appears to be some common patterns. Are the following reasonably reliable and what can be added?
Clarification: I am primarily ...
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1answer
56 views
Is there a formal name for tones occurring at the same instant?
I am not talking about chords. Imagine a score with two staffs (e.g. for piano) and let's say 2 voices. In the first measure on the upper staff we have some chord (let's say it consists of 4 notes) ...
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6answers
2k views
Which 'Scale' A Song is In
A month or two ago, I participated in a school music programme, where I was playing guitar. The chord progression I was playing was in the key of C. Then our music teacher comes, and asks in which ...
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1answer
74 views
Do the Italian names for tempo translate directly the same way as they did when they were first named?
I am curious to know, do the words for tempo translate nowadays in the same way that they did when they were named. So for example, Andante is walking, Allegro is cheerful and Adagio is slowly, but ...
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1answer
160 views
What does the word “Grand” in a title of a piece of music (by e.g. Beethoven or Chopin) mean?
Chopin wrote four "grandes valses brillantes" (Opera 18, 34) and Beethoven wrote a sonata (Opus 13) that the publisher called a "grande sonate pathétique".
What is the sense of the word "grand" in ...
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2answers
571 views
What instrument is an “alto” string part in a score?
In the music score below, the bottom five parts seem to be string parts. We think the first two are violins, the last is string bass, and the second-last is cello. But what is the third-last? Is it a ...
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2answers
60 views
What is the name of the default articulation?
Is there a term for the "default" articulation that is played when no articulation symbols are present? When the note is played for nearly its full duration value, but with just a tiny rest to ...
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0answers
93 views
Is there a term for tablature with numerals placed between the lines?
In most of tablature notation for fretted instruments, each line represents a string and the numerals, representing the frets where to stop the string, are printed on the respective lines.
However, ...
2
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1answer
47 views
Terminology used when a high note in a sentence is sung like a flasetto
In many pop songs I've listened to, when the singer touches the high notes in a line, it is sung like a falsetto.
For example, in this cover of Hello by Conor Maynard, the chorus starts from 1:14. ...
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1answer
76 views
What genre of music is this? Is there a technical term or name for this structure?
I noticed that I made my favourite own tracks with this technic:
take an ostinato build from a 4 bar phrase, repeat it over and over
after a little repetition
take a pure chord progression (Chord ...
3
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2answers
117 views
What's the term for the place where the singer stops singing and lets the orchestra playing instrumentally?
I'm looking for the term (jargon) that used in music or orchestra and says where the singer stops singing and lets the orchestra playing instrumentally. What's it called?
5
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2answers
213 views
How a chord is analyzed as a “chromatic mediant of the V”?
In the video How To Analyze Songs from the channel 12 tone, the guy wisely separates the task of labeling from analyzing. There's a comment where he lists some possible analysis options of the label ...
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2answers
111 views
What's another name for the sostenuto pedal?
Every pedal except the sostenuto pedal also has an English name. Sostenuto means "sustained" in Italian, according to Wikipedia.
Another reason for an English word to replace the word "sostenuto" is ...
2
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2answers
52 views
Cyclic integration in music
In a book that I'm reading there is a term called cyclic integration, as follows:
In the genres that are the main carriers of classical sonata-form evolution, Mozart began to achieve a marked ...
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2answers
1k views
Is there a term for when a lyric is sung and then an instrument (sound) is played to mimic the lyric?
Is there a term for when a phrase in a song, i.e., "shivers down my spine" as in Bohemian Rhapsody, after that phrase is sung, a tinkling or some kind of sound is made with an instrument, to mimic "...
9
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1answer
648 views
Does a walking bass line usually consist of chord tones?
Do we define a walking bass by it consisting of mainly chord tones? So it's just a skeleton of a chord progression? What if it wasn't just chord tones, would it still be considered a walking bass line ...
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1answer
106 views
How is this type of chord progression notation called?
In France, a lot of guitar/bass (pop/jazz) musicians use a graphical way of representing a songs chord progression.
It is called the "grid" ( translation of "grille"?) of a song.
It looks like this (...
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2answers
90 views
Naming convention for sheet music?
As far as I can tell there are two different types of sheet music/tablature (there are most likely a whole lot more variations, but for my purposes) where one type aims to let you play your instrument ...
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4answers
827 views
In a rhythm, what word best describes the duration of an on/off beat cycle?
I'm writing some software that composes drum-lines.
I'm looking for a word that describes the lowest unique combination of down- and up-beats.
Eg: Let's say the following are quarter notes:
(Disco ...
6
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1answer
59 views
Is there a specific term for the orchestral bursts in The Firebird?
In Stravinsky's Firebird, during the Danse Infernale section, there are several very short, jarring bursts from the orchestra. These bursts have an unusual dynamic quality in that the attack is not at ...
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0answers
61 views
Term for chorus that sounds like pre-chorus
I'm not good with musical terms, but I like to listen to songs that have odd and strange parts while maintaining "good" structure.
There's a song called Remember Me by Oh My Girl. To my ear, the ...
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1answer
93 views
Odd and Even Harmonic Theory [closed]
I've been thinking of ways to harmonize melodies. One of my ways is to not think in terms of the seven diatonic chords, but to just think of in terms of "odd chords" and "even chords".
Let's say we ...
